Home automation

"Domotic" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Demotic.
Laptop controller for automated sprinkler system

Home automation is the use and control of home appliances remotely or automatically. Early home automation began with labour-saving machines like washing machines. Some home automation appliances are stand alone and do not communicate, such as a programmable light switch, while others are part of the internet of things and are networked for remote control and data transfer. Hardware devices can include sensors (like cameras and thermometers), controllers, actuators (to do things), and communication systems. Remote control can range from a simple remote control to a smartphone with Bluetooth, to a computer on the other side of the world connected by internet. Home automation systems are available which consist of a suite of products designed to work together. These typically connected through Wi-Fi or power line communication to a hub which is then accessed with a software application. Popular applications include thermostats, security systems, blinds, lighting, and door locks.[1] Popular suites of products include X10, Z-Wave, and Zigbee all of which are incompatible with each other. Home automation is the domestic application of building automation.

History

An ad for the Kitchen Computer. The tagline is "If she can only cook as well as Honeywell can compute". A Honeywell 316 in a pedestal model is on display at the Computer History Museum, Mountain View, California

In 1898 Nikola Tesla patented a remote control for vessels and vehicles in 1898.[2] While many home appliance have existed for centuries, the self-contained electric or gas powered appliances became viable in the 1900s with the introduction of electric power distribution[3] In the early 1900s, electric and gas appliances included washing machines, water heaters, refrigerators and sewing machines. In the Post–World War II economic expansion, the domestic use of dishwashers, and clothes dryers were part of a shift for convenience and increasing discretionary income.[4][5]

The first microprocessors emerged in the early 1970s and were used in embedded systems like calculators, and microcomputers. The Honeywell 316 Kitchen Computer of 1969 was offered by Neiman Marcus[6] for $10,000 ($63,730 in 2013 dollars), weighed over 100 pounds (over 45 kg), and was advertised as useful for storing recipes. Reading or entering these recipes required the user to complete a two-week course just to learn how to program the device, using only toggle-switch input and binary light output. It had a built in cutting board and had a few recipes built in. No evidence has been found that any Honeywell Kitchen Computers were ever sold.[7]

In 1975, X10 the first general purpose Home automation network technology was developed. It is a communication protocol for electronic devices. It primarily uses electric power transmission wiring for signalling and control, where the signals involve brief radio frequency bursts of digital data. and remains the most widely available.[8] Although higher bandwidth alternatives exist, X10 remains popular in the home environment with millions of units in use worldwide, and inexpensive availability of new components. By 1978, X10 products included a 16 channel command console, a lamp module, and an appliance module. Soon after came the wall switch module and the first X10 timer.

By 2012, in the United States, according to ABI Research, 1.5 million home automation systems were installed.[9]

Applications

Well and Booster Pump Automation.

Comparison of popular protocols

Protocol Power Line Radio-Frequency Data Rate Available API? Open Source Commercially available HA gear needs Neutral Wire?
C-Bus no yes 3500 bit/s yes no n/a (uses category-5 UTP)
EnOcean no 902 MHz (North America) 9600 bit/s yes no ?
Insteon[13] yes 915 MHz
  • Instantaneous: 13,165 bit/s
  • Sustained: 2,880 bit/sec
 yes no Usually
KNX yes yes 9600 bit/s yes no no
UPB yes no 480 bit/s no no no
X10 yes
  • 310 MHz (North America)
  • 433 MHz (Europe)
 20 bit/s yes no Sometimes
Zigbee no
  • 2.4 GHz (worldwide)
  • 915 MHz (Americas and Australia)
  • 868 MHz (Europe)
 20-250k bps yes no ?
Z-Wave no
  • 908.42 MHz (North America)
  • Other countries use sub-1GHz [14]
 250k bps yes no Usually

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Best Home Automation System - Consumer Reports". www.consumerreports.org. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
  2. ↑ United States Patent: 0613809, November 8, 1898, retrieved 2016-02-14
  3. ↑ Home Automation & Wiring (1 ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics. 1999-03-31. ISBN 9780070246744.
  4. ↑ Encyclopedia of American Industries Volume 1. Gale Research. 1994.
  5. ↑ William George (2003). Antique Electric Waffle Irons 1900-1960: A History of the Appliance Industry in 20th Century America. Trafford Publishing. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-55395-632-7.
  6. ↑ Chadwick, Susan (December 1985). "The His and Her Gift". Texas Monthly. p. 147. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  7. ↑ Spicer, Dag (August 12, 2000). "If You Can't Stand the Coding, Stay Out of the Kitchen: Three Chapters in the History of Home Automation". Dr. Dobb's Journal. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  8. ↑ Rye, Dave (October 1999). "My Life at X10". AV and Automation Industry eMagazine. AV and Automation Industry eMagazine. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  9. ↑ "1.5 Million Home Automation Systems Installed in the US This Year". www.abiresearch.com. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  10. ↑ Preville, Cherie (26 Aug 2013). "Control Your Castle: The Latest in HVAC Home Automation". ACHRNews (ACHRNews). Retrieved 15 Jun 2015.
  11. ↑ Griffiths, Melanie (March 2008). "Smart Home Security". Homebuilding & Renovating. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  12. ↑ Berger, Lars T.; Schwager, Andreas; Pagani, Pascal; Schneider, Daniel M. (February 2014). Smart Grid Applications, Communications, and Security. Devices, Circuits, and Systems. CRC Press. ISBN 9781466557529.
  13. ↑ INSTEON WHITEPAPER: The Details (PDF).
  14. ↑ Z-Wave Frequency Coverage (PDF).
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