The term ‘home automation’ conjures different levels of expectation and understanding in both home owners and general electricians alike. The description is often over-used and inappropriately applied by those in the trade who either don’t actually offer home automation at all, or are simply not capable of delivering it. In many cases, the use of this terminology arises through an earnest assumption that home automation is predominantly about being able to ‘dim the lighting’.
However, true home automation can be far more powerful and versatile than simply providing the ability to fade lighting up or down. It is therefore necessary to differentiate between those lighting control solutions that offer the full, expected range of functionality and flexibility, and those that masquerade as home automation but fail to deliver in key areas.
As such, the terms ‘smart home controls’ or ‘smart home installations’ are increasingly being used in place of ‘home automation’ throughout the lighting and integration industries to define the real deal. While genuine smart solutions have historically been complex to commission, recent developments mean that these no longer need be beyond the reach of industry participants at all levels of competency.
A true smart home installation should encompass a certain degree of integration to other services within the home, such as heating and cooling, motorised blinds, home entertainment, access control and security. It should also facilitate the setting of different lighting scenes to accommodate a range of user requirements for specific areas.
Common functions of true smart home installations include ‘welcome home’ and ‘goodbye’ features. The ‘welcome home’ can be set to light a pathway from the front door to the kitchen, for instance, while the ‘goodbye’ feature can turn off all lighting in the house and activate the security systems. Smart home controls further enable the initiation of a number of timed events, such as the raising or lowering of blinds, exterior lighting, irrigation systems and pool pumps.
Moreover, to take full advantage of the numerous energy management strategies available to the home owner, a smart system is essential. Energy savings can be made through automatically turning off lighting and other equipment when areas are unoccupied, or through a ‘goodbye’ function when vacating the property. Further savings can be made through intelligent integration of lighting and blind control, to offset energy demands from heating, cooling and lighting systems.
Short of the mark
By contrast, many so-called home automation systems fail to deliver even some of the basic elements of this broad array of functionality. These failures can arise from two different situations. Firstly, there are those systems that comprise the necessary smart home control hardware, but which haven’t been configured properly. Secondly, there are those systems which are simply not smart systems at all.
Considering the first scenario, the skill in maximising the benefits of a smart system lies in the programming and configuration. Even if the necessary hardware is perfectly installed, basic or substandard programming will result in an inability to leverage the levels of automation and sophistication possible. Here, the hardware costs will be the same as for an identical, well-programmed system, but the end result will fall short of the system capabilities and, all too often, the end-user’s expectations.
To ensure the best results are attained from smart home control systems, the importance of manufacturer endorsement of distributers, installers, electricians and commissioners cannot be over-emphasised. With such a framework in place, a home owner will only be able to purchase smart control hardware through an accredited network that is able to provide the programming skills necessary to maximise the potential of the system.
Communication is key
The second common problem faced is those systems described and sold as ‘home automation’ systems, but which in reality offer little more than dimming capabilities. A growing number of 240V switching systems are being marketed as ‘home automation’ systems, but their functionality in practice is extremely limited. Where a true smart system will incorporate a communication network linking all luminaires, sensors and user-interfaces, plus integration to third-party systems and other services, these 240V systems are generally ‘standalone installations’ and offer only limited control scenarios.
While some of the more sophisticated of these 240V variants offer dimming, presence sensing and light-level sensing, these functions extend only to the immediate area. A switch or sensor in one area is not able to affect lighting in any but the area in which it resides, as there is no communication infrastructure in place to transfer the necessary information. In essence, the way in which these systems are hardwired limits the flexibility in how they can be used.
Equally, these 240V lighting systems may offer dimming settings - with a selection of ‘high’, ‘medium’, ‘low’ and ‘off’ - via remote control. It is not possible, however, to establish lighting pathways, or indeed to integrate lighting with other systems. For this degree of functionality, a smart system communication network is required.
But the limited scope of 240V switching systems is, in a strange way, part of their attraction. The minimal capabilities require little in the way of expertise to set up and configure, and for this reason, these systems are often favoured by electricians who do not have the experience to commission the more versatile smart systems.
Intuitive configuration
To address the general perception that true smart home installations are overly complex to configure, smart home control solutions providers have been endeavouring to make these systems easier to setup. A fundamental factor in this equation is the configuration software used to program the system.
As an example of the latest advances made by the industry, Philips Dynalite has recently launched its new EnvisionProject software, to provide electricians, system installers and integrators with programming flexibility, and the ability to fast-track lighting control system setup and commissioning. With a series of intuitive pre-programmed ‘wizards’ to lead the operator through a sequence of well-defined logical programming steps, and the ability to copy room or entire floor configurations for use in another area, programming time spent on site can be significantly reduced.
While the home owner will be largely unaware that the setup of their system is now easier, they will certainly appreciate the savings in commissioning costs now possible through reduced time on site. Commissioning costs have traditionally accounted for 10 to 20% of the total cost of the job. With the promise of faster commissioning in the future, as a result of these new software developments, it is anticipated that commissioning costs will drop below 10%.
Simplified software will make this technology more accessible to a broader spectrum of the smart homes controls industry. Philips Dynalite has always believed in the importance of making training available to any interested parties within the custom installation, electrical or integration sectors. With some innovative new delivery methods, including online training, available, a greater number of industry participants will be able to competently deliver and commission these systems in the future.
Moreover, the trend whereby general electricians are partnering with highly skilled and accredited specialist systems designers and integrators will further improve the delivery of smart home automation solutions through the industry. The Philips Dynalite Dimension program is a good example of this. Such a move enables established specialist dealers to shoulder the burden of keeping up with the latest technologies. Moreover, it allows them to pass the benefits of these developments on general electricians through ‘on-the-job’ support in client liaison, design, installation, programming and commissioning of the project.
This breakthrough in intuitive commissioning software, allied with improved availability of training and partnerships, heralds a positive outlook for the smart home control industry, and inevitably for the end-user too. Not only will this development increase the availability of true smart home control systems in the marketplace, but it will help deliver the full potential these systems have to offer, and also reduce the programming costs.
The future is bright... and getting smarter all the time.
© 2012 Connection Online Pty Ltd.