Smart home technology: what is it? Do-it-yourself smart home in the country with minimal cost How to create a smart home with your own hands

Building a smart home with your own hands can be difficult for a person who does not have a special education. Of course, everything can be made much easier by buying ready-made smart home modules. However, it is better to create the system yourself.

What is "smart home"

Before starting work on the independent creation of various amenities, you need to figure out what a smart home system is and what it is capable of.

A smart home cannot be characterized by two or three functions. For a shorter definition, it should be said that in such a system all communications are connected to a computer and controlled with its help. The system carefully monitors the temperature in the rooms of the house, observes and captures images from video cameras. With the help of computer technology, you can adjust the light, the temperature of the floor or batteries, turn on various electrical appliances and much more.

The degree of equipping the house with various modules is determined by the connected equipment or the imagination and creative skills of the master.

Why is it better to start arranging such a system in the house yourself? Because at the same time, the owner himself will be able to regulate various modules, complicate and modify them. He will have in his hands the open source code of the system, which he will be able to correct at his own discretion. Ready-made modules and kits do not give such freedom of action. They are completely dependent on the developer company.

Another plus of self-development is that the master will not spend a lot of money either on installing modules or on repairs. If a ready-made kit is delivered, then any refinement will cost quite a lot. In addition, the kit itself will also become a significant expense item.

What the smart home system can do depends largely on the imagination of its creator.

Where to start

It is necessary to start the arrangement of a smart home with the most basic things.

1. You will need a computer.
2. You will have to create a website for your home, which will reflect various functions.
3. It will be necessary to install special software (programs). To do this, you will need to check the compatibility of the software with the computer."
4. Make a diagram.
5. The first hook functions can be the simplest. You can start with a home monitoring system and room temperature control.

Arrangement details

1. Installing a local server on Linux.
2. Apache server setup.
3. Using Linux, you can organize a video surveillance system. This will require ZoneMinder.
4. On Apache, you need to create a website for a smart home.
5. For monitoring, you can install various alarms, USB cameras. You also need to install temperature sensors and install the appropriate software.

This is the minimum set from which the arrangement of a smart home can begin. Having understood the details of such operations, you can move on to more complex things. In order to inexpensively create a full-fledged control system for various communications and equipment functions in the premises of the house, there is no need to invent something. On the Internet you can find a lot of solutions to create comfort and coziness.

Some masters have been posting their developments for a long time and offering users to try them out.

Creating a website for your home can seem like one of the hardest things to do. In fact, a ready-made website module can be found today on the Internet. For those who want to do development on their own, you need to do the following.

1. Understand php and learn how to work with MySQL.
2. Various scripts will form the basis of the smart home function control system. They do not need to be developed, most of them are available to users. You just need to understand the installation sequence.
3. The scripts will run regularly and update information about the state of the system.
4. The jQuery library will also come in handy. You can even create a great looking site with it without having to learn Cascading Style Sheets.
5. Working with databases can be made easier if you use an engine to manage the site.

Smart home features

The functions and possibilities of a smart home are almost limitless. Therefore, only a few of them will have to be considered.

The light can be adjusted using several devices. For example, dimmers can be installed to control the light level. Such devices, however, will only work in certain cases. They will not work in fluorescent lamps.

The disadvantage of dimmers is a constant light background noise.

Switches are installed in the place where light switches are usually located. With their help, the light can be turned on and off.

Appliances

Household appliances can be turned on and off using the same switches as in the case of dimming.

Do not make all systems at home fully automatic. It is better to leave the possibility of conventional manual control. Otherwise, in case of malfunctions, you will have to work hard.

Observation

The surveillance system can be equipped in such a way that it will be possible to monitor the cameras located in the house even from the workplace. It is not very difficult, a video camera system can be installed as the first function of a future smart home. The essence of this technology is that the signal from the cameras is transmitted to a specific computer. Data from sensors and cameras can even be received on portable devices.

Simultaneously with video cameras, motion sensors can also be installed. They will work on the same principle. To set up software on a computer, you only need to download the appropriate open source modules. In order to be able to regulate and modify the code in the future, you will have to understand a little about the structure of such systems. It's easier than learning to program.

Desire and hard work will help overcome obstacles in mastering the fascinating science of creating a smart home. You just need not be afraid of the new, and over time, even enthusiasm for the process will appear.

Video

We bring to your attention the following videos on the topic of creating a smart home:

The topic "Smart Home" is already on everyone's lips. They talk about it, invest in it, develop it ... On this topic, to such giants as Siemens, General Electric and others joined, it would seem, not quite profile companies, such as Microsoft, Google, Apple.

There is no single standard on the topic, just as there is no instruction, they say, “do this and that”, therefore, theoretically, everyone can build their smart home exactly the way they want, and therefore I could not miss this topic and actively connected to it. I won’t say that I ate a dog with smart houses ... no, rather, I bit it, but nevertheless, based on my experience and my observations, I’ll try to lay out a detailed one ... mmm ... How-To? No, it won't. Review? It’s not that either ... Rather, it will be a parting word or a certain set of tips.

The theater begins with a hanger, and I will start by immediately dotting all the “I” so that readers do not have unreasonable negativity or just some kind of misunderstanding in the process of reading.

The most important thing is that the article is intended for people who have not yet really understood whether they really need this “Smart Home” at all and do they need to get into this topic?

Now the term.
Let's be honest, "Smart Home" is not only such an artificial intelligence system that talks to you in the morning in the bathroom (while you shave) and cooks dinner for you while you drive home. Do not confuse the system with the wife.

Smart home is any an automation/automation system (or a complex of automation/automation systems), which at least somehow, at least for the smallest fraction, but makes your life easier. It doesn’t matter if it’s automatic turning off the light in the toilet after a person leaves and closes the door, or a system that waters house flowers, feeds your beloved cat and shuts off a leaking water supply pipe if you stay late at work. If something works in your house based on some algorithm, then it can already be called a “Smart Home” system, only with limited functionality.

Also, "Smart Home" is not only a mansion stuffed with electronics, but also an apartment in which your automation and / or control system works, i.e. "Smart apartment" is also "Smart home" and further in the text we will use this term.

In general, excessive tediousness is useless for a person, and to go into polemics on the question of how smart the “Smart House” turned out to be, which was made by student Kolya - I think it is disrespect for the work of that same Kolya. Did he do it? Does it work and manage something? Excellent, well done! Let it continue to grow.

We return to the topic.

We want to build our Smart Home, where do we start? From purchase, construction? No, in this business, as in all engineering tasks, you need to start with paper, or rather, with a project. Will it be a piece of paper with diagrams and drawings that only you can understand, or will it be something drawn in *CAD ... the main thing is that at least you understand what is shown there.

Do not be afraid to describe "long-term plans", write down and think through everything, even what you can do in a very distant future. It's better to think it over now because then it will be too late. This is an experience paid for by the blood of many engineers who stepped on numerous rakes.

What should you pay attention to?

1. Users

Consider how the system you are introducing will be handled by users, i.e. residents of your home or members of your family. Will people who are not technically savvy (old people, children or wife - no matter who exactly) be able to use this? Scenario like: "Honey, the light in the toilet is now on, now I'm just uploading the firmware to the Arduino." does not fit. Imagine renting out your system to a wealthy thug who sees your LED light switches and tells you: " This… listen, what the hell is this? Where is there to reap?". What is obvious to you may be completely incomprehensible to others.

2. Technology

Wired or wireless. If wired, then you need to make plans for laying all the necessary cables (and preferably with a large margin). Where to ditch the walls, where to place sockets and automation elements - everything should be on the diagram. If the system is wireless, then consider where the transmitters / receivers will stand, where the signal repeaters will be placed.
Now you remember this, in a month, when there will be a lot of information, there will be porridge in your head and something will be forgotten.

3. Executor

Who will do all this? Are you yourself or hired by a specialist firm? It will be cheaper on your own, but you will need to deep dive into the issue. We will still rely on self-deployment, because the category of the article is "Do it yourself", right?

4. autonomy

Thinking through the functionality and capabilities of a smart home, always count on the fact that there will be no Internet in the house. Of course, many smart guys will object to me, saying that you need to think over the possibility of pairing with something in the outside world ... think over, lay it down, no one argues, but your smart home should work properly in full autonomy / isolation mode. It may be difficult for a person living in a metropolis to understand how it is so that there is no Internet at all ... GPRS, ADSL, at least something should be backed up? No no and one more time no! Nothing can happen, but it should work all.

Here is an example:
You have built a funny system: say “Nafanya, turn on the slow cooker / light in the toilet” and the system turns off the slow cooker or the light in the toilet, saying “Turn on” along the way. But suddenly, because of the evil hackers of Al-Qaeda, your provider's network fell off, and behind it the network of your mobile operator Rupor fell down, which provides you with a backup LTE channel. Naturally, Google TTS, which was based on your voice control system, fell off and the smart home in the blink of an eye turned into a dumb dumbass who cannot turn on anything. Enable manual control, and even better, make the system so that it can, for example, read the weather aloud without Google's voice service. Difficult, but possible. Nobody said that deploying "Smart Home" is like installing MS Office.

Second example:
You made smart home control through an Android application, but after the malicious hacker attack described above, your smartphone could not access the cloud service and instruct the smart home to turn off the forgotten iron. Write your own application that can work remotely through the 2G network of a mobile operator or via Wi-Fi if you are in the coverage area of ​​your home hotspot.

5. The next point to remember when designing follows from the previous one: The "core" of your automation system.

Your home may have a router (ADSL, LTE or something else), a switch or some other network switching device, but a smart home should be controlled by a "core" - a separate and independent device. In no case do not combine network traffic management and home management in one piece of iron. Now there are many routers on which you can install firmware with a miniature copy of Linux, and many people who get acquainted with this topic try to hang everything that comes to mind on such routers. Personally, I love these routers, in which you can fine-tune everything that you need, but I do not consider it correct to install controls on a device that was not originally designed for this.
Your house may be left completely without a network, but home automation should work, or vice versa, home automation may “fly out”, but this should not drag the LAN (local network) to the bottom.

6. Core placement

Under all this quotation with a router, a switch, a control system core, backup power systems, etc. you need to allocate a separate place: closet, closet, closed niche / mezzanine. Anything where there is ventilation (equipment will get warm and you need to think about cooling) and where it will not get in the way / get into your eyes. Your system should not spoil the overall look of housing and make negative changes in home comfort.

If you have a basement, then it is better to deploy your "mission control center" there.

7. Expenses

Perhaps this should have been inserted somewhere closer to the beginning, but if the previous points have not been fully worked out, then the matter may not come to expenses.
The most important thing to know is that the "Smart Home" is a damn expensive undertaking. You can do things yourself (poison boards, program microcontrollers), but this will only reduce your costs, not eliminate them altogether.
The next most important thing to consider at this point is duplication. The purchase of any equipment and performers should be doubled and always rounded up. In your house, for each performer (switches, sensors, etc.) there should be an understudy in the gas box (unless, of course, a third-party organization is engaged in servicing your house). Do not count on the fact that if something breaks, then you will go to the store and buy it.

Example:
The tension jumped. Although the protection worked, some of the built-in light switches burned out, I got sick yesterday and are lying at home with a temperature of 39.2 degrees. Let's say that you are a courageous man (that's a pun turned out), and, spitting on your health, you decide to get out of bed and replace all the switches yourself, but ... with what? Understudy.

Decided to place a camera in front of the entrance? Buy two. Have you thought that you need 12 smart switches around the house? Buy 24. Do you think it does not happen that all 12 will fly out at once? Sometimes, unfortunately, the very first thing that you should have duplicated is the core of the system.

Outcome

I described a negligible part of the beginning of such a large and interesting project for most "techies" as "Smart Home". This topic affects almost all areas in IT: networks, programming, administration, automation, electrics and electronics ... and therefore it is a complex topic that requires a special approach. This can be seen from what I wrote above, but if it is not visible, then the writer in me has not matured.

There is no way to cram the entire text into one article, I have already shortened it enough, therefore there will be at least one more part of the material, which, in principle, will contain tips / recommendations on choosing software and hardware. It sounds a little strange, they say, such a variety of technologies, what advice can there be? However, there are tips and tricks even in such a situation.

Thanks to everyone for your attention, and to those who have read all this to the end.

Today in Minsk you can find a lot of offers from companies that are engaged in the automation of residential and office premises on a turnkey basis. But the widespread implementation of new technology is still far away, because most of these solutions have a high price. Minsk programmer Alexander Bogdanovich independently designed and installed “smart automation” in his house with the help of the Belarusian manufacturer Nootekhnika. He shared his experience with the readers of KV.

- Alexander, tell us how much time it took you to design and install the "smart home"?

I don't really like the name "smart home". In my opinion, this is more of a marketing ploy that does not really reflect the very essence of the system, but the essence lies in smart automation.

It all started with the fact that after long wanderings around rented apartments, my wife and I decided to build our own house. Already at the time of the purchase of the site, I began to think about smart automation systems. I wanted something unusual, and besides, it was a great opportunity to apply my knowledge, because I am a software engineer by education.

I understood that even at the construction stage, it was necessary to lay the possibility so that in the future it would be possible to "screw" something, to automate where it would be reasonable.

About three years before construction started, I started designing everything on paper. I experienced a lot of things, roughly speaking, on my knee, collected, wrote code. Works good. Set it aside as a worked moment and move on.

Construction went on for three years, and about a year and a half ago we moved into our house, in which at that time only two rooms were ready. And so, when it came to practical implementation, some of the ideas “fell off” by themselves as unnecessary.

- What are the main elements of your system?

To date, my smart automation system includes four main elements.

Firstly, it is a remote control of light using the solutions of Nootechnika Noolite. This is a very important moment for me. For those who live in an apartment, it may not be clear, because the areas are completely different.

The possibility of wireless light control (Noolite systems control the lighting via a radio channel) immediately intrigued me, plus the price tag bribed me. From the very beginning, I wanted my smart automation to be budget-friendly in addition to comfort.

The switch, which, in fact, is a remote control radio transmitter, is battery operated. It can be placed anywhere, it can even be glued to furniture, the main thing is that the surface on which it is installed is non-metallic. One luminaire can be controlled by several switches at once.

Now we have absolutely no familiar mechanical switches at home. Sometimes the Noolite transmitter just lies somewhere in the room, and only six months later, when we decide that we really need it in this place, we glue it. At one time, I even had such a switch in the car so that I could turn on the light even at the entrance to the house.

The lighting is not controlled by the mains, so there is no need to lay wiring under each switch. The executive unit, which is used to turn on / off the light, is neatly mounted in my wall, you can also hide it under a false ceiling.

It is also possible to control the Noolite lighting system via a USB adapter, as well as, in principle, any load. And by controlling the load, you can control almost any electrical device, up to the fact that with the help of Nootekhnika solutions you can turn the TV on or off.

Another plus was that the guys from Nootekhnika are located in Minsk, this is a Belarusian manufacturer. So during the design of my system, I talked a lot with them, and in general I was satisfied with everything. In the summer, Nootekhnika should release blocks with feedback, which I again plan to use at home.

Next, I needed to know the temperature readings by room. I started looking for solutions. Wireless? At that time, to realize it, we needed a lot of money. One such sensor cost about 30 dollars, but you need more than one in the house. In the end, I found a bidirectional 1-Wire bus, which I ordered in England. With a line up to 200 m, it works even without any additional power.

Immediately from the computer, the wires exit through the USB adapter. Further, I bought DS18B20 temperature sensors in China for a dollar apiece, a DS2408 chip for controlling 8 channels for 8 dollars.

Another important element of my system is automated lawn watering. When I watered 5-6 acres from a hose in the summer, I realized that automatic watering was necessary. While it, of course, is in a semi-assembled state, but has already been tested - everything works. It is controlled through an 8-channel microcircuit and a key board that opens the solenoid valve.

CCTV. During the year I tested several video surveillance systems. I chose Xeoma: I won a key for 8 cameras from them for a promotion, and again I managed to save money.

- How is the system managed?

The system consists of a regular system unit, a server with Ubuntu. All this works and communicates through a USB adapter using 1-Wire topology. From programming languages, I used Python plus MongoDB and the Flask microframework.

Several times I rewrote everything, made the system simpler, more convenient. Now you can manage it through the Web interface, which is used mainly for adding scripts, and the Windows Phone application - directly for management. I sketched it in a couple of days, and now I have all the necessary information displayed on my phone.

Any script can be run manually or automatically. Soon I'm going to connect to the Internet system, and it will be possible to control it from the outside.

What happens if the electricity goes out in the house?

If the electricity goes out, everything goes out. And in order to “re-raise” the work of smart automation after that, there is the Monit system, which monitors all processes, like a parent for children. If suddenly something “falls”, freezes, it simply restarts the service. Of course, Monit itself can “fall”, this is not excluded. But for almost two years of test work there were no problems. When the light is turned on again, the server itself automatically "rises". In a minute or two everything is up and running again.

- How realistic is it for a person who does not have an engineering education to assemble such a system?

When we buy a box and sensors for it, install the application, and everything works - this is one thing. In my case, the do it yourself system, and in it everything rests on the software. The 1-Wire protocol involves writing special software, through which communication with the devices of the system takes place, and not everyone can write it. Most likely, there are some frameworks based on 1-Wire. But these will be generalized solutions that need to be “finished” for themselves.

- What important requirements does “smart automation” meet in your home?

I have two criteria: my system should be comfortable enough and at the same time budget-friendly. The main elements - Noolite switches, temperature sensors - I can buy on my own without any problems. In addition, I was able to achieve the flexibility of the system because I designed, soldered, installed and wrote the code myself. I needed automation that would be convenient not only for me, but also for my family and guests. As a result, I can easily add new elements, change the system as I wish, which you will not get when buying ready-made expensive solutions.

Interviewed by Nadezhda Abramchuk

About how the Belarusian company "Nero Electronics" started manufacturing components for a smart home. They took the matter seriously and even turned to Lebedev's studio, where they helped with the design of Belarusian devices. The key difference between the system, according to the manufacturer, is that it can be mounted independently without special skills. It is enough to be a moderately brutal man who knows how to hold a screwdriver in his hands and cling to the stepladder with his feet. We decided to test for ourselves how easy or difficult it is to make a smart apartment out of an ordinary apartment.

Understanding what and why you need is seemingly simple. It is enough to figure out how many points in the house need to be “wised up”, after which you can order devices. You will definitely need a server that will be responsible for setting up and managing the smart home from the application. Next - a bunch of sensors, remotes and relays. As it turned out, the issue must be approached responsibly. We, for example, scored devices with too much stock. Before moving on to the very process of teaching an apartment different smart things, first let's see what these devices are for.

Smart gadgets for a stupid apartment

Let's clarify that the system supports third-party sensors using the z-wave plus protocol with a frequency of 869 MHz. Belarusians do not have their own sensors, the company offers Polish Fibaro. If desired, you can connect any other sensors with a more humane price.

Server Oledo 7767 Host

The almost intelligent "head" of our house, which connects the command executors into a network, processes their indicators and allows you to control the system through an application via Wi-Fi or mobile Internet. There is support for GSM - you can install a SIM card so that the server sends SMS to the phone about certain events or receives commands through the same text messages to start some actions. But messages can also come directly to the application, so you can safely do without SMS.

The black box is equipped with a 500MHz processor, 512MB RAM, and 4GB storage. There is a battery that, according to the specifications, allows the device to last about 8 hours without being connected to the mains. The screen displays the current state of the server. Useful to find out the source of the problem in case of a lack of communication with the system.

Door and window opening sensor

We saw exactly the same or similar sensor for both y and y. The point is simple. In one set there are two cylinders - one is installed, for example, on the door leaf, and the second - on the door jamb. The sensors touched - it means that the door is closed, disconnected - it is open.

The larger one is attached with 3M double-sided adhesive tape, and the “baby” can be magnetized to the metal surface of the door frame.

Water leakage sensor

We are also familiar with such a thing since the review of the smart home from Beltelecom. You can place the sensor in a place of potential danger (for example, in the bathroom or in the kitchen). Leakage is determined by closing three metal legs with moisture. Additionally, the sensor is able to determine the temperature in the room.

Set and forget

Light, temperature and motion sensor

But this “eye” is already much more interesting. It is on this contraption that many smart home scenarios will be tied. For example, when the illumination level decreases relative to the set value, the lamp can automatically turn on. Has the temperature risen? We turn on the air conditioner. Did the person leave the room? Turn off all light sources. All three parameters can and should be combined.

The "eye" is attached to the plastic arc. It can be hung, for example, somewhere in the corner of the room, after which the sensor is placed there. And you can put it on any flat surface - the frame will hold on thanks to the flat "heel".

remote control button

Also seen before. You can remotely and wirelessly turn on or off the light or outlet. The device seemed to us of little use due to the presence of more interesting options for controlling the smart home system. But it can come in handy if you need an inconspicuous switch, for example, in the bathroom. Attaches with double sided tape.

Oledo Wall Mount

The same device that we preferred to the remote control button. With the help of a two-channel remote control, you can turn on / off the light or start and stop the execution of a particular scenario. Despite the simple description of functionality, in fact, this is a very nice thing that replaces the usual switches. This is because the Oledo is not tied to a wiring outlet - it is wireless and can be located anywhere. At least fill the whole room with such remotes.

There is a soft light indication of pressing. The remote control is attached to a flat wall holder, which, in turn, is attached to the wall with double-sided tape.

Oledo portable remote control

The same beautiful thing as a wall remote, but more advanced. Here you can already manage five objects. For example, a group of lamps in the hall, bedroom, kitchen, hallway, bathroom and toilet. Initially, the remote control has a sticker with hints. If you remove it, you will be left with a beautiful, minimalistically designed, but not very clear device. We got used to the location and purpose of the buttons for a couple of days, using the prompts on the film.

The device is equipped with an accelerometer. When you take the remote control in your hand, it automatically highlights the last active channel. The device can be left anywhere - just like a TV remote control. But in order to bring a little organization to life, the Belarusian manufacturer has provided a square magnetic holder. It, as you already understood, can be attached anywhere with adhesive tape, and then magnetize the remote control. Experimentally, it was found that Oledo is "friendly" with any metal surface, even with a refrigerator.

Remote in film

Remote without film

Smart Relay Intro

Here is the most necessary device for a smart home. It is thanks to him that automation of the work of lamps and sockets is possible. The bottom line is that the device is actually built into the existing circuit, taking control of turning something on and off. On the example of a lamp, everything looks like this: network wires are connected to Intro on one side, and wires from a chandelier or sconce on the other. After that, it will be possible to control the light source, underfloor heating and other electrical appliances both using a wireless remote control and through the application.

Embedded Oledo Remote

This device is needed in order to maintain the functionality of existing switches. The fact is that after installing the Intro relay, the lamp will no longer respond to the standard switch - it will be possible to control it only through the "Lebedev" remotes or a smartphone. The built-in remote control is installed in the mounting cup of the switch and connected to it.

In our opinion, so-so device. Still, if we make a smart home, then first of all we rely on new ways of managing it. And Oledo's built-in remote actually offers to keep what we already had. However, Nero Electronics notes that most people, on the contrary, strive to maintain the functionality of existing switches. This is understandable if we are talking about a ready-made design repair, which provided for the presence of a specific type of switches.

Note that all devices are wireless and communicate with each other via radio. This should greatly facilitate installation compared to conventional wired systems. Well, let's move from theory to practice.

And why am I not an electrician?

Setting up sensors and installing a server is easy. Remembering the experience with connecting a smart home from Beltelecom, we first set ourselves up for a long and full of bugs procedure. But no - the server "starts up" and finds the network via WPS within a minute.

In the same way, sensors, remotes, relays and other good things “jump” into the application installed on the smartphone. Somewhere you need to read the QR code from the box of the device, somewhere you additionally press the button hidden in the sensor.

But with the installation, people with improperly growing hands may have problems. In Nero Electronics, they believe that it will take an average man about 7 minutes to install one point for a handy man. I have to admit to my own "non-handiness" - in our case, it took more time. No, the same “eye” with motion, temperature and light sensors was taken and placed or hung where the soul wishes - there are no questions here. Or an opening / closing sensor - glued it on an adhesive tape and clap your hands.

But the relay ... Yes, there is a simple video instruction, but in life the most unexpected circumstances can interfere with you. Stretch ceilings, short stature and a small stepladder, the lack of a screwdriver of the right size, all these tinting of “phase”, “earth” and “zero” ... And if you come across a tricky lamp with a bunch of “extra” wires, then it’s quite a disaster.

True, over time, the necessary “skills” are pumped over, and the work is simplified. It took me about 30 minutes to automate the first point in the bedroom. This is taking into account the nuances in the form of finding the right tools and finding out the reasons why it didn’t work the first time. Here we met with an important nuance, which was mentioned above. Once you connect the Intro smart relay to a luminaire, it will no longer be possible to control it with a conventional switch.

In order to leave the functionality of the switch, it must be disconnected from the power supply and connected to the Oledo built-in remote control. At first I did that, but then I decided that it was superfluous. Instead, I reconnected the switch to the mains and left it in the on position. At the same time, the light did not turn on, but the lamp began to respond to commands from the smart remote control and the application. Automation also kicked in. That is precisely why the built-in remote control in our case turned out to be superfluous.

ON

It seems to be something complicated - take it and automate everything around, get smarter with the house! But for this you will have to master the application, and this is not as easy as it seems. The interface of the program seems to be confusing from the habit, many actions are scattered across different menus. For example, to set up a timer relay, you need to go to a separate menu, although, in our opinion, it would be logical to duplicate the same functionality when programming events.

The difference between events and scripts, administrator and super-administrator rights is not entirely obvious. In all this, it is unlikely that you will be able to understand the theory - you need to master the wide, but intricate possibilities of the application directly in the process of teaching your home. It also doesn't hurt to check with the manufacturer.

Wishlist

We have a standard two-room apartment. Silly as a cork. The task is to turn a dwelling from a dull cave into a spaceship that will not be able to fly into space, but will at least slightly simplify our everyday life.

After some thought, after studying the capabilities of a smart home from Nero Electronics, it was decided to do the following:

1. In the hallway, the light should turn on automatically when a person enters the apartment, as well as when he moves at dusk. Without human participation, all good things must also be turned off.
2. Bathroom. It's simple: went in - the light turned on, went out - went out.
3. There are more light sources in the hall. It was decided not to touch the main light with automation, leaving the opportunity to illuminate the room to its fullest using a portable remote control. Two floor lamps should be switched on in low natural light conditions and in the presence of a person.
4. Balcony. This room is small, but advanced. It is equipped with a full-fledged office with a computer, a squiggly lamp and a warm floor. The task is to turn on the heating at temperatures below 19 degrees, provided that there is a person here, that is, me.

Let us clarify that the described case of apartment automation is not the most ideal in terms of possibilities. So, in the test version of housing there was no air conditioning, electrovalves blocking the water, roller blinds. Imagine how the curtains themselves rise and fall depending on a given threshold value of illumination. The same air conditioner can heat or cool the room by the arrival of the owner. If there are children, then for them you can set the work of the set-top box, computer and TV according to the schedule. All this is cool, but our tasks were more trivial.

Reality

We start making dreams come true from the hallway. We install an open / close sensor on the door and slope. In the application, we prescribe the condition: if the sensor detects the opening of the door (at the same time, the illumination is below 100 lux and there is movement), the lamp turns on. Works! To automatically turn off the light, a timer was set in the relay settings - 5 minutes. This is more than enough to remove outer clothing. And you can do it without a timer - by setting automatic shutdown when there is no movement in the hallway.

The light in the hallway also turns on when motion is detected, if the illumination is below 100 lux. Turns off if there is no movement.

From the hallway, everything was automated with a bang. The bathroom is more difficult. Install a second open/close sensor. Light up the opening - done! But how do you pay it off when you're out? Do you turn off the light when you close the door? Then you won't be able to close the bathroom door when you go in. Maybe add a motion sensor? Here it is necessary to make a technical explanation. As soon as the sensor has detected movement, it makes the next poll of the situation in 30 seconds. If at this moment you are lying relaxed in the bath, no movement will be detected and the light will go out.

But what if you program the light off to open the door too? Perhaps the system will sequentially execute different commands in a chain? That is, at first, as soon as you open the sash to go in to take a shower, the lamp will turn on. And the shutdown command will work a second time when you are already leaving. Alas, but no - in this situation, the lamp turns on sequentially and immediately turns off at the first operation of the opening sensor.

As a result, they found such a way out: when entering the bathroom, the light turns on automatically using an open / close sensor. But we turn it off ourselves through the Oledo remote control.

The heating of the balcony turned out very well. True, during testing, the temperature there did not fall below 19 degrees, so for the sake of the experiment, a threshold value of 23 degrees was set. You go onto the balcony, the sensor detects the movement and the temperature of 22 degrees - the warm floor immediately turns on. As soon as the temperature rises to 23 degrees, the heating is turned off.

We thought that the following problem might arise: you are sitting on the balcony at the computer, the temperature has reached 23 degrees - the warm floor is turned off, the temperature drops, but the sensor does not detect movement and you start to freeze slowly. As practice has shown, you will not sit at a computer completely motionless. Let the "eye" detect you not immediately, but it will find you anyway, and the extra few seconds or even minutes in this case do not matter - the system will work and will not leave you alone with frost-covered windows.

It is important to note that the sensor, as in all similar systems, reacts to pets. Therefore, if your cat in the absence of the owner looks at the open balcony, the system will turn on the heating for him. And you may end up with a nasty electricity bill at the end of the month. If we are dealing with a clearly normalized working day, then as a way out of the situation, you can set the schedule for turning on the underfloor heating. For example, the event does not fire on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

When automating the lighting of the hall again had to compromise. The inclusion of floor lamps, depending on the illumination and when moving, works fine. I had to forget about the automatic shutdown again. Imagine that you are watching TV. On the couch. Lying or sitting. There is really little movement. In general, it all comes down to the fact that the system will constantly turn on and off the floor lamps. They say that the issue is solved by installing a second motion sensor at the exit from the hall, but we have not yet been able to verify this.

We automate the lamp in the bedroom

In addition to everything planned, they made a smart socket to turn off the TV remotely (just to have it). All lighting as a separate scenario was tied to a portable remote control, which was installed at the front door. They pressed one button before exiting - and everything is de-energized. But even if they didn’t, the status of a smart home can be tracked anywhere via the Internet. In the same way, you can manage individual objects.

Impression

The possibilities of a smart home are much more than those that we have described. We got the impression that the system will be of more interest to owners of large apartments and spacious private houses, stuffed with all sorts of home and climate equipment. Add here a couple of cameras for video surveillance (Belarusians do not produce cameras, but almost any model with Wi-Fi should be suitable), electric drives for roller shutters or roller blinds and smart relays in each socket or lamp - and here we have a ready-made system.

As for a small city apartment, at first retraining it into a smart one seems like a far-fetched idea. But gradually you get used to even small amenities. We, for example, really enjoyed using both the wall-mounted and portable remote controls.

During the testing of a smart home from Nero Electronics, we noticed several features that are important to consider. So, the presence of a pet will become an obstacle to the creation of a simple algorithm. You will have to strain your imagination, use several sensors at once so that the smart home outwits the cat, or carefully look for such an installation angle that would not capture a pet sneaking across the laminate.

The NeroHome application is still damp. It's not even about usability, it's about performance. Somehow our smartphone stopped connecting to the server. No matter what we did, the program did not want to log in either via the mobile Internet or via Wi-Fi. A couple of days later, the application wrote that it was not compatible with the system and needed to be updated. At the same time, there was no update on Google Play. I had to contact the manufacturer, who shared the current apk file. As noted in the company, we are talking about a single failure in the transitional test period.

And the application is very “gluttonous”. With NeroHome running even in the background, the smartphone may not survive until the middle of the day. Not surprising, since the program constantly communicates with the server and updates the data. You have to check all the time whether you forgot to unload the application from the phone's memory. It is better to immediately activate the disconnection function when working in the background in the settings.

As for the cost, the arithmetic is as follows. In our case, one Oledo server, one portable and three wall-mounted remote controls, five motion / temperature / light sensors, two door open sensors and seven Intro smart relays went to a two-room apartment. Not much, given that up to a thousand devices can be supported on a single system. The cost of the kit was about 2,700 rubles, and exactly half of this amount falls on Polish sensors.

The smart home system from Nero Electronics still needs to be developed. It can be seen that a lot of work was done on it, a huge number of little things were thought out, and the design was approached on a grand scale. On the other hand, much remains to be done, primarily at the program level.

The price, in our opinion, may scare away some potential buyers. Therefore, it is advisable to take the time to carefully consider all the functionality of a smart home, all scenarios and events. Perhaps it makes sense to look for more budget sensors. You see, with the optimal arrangement, they will need less than we used.

We note right away that the systems described below allow any more or less educated person to create their own entry-level automated home, spending a minimum of money and effort on this. And all the described devices are distinguished primarily by ease of installation and use, and not by their outstanding characteristics. All of them can be easily replaced with similar ones, it all depends on your preferences, the availability of devices for sale, and of several technical factors. In addition, we do not specify here where you can buy the devices mentioned in the article, you will have to do this yourself if the need arises.

"Smart" home surveillance system

The first thing that comes to mind when you think about home automation is keeping your home and family safe. Especially if you see your home as a space stuffed with "smart" (and not so) electronics. Therefore, it is very important to know what is happening inside your home and in its immediate environment, including when you yourself are somewhere outside the home.

There are many companies that offer smart cameras that can monitor your home while you're away, including iSmartAlarm, which just unveiled its new ICamera at CEDIA 2014. It has a resolution of 1280x720 and also has a night vision function. In addition, it naturally contains motion and sound sensors. An interesting fact is that the camera can be used independently, without the need to be included in a single "smart home" system. The main advantage of the camera over the competition is the storage function. ICamera has a USB port that allows you to connect a local storage of information, such as a powerful terabyte disk. Such a camera costs $149, which is in the middle of the price range for such devices.

Or, alternatively, you can use Withings' smart HD camera, which should be available soon. This camera not only looks good and has all the environmental sensors you need, but also allows you to see what's going on in your home from anywhere. The system has a live recording function, and you can see what is happening in the house through a mobile application, you can also zoom in to see the details. The camera has the function of sending an automatic alert if something happens in the house that is different from the usual order. The price of the camera is 200 euros.

Here are some more options:

"Smart" environment control

Surveillance cameras alone are not enough to ensure security in the house - with all their desire, they cannot cover the entire space and follow all events. Therefore, to control and ensure security, it is necessary to use sensors of various kinds, since their choice is now very wide.

Take the Notion security system, for example, which uses a small, multi-functional sensor that delivers exceptional performance. With it, you can know how much fuel was left in the propane tank when your child returned from school, if you have a water leak, what is the temperature in the refrigerator, if someone has touched your safe, and the like. The system includes a hub that manages all sensors and connects to the Internet via WiFi, multifunctional sensors capable of detecting 8 different actions and a mobile application based on iOS and Android.

The system includes sensors for lighting, temperature, proximity, an accelerometer and a gyroscope to control the opening of doors and windows, a water leak probe and a piezoelectric transducer. Each sensor can detect several different events, so the system will respond more accurately to situations and thus provide protection against erroneous operation. Sensors work up to two years without battery replacement.

The price of the device is not yet known, as the project is at the stage of obtaining funding for production.

Alternative environmental control systems:

"Smart" lighting

It seemed like a simple thing - lighting. But remember how many times you have to get up to turn on this or that lamp, how many times you think that it would be nice to be able to dim the lighting a little here and add it there. There are several systems on the market (plus a few in the near future) that allow you to control the light with your smartphone, but one of the first and deservedly trusted buyers is Philips Hue. Since this system appeared on the market, it has grown and changed a lot, but the original system allows you to control 50 light bulbs connected to a wireless network using a mobile application.

The system includes a bridge that connects the lamps into a single network, and a smartphone (or tablet) application that allows you to do a lot of things, such as setting certain modes, within which individual bulbs change the tone and strength of the light. The system has a number of preset modes: Concentration, Energy, Reading and Relaxation. They all feature different Philips Hue LED controllable settings.

Philips Hue even allows you to change the color of the lighting or turn on a special mode for when you are away for a long time, so that it looks like someone is at home.

And all these settings you can choose right from your favorite sofa.

Such a system is, frankly, not cheap. A starter set of a basic controller and three lamps costs about $300, each additional lamp costs about $80.

Here is a similar system, with the difference that it allows you to control the lighting with your voice. We are talking about a light bulb holder, called Vocca, which acts as an intermediary between an ordinary light bulb and an equally ordinary cartridge. The smart gadget has a speech recognition function: when it hears a passphrase, it turns the lights on or off. Voice control is not new, but in Vocca it is implemented in the most simple and convenient way: the device does not need additional equipment and does not require any configuration. There is also a Vocca Pro modification that allows you to change the passphrase, as well as control the lighting from your smartphone. In this case, Bluetooth is used for communication.

Here are also a few alternatives:

"Smart" heating

Just as with smart lighting, there are many possible solutions, some of which can do more than others. And you have to decide for yourself what you want from your heating system, apart from being able to control it with your smartphone or tablet. You should also consider what type of heating system or boilers you have in order to find a solution that will work with them. Which is not as obvious as it seems. For example, the NEST thermostat, popular in the USA, has only recently been sold in Europe and so far it has not been suitable for use with heating systems familiar to Russia.

One very handy system is the Honeywell Evohome, which connects to a heating boiler and room radiators, allowing it to control 12 individual zones from a single central console or mobile app.

Each zone can have multiple radiators, and you can set your own parameters for each of them. The Honeywell Evohome system comes with several preset settings that allow you to, for example, lower your home temperature when you are away from home all day.

The Evohome starter kit, which allows you to connect your boiler and water heater to it, will cost over $400, and each battery sensor will set you back about $80 each. Frankly, it's expensive, especially when compared with competitive solutions, but it's worth it. Still, it is better to entrust the installation of the system to specialists, it will take less time and ultimately allow you to save a lot of nerves.

For a simpler option, consider the ZEN thermostat, which is currently being collected on Indiegogo. This device does not even have a display: all information is displayed through a group of LEDs, and the thermostat is controlled by pressing the edges of the front panel. Nevertheless, ZEN looks stylish and performs basic functions - heating, cooling and ventilation control - very well. You can connect to the thermostat using an app for iOS or Android. It allows you not only to adjust the temperature and mode of operation, but also to schedule. Of course, all this can be done remotely via the Internet. The thermostat only supports the ZigBee protocol so far; to connect to a Wi-Fi network, you need to use a special hub.

The approximate cost of the thermostat is $150.

Of the possible options, the following devices seem to us the most preferable:

"Smart" power supply

If you are one of those people who periodically start to worry about whether you turned off the iron before leaving the house, or start to wonder why electricity costs have risen so much and what can be done about it, then systems that remotely control devices connected to the network help you deal with those worries. Now such systems have begun to appear on the market in increasing numbers and their main function is to be able to turn off electrical outlets from afar and, thereby, turn off unused equipment.

The D-Link Smart Plug is a simple, easy-to-use device. You just need to plug it into a standard socket, press the WPS button on your router and the button on the Smart Plug. And your smart plug is already online. Controlled by the mydlink Home App, available for iOS and Android, free of charge. The application allows you not only to turn the device on and off, but also to schedule it to turn on / off at a specific time, which is very convenient when leaving for a long time. The suggested retail price of the D-Link Smart Plug is $39.99.

Alternative options:

Smart home equipment

Starting to build a "smart home" with security, lighting and heating systems is a very good step, but if your budget does not deplete, then you can expand your options somewhat by considering the use of "smart" home devices. Today you can buy many different kinds of devices that are controlled using a smartphone, and Korean companies Samsung and LG are among the leaders here. But we will introduce you not only these manufacturers.