Home Automation Systems is wide topic, endless solutions & extreme of technology. Smart home is the place where everything is connected & controlled. Simply where electronics talk & live as neighbors.
Right from door lock to window glass’s, video surveillance to intrusion detection systems, refrigerator to washing machine are all connected using wired, wireless & internet communication technology. Smart home or home automation is an extension of building automation where HVAC, security & fire systems are integrated and can be controlled using BMS central point.
It is smart thought & engineering expertise that helps us to design the home automation systems & solutions. The main purpose is to create the comfortable state of art living with an idea to minimise carbon footprint, to save energy, time & money. The purpose of investing in home automation systems is to create future proof technological home with expand-ability & interoperability in mind.
The home automation systems & devices are either wired or wireless, depends on the technology we choose, actually the protocols for application. The widely used protocols are Z Wave, Zigbee, EnOcean, KNX, X 10 etc. Each protocol has specific media, data transmission & reception rate and application.
PROTOCOL |
COMMUNICATION |
RATE |
Zigbee automation |
Radio Frequency |
20~250 Kbps |
Z Wave |
Radio Frequency |
100 Kbps |
EnOcean |
Radio Frequency / PLC |
9600 bps |
X 10 |
Radio Frequency / PLC |
20 bps |
Universal Power Bus (UPB) |
PLC (Power line communication) |
480 bps |
KNX |
RF, PLC, Twisted pair, Infra red Ethernet |
9600 bps |
Home automation Systems are generally divided into three generations:
1. Wireless technology ( First generation)
2. Artificial intelligence (Second generation)
3. Robot buddy (Third generation)
In smart home systems, every device & system is connected. And each unit is controlled from central point or points, it can be a control panel or a smartphone or tablet PC using smart home application. And can be controlled as well as operated remotely regardless of location & area.
The building blocks for home automation systems is vast as mentioned below but not limited to
• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)
• Lighting control system
• Security systems
• Access controls
• Intrusion Detection & Alarm systems
• Gas detectors
• Home automation for the elderly and disabled
• Swimming pool alarm systems
• Audio & Video systems
The global home automation system market is expected to reach USD 78.27 Billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 12.46% between 2016 and 2022 (Ref: Markets & Markets)