Home automation is currently defined by the Home Automation Association (HAA) as "a process or system (using different methods or equipment) which provides the ability to enhance one's lifestyle, and make a home more comfortable, safe and efficient. "

A home automation system requires limited or no user intervention for functions within the home environment to occur whereby events within or outside the home may trigger a predefined response.

What can be automated and networked?

Simplicity, access, convenience, personalized control over the environment, proactive maintenance/servicing, communications, home management, and security. Since need, societal influences, industrial standards and economics all play a part in the establishment of a market, a consideration of these factors will help to understand the real benefits gained for implementing a whole house automation system.

Building codes, technological standards and public needs are changing the home building industry. A home built on past wiring standards is becoming incomplete since the subsystems and devices the home contains are smarter and services can not be obtained through these older standards. The lifestyles of people are diverse and different then past generations so that the needs of people have become dynamic. Society has become more complex resulting in the utilization of more sophisticated tools that can be used in simple ways.

The benefits of implementing a whole house automation system can be seen by the practicality in what the system will do for a particular home owner. Home Devices will be installed easily with minimal if any configuration. Services from various providers will be added without additional installation or configuration. Access to information will be instantaneous and ubiquitous.

These benefits can be achieved when a whole house automation system is implemented correctly. The remainder of this article will deal with the issues and technology that need to be considered when installing a whole house automation system to achieve these benefits.

Why some people don't seem to feel a need for it? Society and the timing of technology implementation (new versus established - and fear of obsolescence, complexity, and $$). These attitudes and economics will be overcome once the standards in home automation become stable and the convergence of technologies and service providers are established. The transition to a new age of the "automated home" will become common place and the dynamics of lifestyles, technological advancements, and societal factors will be absorbed.

Since the construction phases (framing, mechanical & plumbing, high voltage elecrical, trim out,) drive the installation of the automation systems, timing is critical when planning a whole house automation installation. Using a cyclic approach to the implementation of a whole house automation system will aid you to project and manage the time, material and resources required when you are involved in multiple projects at one time. It will also help identify the critical path necessary to complete the job.

The phased-cycle approach depicts that home services (telecommunications, cable, satellite, Internet, power) and customer's needs (Home Automation & Entertainment Conveniences, Home Security, Computer-Internet, Types of Access to the system) will drive the type of automation systems to be installed and integrated. The following diagram illustrates the Implementation of a Whole House Automation System in relations to the Construction Phases. However, even in an existing home with existing systems, this phased-cyclic approach will apply.

Since lifestyles differ, there is no simple solution to solve individual problems; however, technologies are available that help to manage each individual’s environmental situation while helping to control utility usage and enable a more peaceful enjoyment of life. Moreover, these technologies can be combined into an integrated system capable of performing many mundane household tasks and enabling the homeowner the control of their environment. Since, organization is the key to successfully manage the circumstances of each individual and their environment, the technologies must be capable of helping the individual or family to perform the following functions:

• Access & retain information
• Manage the individual’s or family’s economical situation
• Manage the communication needs of the family
• Manage power and utilities output
• Protect and secure the environment
• Maintenance free operation
• Simple operation
• Customized to the individual’s or family’s lifestyle

There are also many ways to access the home automation systems but these are dependent upon the home networking capabilities in the home. Consideration of the home services and customer needs must be analyzed prior to determining the home automation systems and access to these systems. In the previous illustration of the phased-cycle approach, the home services (telecommunications, cable, satellite, Internet, power) and customer's needs (Home Automation & Entertainment Conveniences, Home Security, Computer-Internet, Types of Access to the system drive the type of automation systems to be installed and integrated. Therefore the access system or device must be supported by the home automation system or additional components may need to be purchased to perform the access function. The following are the common types of access available.

Types of system access:

• Televisions
• Remote PC/laptops
• Internet browser
• Telephone/ digital phone/ cellular phone
• Pushbutton transmitters
• Remote controllers
• Voice activation
• Touchscreens

Access to the system's functions should be controlled by the use of passwords, biometrics recognition, card access, and/or privilege settings where authorized entry may be necessary. Use access control systems to control physical access into the home using a card reader , wireless RF device, or biometrics reader. Access Control Systems can log users entry time & date.

To wire or not to wire?

Basically, new homes should be wired with a structured cabling system meeting CEBus standards or when a remodeling project makes this economically and physically feasible. Existing Homes should be installed with a "No new Wires" (i.e. Intellon, HomePNA) or wireless RF means of retrofitting.

Technologies, Standards and Protocols

Today’s technologies have excelled beyond a mere fad or hobbyist application. In the past, technologies have been evolving in an unpredictable manner; however, these technologies are ‘settling’ into a meaningful stable set of standards that should apply for the next decade. Today’s technologies are based on these standards and will not become obsolete in the environment in which they are applied. There are many companies now offering products based on these technologies.

The following technologies (initiatives, standards, protocols and APIs) can also be related and defined on Home Toys website at http://www.hometoys.com/standards.htm.

INITIATIVES

LonWorks - The LonWorks system is a leading, open, networked automation and control solution for the building, industrial, transportation, and home markets. In a LonWorks network, Intelligent control devices, called nodes, communicate with each other using a common protocol. Each node in the network contains embedded intelligence that implements the protocol and performs control functions. In addition, each node includes a physical interface that couples the node microcontroller with the communications medium.

Home RF - Wireless Home Networking - SWAP compliant products can share and communicate voice and data in and around the home in a peer to peer configuration without wires. SWAP (Shared Wireless Access Protocol) - Voice and Data Communications for the home.

Bluetooth - Bluetooth is the codename for a technology specification for small form factor, low-cost, short range radio links between mobile PCs, mobile phones and other portable devices. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group is an industry group consisting of leaders in the telecommunications and computing industries that are driving development of the technology and bringing it to market.

STANDARDS

IEEE 1394 - With the advent of digital video comes need for digital audio/video standards IEEE-1394 provides a popular digital interface for audio/video products IEEE-1394 is a hardware and software standard for transporting data at 100, 200, or 400 megabytes per second (Mps)

Universal Plug and Play - Universal Plug and Play is an initiative to bring easy-to-use, flexible, standards-based connectivity to consumer networks, whether in the home, in a small business, or attached to the global Internet. It embraces the zero-configuration peripheral connectivity of Plug and Play but is more than just a simple extension of the Plug and Play peripheral model. Universal Plug and Play is an evolving architecture that is designed to extend the zero-configuration mantra to a highly dynamic world of many networked devices supplied by many vendors.

Jini - The Java programming language is the key to making Jini technology work. Devices in a network employing Jini technology are tied together using Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI). By using the Java programming language, a Jini connection architecture is secure. The discovery and join protocols, as well as the lookup service, depend on the ability to move Java objects, including their code, between Java virtual machines. It will enable users to connect a wide range of computing and telecommunications devices easily and simply, without the need to buy, carry, or connect cables. It delivers opportunities for rapid ad hoc connections, and the possibility of automatic, unconscious, connections between devices.

Sharewave - ShareWave™ Digital Wireless is a portfolio of technologies that enable real-time multimedia capable digital wireless connections among various devices throughout the home. Systems built using ShareWave™ Digital Wireless are capable of sending and receiving multimedia data including full motion video, computer graphics, CD quality audio, voice, data, and user inputs instantaneously.

PROTOCOLS

TCP/IP - The Transmission Control and Internet Protocol that defines internet communication format.

CEBus - The CEBus® Standard's Powerline Carrier Technology uses the home's 120v, 60 cycle, electrical wiring to transport messages between household devices. CEBus Powerline Carrier uses Spread Spectrum technology to overcome communication impediments found within the home's electrical powerline. Spread spectrum signaling works by spreading a transmitted signal over a range of frequencies, rather than using a single frequency. The CEBus Powerline Carrier spreads its signal over a range from 100Hz to 400Hz during each bit in the packet. However, instead of using frequency hopping or direct sequence spreading, CEBus Powerline Carrier sweeps through a range of frequencies as it is transmitted

HomePNA - The Home Phone Network Alliance (HomePNA) is Developing A PhoneLine Network Standard to connect Home Network Devices.

HAVi - The Home Audio/Video interoperability (HAVi) defines a protocol for interconnecting and controlling AV electronics appliances connected in the Audio/Video Home Network based on 1394. For different brands of AV electronics appliances to be interconnected and interoperated, each appliance must incorporate middleware that contains certain software elements common to all appliances on the network.

LonTalk - All LonWorks devices communicate with one another using the LonTalk protocol. The LonTalk protocol was designed to meet the unique and demanding requirements of control applications and is optimized and tuned specifically to allow for the creation of networked control systems. Key characteristics of the LonTalk protocol include media independence, transaction acknowledgement, peer-to-peer communication, sender authentication, priority transmissions, duplicate message detection, collision avoidance, automatic retries, mixed data rate support, client-server support, foreign frame transmission, data type standardization and identification, unicast/multicast/broadcast addressing, mixed media support, and error detection & recovery

X-10 - Facilitates control of household devices over the existing home wiring system using (PLC) power line carrier technology.

Home Plug-and-Play - A common application language to promote interoperability among multiple communication protocols and home networking standards (Powerline Network, RF Network, HVAC Comfort Network, A/V Network, Security Network, Phoneline Network)

WAP- The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is an open, global specification that empowers mobile users with wireless devices to easily access and interact with information and services instantly.

WAP is a communications protocol and application environment. It can be built on any operating system including PalmOS, EPOC, Windows CE, FLEXOS, OS/9, JavaOS etc. It provides service interoperability even between different device families. Handheld digital wireless devices such as mobile phones, pagers, two-way radios, smartphones and communicators -- from low-end to high-end. WAP is designed to work with most wireless networks such as CDPD, CDMA, GSM, PDC, PHS, TDMA, FLEX, ReFLEX, iDEN, TETRA, DECT, DataTAC, Mobitex.

API

HomeAPI - Software services and programming interfaces that enable applications to discover and control home devices. The development of this standard is necessary to communicate to different home networking protocols; thereby, establishing one common means to communicate to home devices independent of the protocols they are based.

OSGi - The OSGI is a cross industry working group that is defining a set of APIs and providing a sample implementation of a service gateway architecture. This service gateway is inserted between the external network and internal network and devices. Service providers will be delivering just-in-time value added services to this service gateway and this gateway will provide a service distribution, integration and management point in a SOHO / ROBO (Small Office/Home Office and Remote Office/Branch Office) or residence. The Open Service Gateway Specification is focused not only within the home or small office as HomeAPI, but also on delivery of electronic services over public networks, thus it solves a bigger problem. Being based on a three tier computing model (device, gateway, back end) based on open standards all they way, it leverages existing computing infrastructures (including Windows based ones) that scales from a residential alarm system to the worlds largest computing environments running on large scale Unix or MVS server systems.

Automation System Controller Comparison

DESIGN A BASE PACKAGE

To make it easier to sell systems to potential customers, Design base systems for the technologies you wish your installations to be based (most likely this would be based on the market need). This will help you to provide a starting price up front and the Design phase will be reduced considerably!

OUTSOURCING OR IN-HOUSE PROGRAMMING

LICENSES AND CODES

Whole House Video Design

Use quality RG6 coaxial or wireless RF to distribute the signals throughout the home. It is a good idea to install two RG6 jacks in a room where you may want to input video and output video. If using the cable-TV line, you should have at least 15 db at the house. At this point signal propagation and loss is important. For every 100 feet of RG6, you will lose 6 db. Count the number of input (modulated cameras, DVD, VCR, Satellite) and output (TVs) signals that you will need. Video amplifiers can boost the signal. Channel Plus sells equipment to maintain the correct signal for a specific number of inputs/outputs. Make a labeling scheme to identify the locations of the video sources and the locations of the video receivers. Always Home Run your cables. See the following chart for loss as a result of splitters/combiners:

 Whole House Audio Design

There are many different Audio systems available today with a wide range of low quality to high quality systems (cost follows quality). There are two types of systems: Music Intercom or strictly Audio. Nutone and M&S sell music Intercoms with a stereo version that consists of speakers in the ceilings or in the wall. Each of these speakers connect to an intercom location and are then home run back to the main Intercom system. There are numerous audio system manufacturers. Wires to each Speaker in this system is generally home run unless you have a local volume control. If you use a local volume control be sure to maintain proper impedance match with the amplifier and run the speaker wires to the local volume control. Observe the manufacturer's suggested wiring guage and stay at least two feet from AC wiring. Make a labeling scheme to identify the locations of the audio devices.

IR Distribution Design

Telephone Wiring

Computer LAN/WAN wiring

HVAC Zoning

PC Automation Controller

PC Communications and inter-device communications

Client-server automation controller

The whole house automation system should not have a single point of failure. Thus redundant systems are best to minimize the risk involved if the controlling system should shut down. There are many different devices that can act as a home automation controller: PCs, Standalone controllers, Security Controllers. At a minimum the whole house automation system should alert someone of a critical condition.

Software Standards

Internet Monitoring and Access

The overall label scheme (with a Matrix) is extremely important to facilitate changes to the whole house automation system. Keep the Requirements, Design Specification, and Installation documented and current. You will also need a way to manage the configuration and programming of your system.

ROUGH-IN / INFRASTRUCTURE INSTALLATION

Do I need to install new wiring; will it become obsolete?

The proper wiring provides the infrastructure so that any of the home's devices can be added easily later. Combination Runs of RG-6, RG-11, RG-59, multimode fiber, low-voltage security wiring, coaxial cable rated at 2.2 gigahertz, Category 5 Enhanced cable should be organized in a structured manner throughout the house to be useful for current and future technologies.

With High-tech wiring a more standard and orderly wiring management must be used in the installation of structured wiring to maintain the wiring system's integrity for high speed and no-loss. Use wiring methods to keep radius bends less than 90 degrees and no more than 25 lbs of tensile strength. Wiring should encompass all of the industrial protocols that will be used in the future devices and installed at one time. The wiring should be strategically laid out so that the integrity of the wiring system will be maintained though years to come. Traditional methods of wiring such as j-hooks, slings, pouches and bridle rings should be planned as well as new methods such as Flextray cable management system, P-rings, backless boxes and nail plates to protect wire runs when other contractors come in to do their work.

Once the infrastructure or backbone is properly installed then the Home automation system can make limited or full use of the system with the ability to incorporate changes in device protocols in the future. This also allows for the home owner to choose which technology he will want to add to his home and not be locked into any one.

You not only want the right kind of wiring in your house, you want to be able to get to it when necessary in order to easily connect different systems. Ask your builder to use home run wiring to maximize accessibility. Home run the wiring to maximize accessibility. In a home run, all the wires run together vertically through a central PVC (plastic) pipe; wires serving the first floor should come up from the basement, while wires for the second floor would come down from the attic.

Authors notes: