Future of Home Automation

Predicting the future of just about anything is very risky business. Home automation is an industry still selling and installing X10 devices nearly 30 years after the technology was made commercially available in 1980. Nevertheless, we believe the future of home automation will very much ride the digital age and develop along with the computer and networking systems in the years to come. Indeed, as described by the story on the Windows Media Center, companies such as Microsoft and Exceptional Living with their Life/ware software are positioning the Windows Vista Ultimate Media Center PC as the heart and sole of a complete solution for home automation that will rely on web services to seamlessly interface with lighting controls, climate controls, security panels, and IP surveillance cameras to accompany the digital media management capabilities of Windows Media Center. Another great example of how the integration of traditional home automation systems with Windows Media Center and the home network has already taken hold is this "Cool Homes" article published in Electronic House.

Advances in home networking technology using both wired and wireless ethernet will enable the addition of more devices to the network at an affordable incremental cost. Those building new homes today should consider installing Cat6 wiring throughout the home to position for Gigabit Ethernet future bandwidth which will improve the performance of digital video streaming among devices in the home. The IEEE 802.11n standard for home WiFi networks will likewise provide similar improvements in wireless bandwidth. Even though the 802.11n specification is still in draft form, pre-n home wireless routers delivering up to 300 Mbps bandwidth have been available for the last 2 years and offer significant advances in signal strength throughout the home. This improvement in bandwidth bodes well for existing homeowners wanting to retrofit a home automation solution without knocking down walls or tearing up drywall.

Coupled with the above advances in ethernet technology is the emergence of radio frequency (RF) communications protocols such as ZigBee (IEEE 802.15.4 standard) and Z-Wave developed by Zen Systems. RF communications has speed advantages over ethernet for small amounts of information which is typical of the command sequences required for controlling lights or thermostats. We choose to highlight the industry leading Control4 product line specifically because the system architecture is built on a communications infrastructure that utilizes the strength of Ethernet for digital audio streaming and ZigBee for control information between the system controller and other devices and user interfaces in the system. These new RF protocols also enable wireless contact and motion sensors to be deployed in security systems. An example is the ZigBee-based sensors from Card Access (www.cardaccess-inc.com), which also improve the attractiveness of security features for existing homes.

Analogous to the computer and networking industries, the degree to which smart home functionality will become mainstream will depend on the systems and software developed to enable a "plug n' play" environment where a homeowner can purchase lighting devices or thermostats that can easily be added to a PC-based or proprietary home automation system without engaging a custom installer/integrator.

One reason the X10 technology is still sold and installed today is the simplicity of adding X10 devices in your home at a cost affordable by all homeowners, and the larger variety of X10 devices available to allow the homeowner to address some areas of control the new technologies can not.

With the proliferation of household appliances available with an Ethernet connection to add to the audio/video devices also having this connection, clearly a new level of "automation" would be possible in the future if the "plug n' play" capability enjoyed on today's computers is extended to these other home devices. This of course will require manufacturers to see a compelling reason to include the appropriate chips and firmware in these appliances to enable recognition by other controllers on the home network.

With the speed of the digital age this incremental cost may be insignificant when combined on a chip providing other essential functions. So check back with us in 2015 to see how the industry has done!