Whitepaper in hiddenwires.com about Automation, wuth an opinion by L Y Chiu from Cytech Technology;
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Expectations of home automation capabilities are changing, but nothing is more important than that remote, touchpanel or wall controller. It can make or break a system's reputation. The home automation market is therefore faced with a conundrum: how to provide ever more sophisticated operation, through a robust and friendly interface. Can these requirements be met by talk-to-all off-the-shelf products, or are proprietary systems the only solution for truly personalised control? Installers cannot possibly be expert programmers of all of these systems, so what trends should they be looking out for? We asked a number of leading lights how the demands of customers are changing with regard to their home automation systems, and how this is affecting the human interface. Here are their replies:
http://hiddenwires.co.uk/resourcesarticles2008/articles20080103-04.html
Commentary by L.Y. Chiu from Cytech is reproduced below;
The first wave of customers of home automation systems tend to be enamoured with the more gadgety PDA, PC, touchscreen and Internet user interfaces, as well as fancy light switches and remote controls which are able to control everything. These are the visible hardware which can be used to impress friends and neighbours.
Over time however, many have found that the less visible aspects of home automation provide the real and sustained benefits. Examples include; when the security system is set and the occupants leave home, lights are turned off and the heating/cooling turned down or off; area lighting turns on when motion is detected, and switches off after some time when motion stops; in vacation mode, lights and music sources turn on semi-randomly to simulate occupancy; programs which automatically switch appliances and lights according to users' needs and well-defined logic; sunset and sunrise programs which adjust for daylight saving; the ability to use any phone in the home to talk to visitors at the door.
A very important component of a home automation system is the security system. Sensors for the security system act as the eyes and ears of the home automation system, but this is missing in many high-end home automation systems where there is limited communication between the alarm and the other elements of the system. In other words, the intelligence of the home working with the sensors of the security system and the lighting and appliances, is what makes the automation system truly useful.
Last edited on Saturday Aug 15th, 2009 10:38 am by
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