HOME AUTOMATION ON A GRAND SCALE
Insider: Plans to production - the full
architecture process.
Wandering through the exhibition at the Integrate Expo of 2016 I could not help notice that of the 70 plus exhibitors, only 14 listed their product range to include Home Automation. Of those 6 appeared to be home automation specialists three were manufacturers such as Clipsel. 4 AV suppliers and the remaining 4 were generalists. Overall this is an encouraging 50% increase on 2015 numbers and an encouraging sign for the industry.
It is a reflection however of the state of the art for home automation and a reminder that the industry still has a long way to go. If you have ever lived in a condensed urban environment such as apartments, you will be familiar with the problems of the neighboring WiFi signals penetrating your home, and at times disrupting your devices. My apartment has the added frustration that the mobile phone 4G signal of one carrier (for which I am on a 2 year plan) disappears for long periods inside the apartment (so I don't get calls).
It makes me wonder just how much thought goes into the technology requirements both internally, in car park and in the grounds of these large urban centers. Generally infra-red devices travel line of sight so we have not had to deal with these problems in he past, but signal radiation from the higher powered 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz routers does travel in a bubble shape to a joining premises.
Samsung has had it's share of press mess to clean up lately with a series of technical oversights. The middle of 2016 had smart phone recalls and news that hackers have found a way to penetrate and disarm security on thousands of homes, due to a security hole in their systems.
However the story is larger than security and access. Building and town planners could position and build structures in a manner that isolates individual dwellings from the interference of hacking externally, and facilitates the reflection and carrying of public data signals throughout the exterior grounds and car parks of buildings.
Building designs should encourage usage of alternate energy sources by including facilities that encourage use of alternate fuels such as charging docks for electric cars or at least power points for each tenant in the car park.
In the case of building design and materials, some shapes can help carry a signal and specific materials block signals from entering or leaving an individual dwelling. Savvy developers will include technology impact studies into their proposals to help promote cleaner living, and to facilitate the use of technoloically advanced neigbourhoods and smart living spaces.
