Four Questions Regarding Home Automation - Research Paper Example

Home Automation Home Automation Introduction This paper answers four questions regarding home automation. The questions begin with the definition of home automation, reasons why the technology is getting popular, when houses began applying the technology, and origin of the technology. Home automation aims at making a person’s life comfortable in the most convenient way. The technology entails the use of a number of appliances that are integrated together to produce a system that has a central control. The central control can be for lighting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Since the emergence of computer systems, home automation has moved to whole new levels, where computer systems are used together with other electrical devices to produce the desired effects. What Is Home Automation? On a broader perspective, home automation refers to a situation where technology and convenience come together to form a network of devices that work together harmoniously. The network has a centralized control that allows a person to have an instant control over the system throughout the home. Examples of home automation technologies include centralized lighting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. There are various reasons for home automation, but the main aim is to offer improved convenience, security, comfort, and proper utilization of energy. In home automation, several electrical devices integrate with each other. Further connections may involve the addition of computers within the network in order to provide a control area that can be accessible via the Internet or remotes (Gerhart, 1999). The techniques employed in home automation may also involve the use of domestic robots to carry out some home chores. Activities that can be run by domestic robots include yard watering and feeding of pets among other automated activities (Fernández & Maestre, 2011). Why Is the Technology Becoming Popular? Over the past two decades, home automation has gained immense popularity across the world (Briere, 2011). This is due to the numerous benefits that come along with the technology which has an overall benefit of improving someone’s lifestyle. Some of the notable benefits are as discussed below. Affordability and ease in use: One factor contributing to the increased usage of home automation is the affordability of available technologies as well as the ease in installation of the devices. Developers of various automation devices make them in a way that is user friendly. During the early days when home automation was at its infancy, many people thought it was designed for the rich, but today, automation products are cheap to acquire. In addition, introduction of smartphones and tablets has further increased the popularity of home automation due to availability of applications that control home appliances (Briere, 2011). Convenience: Home automation allows a person to have control over every appliance within the home regardless of whether the person is within or far away from home. With convenience, a person can save energy since everything is done at a centralized position, thus reducing movement from one place to another (Briere, 2011). Safety and security: There are home automation techniques that focus on ensuring that the home is well guarded against any forms of threats. Application of home cameras is one such technique that offers continuous surveillance on home properties. Incorporation of sensors in home automation has allowed home owners to detect any shortcomings that may arise on water or electrical connections within the home. Therefore, home automation gives one an opportunity to respond to a disastrous situation before the damage is done (Gerhart, 1999). Fun: The majority of home automation technologies are geared towards bringing comfort into a person’s life. Therefore, they are user friendly, which brings fun to the user. When automatic controls are in place, there is no involvement from anyone since everything happens automatically. Automatic controls may include automatic turning on of lights at the desired time, automatic control of thermostats depending on changing weather conditions, and turning on stereo systems through voice recognition. Such applications bring fun since they are less involving and are able to produce maximum comfort to the user (Briere, 2011). Reduced expenditure: Automating the use of electricity and water is an effective way to reduce expenditure on water and electricity bills. This is because with automation, lights can be set to turn on only when there is the presence of a person in a given section of the house. In the case of water, automated water taps are available; this allows water to run only when a person’s presence is sensed. With such strategies in place, there is a perfect control over the usage of water and electricity, saving money in the long run (Gerhart, 1999). Improved life: This mostly applies in homes designed for the elderly, disabled, and persons suffering from chronic medical conditions. People in such groups require home settings that allow them to operate various home appliances through the easiest way possible. In addition, the atmosphere within the houses they live should be highly regulated in order to make their stay comfortable. Therefore, automatic heating systems, air conditioners, and ventilators are vital in such homes. In addition, due to their reduced mobility, other automatic appliances such as automatic lighting systems will improve their living standards (Gerhart, 1999). Reduced need to have house helps: Home automation can be applied in areas that require assistance from house helps. Such areas include home gardening, and in such situations, experts in home automation have come up with robots that assist home owners in watering flower gardens. Although the move appears to kill employment, it is of significant benefit to people who like privacy, since their home operations will run without external help, even when they are away from their homes (Briere, 2011). When Did Houses Start Using This Technology? Before the 20th century, home automation remained a fiction writing in books of science. After the 20th century, home automation started to become popular due to the extensive electrification of homes and advancements in science (Fernández & Maestre, 2011). The early 1900s saw the development of early electrical appliances but remained affordable by the rich. In the 1930s, people had ideas similar to today’s automation, but no one succeeded in putting ideas into the right perspective. Many of the world fairs organized during those days demonstrated automated homes. An example of such demos was a presentation by Sutherland in 1966, who demonstrated an automated home system. Unfortunately, Sutherland’s presentation never attained commercial status (Fernández & Maestre, 2011). In the 1960s, the first “wired homes” made an appearance in America, but lack of advanced technology limited the extent to which their potential could be achieved (Gerhart, 1999). Twenty years later, the American Association of House Builders came up with the term “smart house,” which marked a milestone in home automation business. The next invention that followed was the invention of a microcontroller, which allowed builders and manufacturers to have control over their appliances. The microcontroller made use of remotes and other intelligent control technologies (ODriscoll, 2000). The beginning of the 1990s saw further advancements in the field of science and technology. During this decade, informatics and telematics were used together to assist in various home activities. The term used to describe this application was “domotics,” which was derived from the Latin word domus for home and informatics. Therefore, domotics simply refers to the use of robots and computer applications for domestic purposes. Despite this innovation, much was not achieved in home automation by the end of the decade due to perceptions that such innovations were for the affluent. To date, numerous affordable home automation products have emerged, thanks to advancements in information technology (Gerhart, 1999). Today, it is evident that a majority of automated home appliances are aided by computer software or other unusual computers. The rule of using computer applications is to come up with product designs that suit the intended purpose of the gadget. However, the greatest challenge is to come up with the software and hardware that are compatible to meet the intended purpose (Gislason, 2008). Computer scientists have developed countless computer software that is in store today. The software is either easy or complex (Gerhart, 1999). This variation in complexity, in addition to its affordability, determines the ease of using the software. At this point, it is necessary to mention some of the software currently in use. The latest technology in the market is INSTEON, which refers to a system that connects lighting switches without extra wiring. The technology is designed by SmartLabs, and it is designed to network devices such motion sensors, light switches, and thermostats. The most fascinating thing about INSTEON products is how they operate since each connected device can be able to transmit, receive, and repeat any information within the INSTEON protocol. This function occurs without a master controller (ODriscoll, 2000). The other technology includes X-10, which is designed to aid communication among home appliances. The principle behind X-10 technology is the use of power lines that allow signaling and control. The signaling process entails short-lived radio frequencies that burst to produce digital information. X-10 technology emerged in 1975 with the sole aim of having a remote control over home appliances and electric devices. During its inception, X-10 ranked as the most popular home automation devices (Gerhart, 1999). The other available technologies include Zigbee and Z-wave, which differ slightly. Zigbee uses small, low-power digital radios and is commonly applied in a mesh network in order to convey data over a long distance through a number of intermediate devices. On the other hand, Z-wave utilizes low power RF radio that is embedded into home appliances. Communication using Z-wave is through low powered wireless technology designed for application using remotes. Zigbee and Z-wave technology are more costly compared to INSTEON and X-10. Therefore, most home automation uses INSTEON and X-10 due to the cheap cost of acquiring such devices (Gislason, 2008). Where Did This Technology Originate? The origin of home automation is difficult to point out due to lack of literature that states exactly the origin of this technology. The issue further gets complicated because home automation applies techniques that were developed in different time lines. With such complexity of issues, one finds difficulties in determining the exact origin of home automation. The only available information regarding the origin of home automation tells of automated home models, which were demonstrated first in World’s Fairs of 1930s in America. The models were a creation of American engineers, but they were never intended for commercial purposes. Thirty years later after the 1930s World Fairs, American hobbyists developed wired homes, but the available technology at that time limited their objective (Gislason, 2008). As discussed earlier, the main building blocks of home automation, which are television, personal computers, the Internet, and power line carriers, emerged at different times (Briere, 2011). Out of the four main blocks, the television emerged first, courtesy of the Europeans in early 1930s. After television, personal computer was the next successful innovation, which to date is the most applied device in home automation. The history of the origin of computers is not well defined, but much of innovations on personal computers took place in the 1970s, courtesy of the Americans. Computers allowed the introduction of the Internet, which is also widely used in home automation (Gislason, 2008). Therefore, by looking into the brief sequence on how the main blocks emerged, it is clear that the subject on origin remains a challenge. In fact, fights have emerged between different companies over the ownership of some technologies that are currently applied in home automation. This is as a result of incorporating different technologies in home automation without the consent of the owner (ODriscoll, 2000). Conclusion In conclusion, the most intriguing thing about home automation is that it allows the use of diverse technologies in order to create effective products. Comparing what was there three decades ago, one can conclude that there is a remarkable growth in the business of home automation. It is also worth noting that due to the increased advancements in information and technology, there is still room for extra developments in home automation. Furthermore, increased modernization and purchasing power across the world contribute further to the business of home automation. Thus, the business of home automation has a lot in waiting as we are heading into the future. References Briere, D. (2011). Smart homes for dummies. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Fernández, M., & Maestre, J. (2011). Service robotics within the digital home: Applications and future prospects. New York: Springer. Gerhart, J. (1999). Home automation & wiring. Chicago: McGraw-Hill Prof Med/Tech. Gislason, D. (2008). ZigBee wireless networking. Oxford: Newnes. ODriscoll, G. (2000). The essential guide to home networking technologies. Michigan: University of Michigan. Read More