Home automation

A household control panel, capable of controlling lighting, thermostat, safety, locks and domestic entertainment.

A typical domestic connection panel.

Domotics refers to systems capable of automating a home or building of any type, providing energy management, security, well-being and communication services, and which can be integrated by means of internal networks and communication systems, wired or wireless, and whose control enjoys a certain ubiquity, from inside and outside the home. It could be defined as the integration of technology in the intelligent design of a closed area.

The term domotics comes from the union of the words domus (which means house in Latin) and autonomous (Greek: αὐτόνομος; “self-governing”).

General characteristics

Applications

The services offered by home automation can be grouped according to five main aspects or areas:

Scheduling and energy saving

Energy saving is not something tangible, but legible with a concept that can be reached in many ways. In many cases, it is not necessary to replace household appliances or systems with others that consume less energy, but rather efficient management of them.

• Air conditioning and boilers: programming and zoning, a thermostat may be used.
  • The boiler can be turned on or off using a plug control, using mobile, fixed, Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
• Control of electrical awnings and blinds, performing some repetitive functions automatically or by the user manually by means of a remote control:
  • Automatically protect the wind awning, with a same wind sensor that acts on all awnings.
  • Automatic sun protection, using the same sun sensor that acts on all awnings and blinds.
  • With a remote control or central control, a product or grouping of products can be activated or deactivated.
• Electrical management:
  • Rationalization of electrical loads: disconnection of non-priority use equipment based on electrical consumption at a given time.
  • Rate management, resulting in the operation of some devices at reduced rate hours.
  • Electronic accountants reporting electronic consumption.

Comfort

Comfort entails all the actions that can be carried out to improve comfort in a home. These actions can be both passive, active or mixed.

• Lighting:
  • General leverage of all the lights in the house.
  • Automation of the off/off at each point of light.
  • Regulation of lighting according to the level of ambient luminosity.
• Automation of all different systems/installations/doing them with efficient control and easy handling.
• Integration of the doorman to the telephone, or of the videoporter to the television, through "smart locks" that allow access control of the porter or videoporter through mobile applications.
• Internet control.
• Multimedia and electronic leisure management.
• Generation of macros and programs easily for the user and automation.

Security

It consists of a safety net in charge of protecting both patrimonial assets, as well as personal safety and life.

• Intrusion alarms (anti-intrusion): They are used to detect or prevent the presence of strangers in a house or building:
  • Detection of a possible intruder (Volumetric or perimeter detectors).
  • Closure of blinds on time and safely.
  • Simulation of presence.
• Fire detection detectors and alarms (heat detector, smoke detector), gas detector (gas tanks, non-electric stoves), water leaks and flooding, carbon monoxide concentration in garages when combustion vehicles are used.
• Medical alert and remoteness.
• Access to IP cameras.

As an example, a smoke detector placed in an electric stove could turn it off, cutting off the electricity to it, when a fire is detected.

Communications

They are the communications systems or infrastructures that the home has.

• Located in both external and internal control, remote control from Internet, PC, wireless controls (e.g. PDA with Wi-Fi), electrical fitting.
• Tele-assistance.
• Remote sensing.
• Consumer reports and costs.
• Alarm transmission.
• Intercoms.
• Telephones and video carriers.

Accessibility

This mechanism includes remote control applications or installations of the environment that favor the personal autonomy of people with functional limitations or disabilities.

The design for all concept is a movement that aims to create the necessary sensitivity so that when designing a product or service the needs of all possible users are taken into account, including people with different abilities or disabilities, that is, to favor an accessible design for human diversity. Social inclusion and equality are more general and philosophical terms or concepts. Home automation applied to favor accessibility is an ethical and creative challenge, but above all it is the application of technology in the most necessary field, to overcome functional limitations of people, including disabled or elderly people. The objective is not that people with disabilities can access these technologies, because the technologies themselves are not an objective, but a means. The objective of these technologies is to promote personal autonomy. The recipients of these technologies are all people, regardless of their condition of illness, disability or aging.

A home automation system oriented towards the use of people with disabilities includes:

1. Registration and control of the consumption of services in real time: water, electricity, gas, air conditioning or boiler.
2. Remote surveillance of distant or inaccessible places for that person.
3. The transmission of user information with your family or caregivers in a constant and automated way.
4. The possibility of issuing emergency messages or triggering alarms if necessary.
5. Programming preset environments with several linked devices.

The system

Architecture

From the point of view of where the intelligence of the home automation system resides, there are several different architectures:

• Central architecture: a centralized controller receives information from multiple sensors and, once processed, generates timely orders for actuators.
• Distributed architecture: all the intelligence of the system is distributed by all modules are sensors or actuators. It is usually typical of bus wiring systems, or wireless networks.
• Mixed architecture: systems with decentralized architecture in terms of having several small devices capable of acquiring and processing the information of multiple sensors and transmitting them to other devices distributed by the house, e.g. those systems based on ZigBee and totally wireless.

Elements of a home automation installation

• Management center.
• Sensors or detectors.
• Actors.
• Communication supports, such as the existing electrical network.

Classification of home automation network technologies

• Device interconnection:
  • IEEE 1394 (FireWire).
  • Bluetooth.
  • USB.
  • IrDA.
• Control and automation networks:
  • KNX.
  • LonWorks.
  • X10, which does not need installation, as it uses the electrical grid of the house.
  • ZigBee.
  • Z-Wave.
  • Bus SCS.
  • LCN Local Control Network.
• Data networks:
  • Ethernet.
  • HomePlug.
  • HomePNA.
  • Wi-Fi.

Protocols

There are a number of protocols to follow depending on the activity being carried out:

• inBus is a communication protocol that allows communication between different electronic modules, not only with functions for domotics, but of any kind.
• X10: Communications protocol for remote control of electrical devices, makes use of electrical plugs, without the need for new wiring. It can work properly for most domestic users. It's open source and the most widespread. Unreliable against electric noises.
• KNX/EIB: European Installation Bus with more than 20 years and more than 100 compatible product manufacturers.
• ZigBee: Standard protocol, collected at IEEE 802.15.4, of wireless communications.
• OSGi: Open Services Gateway Initiative. Open software specifications that allow you to design compatible platforms that can provide multiple services. It has been designed for compatibility with Jini or UPnP.
• LonWorks Standard Open Protocol ISO 14908-3 for distributed control of buildings, housing, industry and transport.
• Universal Plug and Play (UPnP): Open and distributed software architecture that allows the exchange of information and data to devices connected to a network.
• Modbus Open protocol allowing communication through RS-485 (Modbus RTU) or via Ethernet (Modbus TCP). It is the free protocol that has been on the market for more years and has a greater number of device manufacturers, far from being outdated, manufacturers continue to launch devices with this protocol on an ongoing basis.
• BUSing is a distributed domotic technology, where each connected device has its own autonomy, it is “useful” by itself.
• INSTEON: Protocol of communication with dual-band mesh topology through carrier current and radio frequency.
• BACnet: Protocol pertaining to the communication of data whose objective is to make communication between the different electronic devices found in a vast majority of modern buildings. It was designed by ASHRAE and is currently a standard of the ANSI and ISO.

Comparison of the most popular protocols

The ones with the greatest presence in the market are X10 and KNX.

Organizations

There are different types of organizations specialized in this matter:

• IEEE: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the Instituto de Ingenieros Eléctricos y Electrónicosa global technical-professional partnership dedicated to standardization, among other things. It is the largest international non-profit association formed by new technology professionals, such as electric engineers, electronic engineers, computer scientists and telecommunication engineers. Through its members, more than 360,000 volunteers in 175 countries, IEEE is a leading and most prestigious authority in the technical areas derived from the original electricity: from computer engineering, biomedical and aerospace technologies, to the areas of electricity, control, telecommunications and electronic consumption, among others.

• CENELEC: European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization. The CENELEC/ENTR/e-Europe/2001-03 Commission is responsible for developing standards at the European level and the organization that has promoted the Smart House Forum.
• DOMOTYS: Business Association that represents the interests of companies, technology centers and universities that make up the value chain of the sector. Since 2010, it has been recognized as a Group of Innovative Companies (AEI) by the Ministry of Industry, as well as a Cluster of Domotic, Inmotic and Smart Cities Companies by the Generality of Catalonia. Domotys' goal is to work for the improvement of competitiveness of companies through four basic lines of action: the internationalizationthe promotion of R+D+i, the training of workers and the search for financing for projects carried out by their partners.

• CEDOM: Spanish Association of Domotics. Its main objective is the promotion of Domotics. This is the national forum where all agents of the sector meet in Spain: manufacturers of domotic products, systems manufacturers, installers, integrators, architectures and engineering, training centers, universities, technological centers.

• LonUsers Spain:Association of users of LonWorks technology, being created by the initiative of leading companies in the different sectors of application of LonWorks technology (dometic, immotic, industrial and transport control).

• KNX Association:It is the International Association for the Promotion of the KNX Bus Protocol. KNX is a standard bus technology for all applications in Automation and Control for homes and buildings. This technology is based on more than 20 years of market experience thanks to its predecessors BatiBus, EIB and EHS, none of which has gained market penetration.

• Modbus Organization:It is the international organization of Modbus device users and manufacturers. The main manufacturers of devices are part of this association, with a tradition of more than 30 years and hundreds of affiliates.
• Z-wave Alliance: It is an international alliance established in 2005, consisting of 375 companies that develop products with the Z-wave wireless protocol. Ensuring the interoperability of all devices that incorporate the standard.
• CEDIA.
• Continental Automated Buildings Association.
• Digital Living Network Alliance.
• Living Tomorrow.
• MIT AgeLab.
• SIMO TCI.

By countries

Chile

In Chile there are companies that carry out home automation work, and several of these are exclusively and completely dedicated to the subject. Among the notable home automation projects in Chile we can mention the automation of the stations of Lines 4, 4A and 6 of the Santiago Metro, Araucanía Airport, and various office buildings.

Spain

In Spain home automation is present through many companies. Some of them manufacture approved equipment according to international standards, while others have been dedicated to the implementation of these systems for more than 14 years. Proof of the great activity in this country is the fact that it is the second in the world with the highest number of KNX Partners, only behind Germany. Every two years, Spanish companies participate in the international KNX Awards competition, reaching get it several times.

There are various associations, public entities and non-profit business groups whose main objective is the implementation and innovation of Spanish companies in the field of home automation.

Argentina

In Argentina, home automation arises from technology companies that incorporate the concept and develop it. At the beginning of the 1990s, these companies began to talk about home automation when referring to the house of the future, and to carry out some partial applications, participating in fairs and journalistic notes that collaborated with the dissemination of the new concept. As the 90s advance, the installations become more frequent and important, beginning to expand the Argentine market, which makes possible, at the end of the millennium, the appearance of other companies that begin to incorporate it among their services or carry out their own developments. The Argentine economic crisis at the end of 2001 paralyzed this development, which was recently recovered with the expansion that took place in the construction area almost three years later. In 2007, the first exclusive home automation expo "expo casa domotica" and first home automation congress. In the province of Córdoba, a commission of specialist engineers was formed that prepared a Minimum Content Guide for the preparation of a Home Automation Project. This guide serves as a reference and is available to anyone who is interested in the activity and as information on the state of the art The CIEC Home Automation Commission brings together professionals in this field in the province of Córdoba and ensures the quality of the services provided.

Training

There are multiple private centers and universities that provide postgraduate and approved training (master's). In addition, there are training centers approved by the KNX association to obtain the Partner KNX certification.

On the other hand, the official title of Technician in Telecommunications Installations, includes among its functions those of installation and maintenance of installer-maintainer of home automation systems.