It is automation of the home, housework or household activity. Home automation may include centralized control of lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), appliances, security locks of gates and doors and other systems, to provide improved convenience, comfort, energy efficiency and security.
As we step into the options for home automation, there is an ocean of choices available! But how do we know what is right for us? Let’s take a quick look at what exactly is home automation. We will then review the popular technologies and choose what is best for us.
Home Automation: what does it mean?
On a late evening, after a long and tiring day, imagine walking home and being welcomed by dim lights, soothing music, and your favorite TV show all of this without touching a single switch. Your house is automated according to your own taste and preferences. You easily slip in to a refreshing and relaxed mood. Home Automation gives you a refined experience of coming home.
Be assured that the next time you step out of the house, the safety of your near and dear ones is taken care of and saving energy becomes practically easy. There are multiple benefits and as you read more you will explore further.
Let’s glance over some of the popular technologies
X10, C-Bus, Universal Powerline Bus: All of these protocols for communication use the power line for signalling and control of home automation. The biggest advantage of X10 is really how inexpensive it is, due to which there are still millions of X10 products installed across the world as of date.
KNX: It is a standardised network based communication protocol for intelligent buildings. It is very robust and has proved itself in many situations as a very capable system. But KNX has two drawbacks, it is complex and expensive. It makes sense automate an entire building but not so much for a single house.
INSTEON: It is a successful home automation networking technology that uses both power line communication or radio frequency or both. It is cost effective and rather easy to setup too. It is sold only in North America, Australia and parts of Europe. So if you are in India, this isn’t an available choice (yet).
Z-Wave: A wireless technology that has taken the world of home automation by storm is Z-Wave. More than 70% of home automation installations across the world now use Z-Wave. It is a communication protocol which depends on radio frequency, is robust, dependable, affordable and most importantly ‘available’.You can learn more about it here FAQ
Is wireless home automation dependable?
Wireless technologies have been known in the past to be affected by electrical noise as well as other electromagnetic devices and networks affecting their reliability. Wi-Fi has made our lives easier but has complicated setting up network security. Finally wireless network adaptors have for a long time still been very expensive. Now all that has changed! Technologies like Zigbee, Z-Wave and Insteon have now ensured that wireless technologies are the way to go for home automation, ensuring to deliver:
- Simplicity
- Reliability
- Security
- Value
What is Z-Wave Technology?
Z-Wave is a wireless communication protocol designed specifically for home and small office automation. It is used to remotely control and automate z-wave enabled devices. The technology uses a low power radio frequency to control a plethora of devices and systems from lighting, security, audio visual entertainment systems and household appliances.
In simpler words, it lets all your home electronics interact with each other, and to you. It is similar to Wi-Fi but operates at a lower frequency preventing interference and also becoming much more energy efficient. It is the ideal system to add to your appliances at home to make them intelligent and unleash your smart home.
What can I do with Z-Wave Technology?
Well just about anything. In a new or existing property, add Z-Wave products to:
- Control indoor and outdoor lighting systems (on/off as well as intensity control)
- Control nearly any electronic home appliance
- Monitor different room climates (temperature & humidity), doors, windows, even human presence
- Monitor your home via cameras
- Monitor the energy used in the home overall or of individual loads
- Use all this information to in-turn control the appliances and lighting automatically and much much more.