Home Automation

1
Home Automation Done Right
2

• The future is closer than you think. Home
  automation started in the 1950s with the
  invention of the remote control. No longer did
  you have to get up from the couch walk over to
  your TV and push a button, shortly after the term
  couch potato was coined. Yet home automation in
  recent years has taken on a whole new meaning
  with the advent of wireless technology and its
  prevalence in everything from smart phones to
  tablets to refrigerators and HVAC systems. With
  the development of smart home automation apps for
  smart phones and tablets your home can be
  controlled anywhere, anytime. Yet there is a
  cautionary tale that it needs to be done right.
• How advanced is it?
• A recent study on the economics of home
  automation revealed that by 2014 home automation
  systems will pass 11 billion worldwide. The home
  automation market is ready to explode due to
  three main areas of advancement in home security,
  energy management and home control. Part of this
  technological advancement has to do with the
  advent of the smartphone which is estimated to
  top 13 billion in 2014.

3

• With the ability of having that much computing
  power in your hands with constant wireless
  connectivity new areas of advancement have been
  realized. Due to the massive investment in mobile
  application technology such as the iTunes store
  and the Google play store apps their increased
  function and capabilities have been realized.
  These user-friendly apps have proven to be cost
  effective and less expensive than traditional
  design models. The new home automation systems
  have serious advances in security, energy
  management and control of home appliances. With
  the ability to control home thermostats,
  lighting, door entries and exits and even being
  able to turn the coffee maker on from a remote
  location has opened up immense possibilities.
  Another important sector being developed for home
  automation includes healthcare. Being able to
  control such things as pain management and
  medication levels as well as monitoring general
  health statistics remotely will advance home
  healthcare significantly.
• Technological backbones

4

• X10 - is the oldest of the mall dating back to
  1975 and traditionally was run over wired
  connections. They have now moved over to a
  wireless-based system.
• ZigBee - is a conglomerate of vendors using the
  IEEE 802.15.4 wireless standard protocol but
  enabling a mash network allowing all devices to
  communicate equally.
• Z-Wave - is a single company that produces this
  protocol and produces all the chipsets for its
  devices.
• UPB - stands for Universal Powerline Bus and uses
  the existing power lines in your home for
  delivery but tends to be expensive.
• Insteon - is a combination of both wireless and
  power-line home automation protocols that include
  a mesh network, where devices are peers and is
  compatible with X10.
• Wi-Fi - something that were all used to using
  weather for our smartphones, tablets or home
  router system. This protocol is super-fast, has
  wide acceptance, has great range but uses more
  power and bandwidth than most of the other
  standards.

5

• A Cautionary Tale
• In 2011 at the DefCon Hacker Conference to
  independent security researchers developed a
  device that could jam X10 signals and actively
  take over a home automation system, which did not
  have any encryption. It is important to note
  major advances in home automation in the last two
  years have addressed the encryption issue
  especially with professional home automation
  experts. In order to be secure in the knowledge
  that outside forces cannot turn on your lights,
  open your doors or turn on your appliances ensure
  that your home automation supplier and installer
  is a professional and uses the latest security
  protocols.
• Home automation seems like the technology of the
  future yet it is here today. Even if you do not
  think you have home automation in your home you
  probably already do. Even using applications to
  control your home computer is considered a home
  automation tool. Take advantage of the
  convenience and security of a home automation
  system by having it professionally designed and
  installed.