The Smart Home - Pt 1

I am a big fan of anything that allows me to be lazy more efficient.

Recently I found myself with a large credit on my Amazon account and I start thinking about what I would want to spend it on.  I had been kicking the idea of retro-fitting my house with smart appliances for a bit and my Amazon money was the perfect excuse to give it a try and allow my house to become more efficient.

There are a lot of Home Automation technologies out there and deciding which one is right for you could be a bit daunting.  First you need to decide which Home Automation Protocol you are going to employ.   There are a few popular one out there.   Here is a link to a nice primer page on the different protocols from which you can choose:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/home/zigbee-vs-zwave-vs-insteon-home-automation-protocols-explained/

I decided to go with Z-Wave.  I have a lot of wireless devices already in my house and the idea of putting my home automation devices on a segregated wireless band was appealing to me.   Also, I had purchased a deadbolt for my back door that came with a keypad and it was Z-Wave compatible, so that made the decision a bit easier.  

Now, I understand this may not be the best way to choose a Home Automation Protocol, so let's talk about a few things that I like about Z-Wave:

WiFi Interference -As I said earlier, I didn't want a technology that would interfere with my other technology.   I have a relatively small house, but I have 3 separate wireless networks within my house.   These networks are standard WiFi networks that run on the 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz frequencies.   I get plenty of interference from my neighbors WiFi connections, so it was really important that my home automation was an a different frequency.   In the United States, Z-Wave uses the 908.42 Mhz frequency, which should prove to provide enough segregation from my WiFi network to not cause interference. 

Device Variety  - I wanted to make sure I used a technology that supported enough devices that I would have a great selection.  As of today, Z-Wave is claiming to have over 1000 compatible devices.   These range from thermostats, garage door opener relays, light switches, motion detectors, power receptacles, proximity sensors and light bulbs.

Mesh Network - on a single Z-Wave network, you can host up to 232 devices.   A Z-Wave network is controlled by a centralized hub which is responsible for coordinating the actions of the Z-Wave devices.   The maximum distance between the hub and a device is about 300ft.   However, Z-Wave devices exist in what is known as a Mesh Network that allows the devices to relay a command from one device to another until the desired devices is reached.  This extends the reach of the network quite a bit, which is ideal for larger homes or offices.

Device Interaction and Choreography - Depending on the type of Z-Wave hub your install, you can create some pretty neat device interaction.   For example, you can have a motion detector trigger an event or events on other Z-wave devices when motion is detected.   You can attached a personal proximity FOB to your key chain that will allow the Z-Wave system to detect when you have arrived or left your house/office which will trigger events to occur, such as turning off all the lights in your house.

Easily Controllable - Most Z-Wave systems can be controlled from your smartphone or tablet.   The manufacturer of your Z-Wave hub will have an app that you can use to control single devices or create scenarios that will coordinate multiple devices.  As well, most of these hubs will connect to you Local Area Connection to gain internet access in order to allow you to control your devices when you are not present.   Imagine how cool it would be to tell your smart thermostat to increase the temperature in your house before coming home.   Or in my recent case, imagine freaking out your wife by "accidentally" turning off the bedroom lights while I was at work and she was working from home.   The possibilities are endless.

So, I decided to go with Z-Wave and the next step was to choose which Hub I was going to choose.   Again, there are quite a few to choose from.   I spent some time online reading reviews and decided that I wanted to go with the SmartThings Hub.   It came highly recommended and I love the idea that it not only works with Z-Wave devices, but will also accomodate ZigBee devices (another popular protocol) and the Belkin WeMo line of products which seem pretty awesome.

My next post will discuss the process of setting up the HUB and hopefully getting at least one device to work in my house.  Until then, have an amazing time thinking about all the cool things you could do with Home Automation.