The thought of being able to have appliances in your home that switch on and off automatically, or that can be controlled remotely or from your phone seems like something out of science fiction, or exclusively for the rich and famous. However with the recent advanced in technology, the concept of Home Automation is no longer just an idea, it is becoming more and more feasible for the average person to try and even experiment with.
How does Automation help reduce your Electricity Bill?
Home automation, or the development of a Smart Home, is the use of basic circuitry and computers to control various functions within the home environment, either automatically or remotely. With the introduction of more affordable computers, such as the Raspberry Pi (http://www.pifactory.co.za/), and affordable control electronics such as the Arduino (https://www.arduino.cc/), which interfaces with a computer and allows various inputs and outputs to be connected. This effectively acts as a basic Programmable Logic Controller, allowing you to use information from various inputs to be processed and then allowing for switching with certain outputs, turning them either on or off automatically. The new product VeraEdge Home controller allow control of devices like door locks, sensors, thermostats, dimmers, etc., but above all it is capable of talking the z-wave plus as well as wifi protocols. So the Vera Edge is an open system that allows you (the owner / user) to take it over and do as you will. You won’t need to replace any of your home wiring to make the Vera talk to your devices. It will use your existing wiring and all communication is done wireless.
The devices in your home can be configured to allow for remote access and remote switching. The input and output devices will be dependent on the specific application, and many can be ordered online to customise your setup to cater for your needs (https://zasmarthomes.co.za/).
The applications for these devices are infinite and limited only to the imagination of the person installing them. Common applications would be for home security, control of lighting and geysers, central heating, audio visual and even extend as far as in home processing such as DIY beer brewing.
Smart home control panel
There are many examples and instructional guides of Home Automation setups to help you learn exactly how and what would be required to create the perfect system for your needs. A few examples of these can be found on the following links:
- https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/HomePage
- http://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-Home-automation/
- https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/tag/home-automation/
Home automation is not only a practical way to make your living environment more comfortable, customising your home devices to cater to your specific needs.