Google Android mobile systems are developing very rapidly. And although they were first conceived for a variety of gadgets (smartphones, communicators and tablets), today their use has become much wider.
The android smart home is a prime example of this. What it is? It is a specially designed electronic environment based on the Android operating system.
It allows you to monitor and control various equipment of a smart apartment or cottage. These elements include music, light, air conditioning equipment, all kinds of household appliances and kitchen appliances.
Fig. 8. Program [email protected]
Program [email protected] for a Smart Home means managing three conditionally divided main groups:
home control devices;
control devices for television and video equipment;
home phones.
Each item is equipped with touch screens ranging in size from 4.3 to 10 inches.
[email protected] - became a new platform presented at the Google I / O conference as a development project. She was able to combine hardware and software for the easiest control of the Smart Home system.
Now owners just need to install instead of ordinary devices (TVs, music systems, bulbs, switches, etc.) exactly the same, but with Android inside.
The nice thing is that you don't need a dedicated controller to manage. All you have to do is use an existing portable device or personally write applications on your home computer using the SDK emulator.
What is the result? From your cell or tablet, you can turn on and off the TV, turn on or turn off the lights in the desired room. And without any additional hardware or software between devices.
In addition, using this environment, the owner will be able to store all information (music, photos and videos, etc.) in a convenient Google cloud storage. This means that literally every device from anywhere in the world will have access to this information.
Once again, it is worth noting that the new platform can control any equipment. But this is possible only if there is an Android operating system in this equipment.
So far, none of the known technologies (except for the one considered in this article) has coped with the task of universal control. Some, for example, are capable of perfectly controlling climatic devices, but absolutely “cannot cope” with telephony.
Voice control software for Windows
Programmers-developers have devoted their works to voice control since the days of Windows 95. During this time, many programs have been created for Russian voice control of a computer and converting speech into text. Among them, the following programs have gained popularity:
Dictographer 5;
Perpetuum mobile;
COMBAT Vocative Russian ASR Engine.
For English speech, the following programs were popular:
Sakrament ASR Engine;
Voice Xpress Pro;
Philips FreeSpeech 98;
To date, the programs are leaders in this field:
Gorynych 5;
These four programs give the most optimal result in the computer conversion of speech into commands and text. We can say that there is not much to choose from. The problem of speech conversion into computer commands and text is still relevant. This is still a free niche for programmers-developers. There are still very few decent products created in this industry.
About the development of its own CLUNET bus for connecting devices in a smart home. Many people ask to tell about what I got in the end, which I will now try to do.
I tried to draw a diagram of my room with all the devices connected to the network, the picture is clickable:
The whole idea rests on three pillars:
- Decentralization - the whole system functions without any main module;
- Simplicity - minimum of components and ease of connection;
- Cheapness - the cost of the device is easy to put in 100 rubles.
- The packages from the remote control receive a switch and a window opener, which allows you to control the light and open the window from any remote control or Nintendo Wii U;
- Motion sensors inform the switch that there is no one in the room, and you can turn off the light;
- The display in the corridor always shows the current outside temperature, obtained from temperature sensors;
- On command from the code panel, the door lock opens;
- A device with a squeaker emits sounds when it learns about opening a lock, pressing a button or ringing an intercom.
The only main device, perhaps, can be called only the power supply. At the moment, I have one for almost all home-made devices, and it copes with it perfectly. Many will most likely say: “You probably have wires everywhere!” - This is partly true, but I have no phobia about wires. In addition, the small loop with power and data line is almost invisible against the background of other cables.
Router with CLUNET adapter
My router, in addition to routing traffic, performs another role - routing traffic, it is a "window" for CLUNET devices on the Internet. Or rather, on the contrary, it allows you to command all devices from the Internet and the local network. For this, a special device is included in its USB port.
I will not repeat myself much, I talked about this in the article about the CLUNET protocol. The idea is simple - a Linux-based router running a daemon that accepts incoming connections from the local network or the Internet and provides access to the network of smart home devices.
In addition, the router is used as a simple web server so that you can control devices via the web interface in case ... well, just in case:
It is very convenient to use and cron on a router for a variety of tasks - from opening a window or heating a room on a schedule to a banal alarm clock. For the latter, I have made a simple web interface and scripts:
There is no alarm clock more pleasant than waking up from the radio, which increases the volume very slowly over several minutes. The main thing is to turn it off before it can wake up the neighbors.
In response to packets coming from devices, various scripts are also executed. This is how logs are kept for a variety of events such as calls to the intercom, temperature graphs are drawn (http://clusterrr.com/sensors/t/) and other data, a push notification is sent to my phone if the door is suddenly open in the room, and me no home, and so on.
Windows software
An application runs on the computer that connects to the daemon on the router and allows you to fully manage everything and everything. In the main window, you can track all traffic between devices and send them any command:
In it, you can observe how a smart home lives a full life, but in practice this is only needed for debugging. Everything can be done by clicking on the icon in the notification area:
In addition, many actions have special keyboard shortcuts. Yes, laziness is the engine of progress, and it's damn convenient for me to open a window or turn on the light with hot keys without getting up from my chair.
But you can't stop at controlling the light, you must control household appliances too! To do this, I use a remote control transmitter that simulates button presses on the remotes. By pressing a hot key, on-screen remote controls appear on the screen:
From them you can control the receiver, TV, heater and laser. It is difficult to describe how much this made life easier. You always have to look for the remote controls, they are lying anywhere, just not nearby. Now they were completely covered with dust.
In addition, this software also performs the opposite role - it receives button codes from the remote control receiver and simulates the WinLIRC server - a popular program for working with remote control panels. It is supported, for example, by MPC-HC, there is a plugin for foobar2000. Thus, you can do and vice versa - control applications on the computer using any remote control.
Phone software
Well, what about without managing all this from your phone from anywhere in the world? An Android app has about the same functionality. Basically, activations can be switched between different modes by horizontal swipe.
The tablet
At first, I had an idea - to solder a wall control panel that would hang over the bed in order to perform simple actions from it - turn on the light, adjust the volume, control the TV, etc. I would like to add a screen there for displaying basic information.But it soon dawned on me that the times were not the same. It's much easier to buy a cheap Chinese Android tablet and hang it on the wall. Yes, such tablets are usually slow and of very low quality, but for my purposes this is quite enough. No sooner said than done.
I had to code various desktop widgets:
But it was still not comfortable enough, especially when I wanted to do something by touch. After a while, I remembered that Android has a great voice recognition API. It took only half an hour for the tablet to start executing its first voice commands. Soon, the set of possible commands grew dramatically.
Meet my e-wife:
Needless to say, how convenient is it to open a window at night without opening your eyes? It is a pity that this drive is very noisy - when the window closes by timer, it is impossible not to wake up.
A similar service was eventually installed on the phone. It works only when the charger is connected. It would probably be great to use Google Glass for this.
More about devices
Finally, I will tell you a little about what devices function in my smart home. Attention! Below is the hellish amount of collective farm and wires! I do not know how to do beautifully, my hands do not grow out of the right place.Light switch
Nothing fancy, just turns the lamps on and off on the chandelier.
Touch buttons - one adds the number of lamps, the other decreases. It is possible to set a shutdown timer, but its need has disappeared with the advent of a wall-mounted tablet. Is on friendly terms with a remote control receiver and motion sensors.
Reed switch controller with buzzer
This very strange device appeared long before I started making a smart home, therefore it was made very clumsy and without a case.The bottom line is that there were mice in my room, and cats in the rest of the apartment. The whole point of the device was to squeak wildly if they forgot to close the door, because cats in no case should enter the room to the mice. Now the device sends packets to the network when the door is opened and closed. The router writes the logs of its opening and sends me a push notification if suddenly it is open when I am not at home. My location is determined by my mobile phone. In addition to all this, the buzzer is now used for a variety of sound notifications - intercom, opening the lock, pressing buttons on the code panel.
Remote control receiver and remote control transmitter
It seems like I've already talked about them above. The receiver is at the computer, the transmitter is hidden in the cabinet.
Motion sensors
There are two such motion sensors hanging in the room.
They contribute to turning off the light when there is no movement for a long time, and also changing my status to "away" in messengers. In addition to them, the movement is also determined by four video cameras.
Door lock and code panel
When I became the proud owner of a 3D printer, I really wanted to experiment with mechanics. As a result, I designed and printed the door lock mechanism. The first pancake is lumpy, and it turned out to be a wild collective farm, but it functions perfectly. On the outside of the door I made a code panel, it has already come out better. Better to just watch the video.Now I have everything like serious adult uncles!
Temperature and lighting sensors
There isn't much to tell here. The device hangs under the windowsill and interrogates temperature sensors via 1-wire, in addition to this, a light sensor is also experimentally made. I don't know why myself.Window opener
You could already see it a little in the video above. The mechanism itself is purchased and is a chain with a motor. It was nice to know that there are companies that do this kind of thing.
The drive itself is powered by 220V. On the left in the box is a circuit with two relays that supply power. I removed one hinge from the window, which allowed it to open twice as wide, so you can open it fully and halfway.
Display in the hallway
Once, when leaving the house, I wanted to see the current temperature outside and the time. That's all.
And there is also Pac-Man running, for which several custom symbols have been drawn.
Mouse cells
Mouse cells transmit information in the form of infrared signals about how much each mouse has run in the wheel. There was also a separate article about this: http://habrahabr.ru/post/165269/Alas, now there is only one mouse left, and he runs a little.
Camcorders
There are four IP cameras with rotation mechanisms in the room.
They send a short video to the remote server when the door opens. Or long, if I am not at home. When there is movement, they periodically take photographs. In addition to all this, cameras work as additional motion sensors. If something starts moving, they ask for a link on the router, which in turn sends a broadcast packet to the network.
Conclusion
I hope this article is not too boring. I did not know how to tell about everything in such a way that it was interesting, there was a lot of information, I tried to present it briefly.Many people will probably ask me: "Why do you need so many video cameras?", "Why do you need a code panel?", "Why do you need motion sensors?", "Why do you need all this?"
I will answer all such questions with one picture:
Tags:
- smart House
- avr
A program to control all Smart Home systems. Installed on a tablet computer on Windows, Android, iOs. Connects to the controller via Wi-Fi or the Internet (ModBus TCP communication protocol).
Works with virtually any industrial controller, including Beckhoff and OWEN.
The interface (appearance) of the program is completely changeable. Icons, backgrounds, arrangement of elements, labels - everything is changed by the user or the installer. It is possible to create a different interface for different devices. The number of devices on which the program is installed within one controller is not limited.
EasyHome software functions:
- control of lighting systems (including multi-colored LED strips and lamps with variable brightness)
- climate control of each room
- communication with the security and fire alarm systems
- communication with ventilation and air conditioning systems
- control of power consumption in several phases with automatic disconnection of non-priority loads
- control of sockets and other electrical appliances
- installation on any number of devices, control via Wi-Fi or the Internet
- control and prevention of accidents: water leakage, gas leakage, electrical accidents
- collection of information from water, gas and electricity meters
- control by scenarios and presets
- access to the controller via a local network or via an external IP address (autoselect when starting the program)
- displaying images from IP video cameras (in the version for Windows, MJPEG and H264 video streams are supported, not all camera models)
- the ability to launch different interfaces (request when starting the program)
And much more!
Download EasyHome for iOS (iPhone and iPad):
To load the DEMO version of the application interface, enter the address in the add configuration window:
http: //site/downloads/EH_DEMO.ehpa
New in EasyHome 7.9.5 for iOS (January 2018):
- Added convenient control of RGB LED strip with color selection
- Improved auto-scaling of elements
- Fixed the download address of the Demo interface (the site was transferred to the secure https protocol)
- Improved alarm panel
- Many small improvements and fixes in the program
New in EasyHome 7.9.1 for iOS (April 2017):
- Loading configuration files through the interface of the program itself
- Configuration selection at startup and quick interface change
- New control for RGB tapes
- Auto-rotate screen function (convenient for iPhone)
- Other minor improvements and fixes
How to use the DEMO version:
1. Download archive
2. Unpack the archive to any location (for example, on the desktop)
3. Run the EasyHomeEditor.exe file
In the DEMO version you can do whatever you want: change the interface, move elements, move between windows, etc. But since there is no connection with the controller, the icons will not change when pressed, and all values \u200b\u200b(temperatures, currents, states) will be zero. To be able to connect to the controller, you need to purchase a license (information about the price is at the bottom of this page).
New in EasyHome 7.8 (April 2017):
- Possibility of sending arbitrary SMS messages in Russian by the controller for OWEN controllers (previously it was only available for Beckhoff)
- Free functions have appeared. You can set any logic for the inputs and outputs through the EasyHome interface. Previously, this was only available through a change in the controller code by our engineer.
- Multi-scenes appeared
- Added a convenient driver for working with infrared transmitters via RS485 interface. 4 modes of control of any air conditioners via IR commands.
- Possibility of connecting the meter of power supply parameters to the OWEN controller for one or three phases.
- You can connect up to 10 expansion modules OWEN in any combination, the total number of digital inputs and outputs can now be up to 255.
- An astronomical light sensor for the height of the sun has appeared.
- Any minor improvements.
New in EasyHome 7.7 (December 2016):
- Numerous interface improvements
- Speed \u200b\u200bup Windows 10 and iOS 9
- Now it is possible to overlap different water supply risers when different water leakage sensors are triggered
- Now it is possible to arm an arbitrary set of motion sensors
- There is a function multi-interface - pre-boot graphical menu in which you can choose which interface to launch
Smart Home control using Android smartphones
The Smart Home concept has prepared a special place for mobile technologies. Until recently, this promising direction was not widely used, it was considered more exclusive. But now the situation has changed radically, it became possible to control the "Smart Home" using smartphones or tablets, which use the Android platform. This makes it possible to carry a mobile control device with you at all times, which is designed to organize communication with the Internet, business records, calls and other functions. The open wireless protocol made it possible to control the home using a tablet with the Android operating system, as it has access to appliances and devices in the house and connected to the mains.
Some earlier attempts to equip household appliances with automatic devices failed to endow the house or apartment with intelligence. Now an ordinary smartphone or tablet can become a universal remote control, thanks to which it will be possible to both turn off the rooms and turn on the TV or coffee maker. But, the listed functions are far from all the capabilities of the system. The presence of a mobile console is considered a ready-made platform for any applications that can not only keep track of the products in your refrigerator, but also effectively manage the consumption of electric energy and heating, which will certainly affect the savings of the family budget. The smartphone itself with the Android platform is a link of communication between the owner and the “smart home”. Due to the level of mobile coverage, staying in touch with your apartment, even being at a great distance from it, will not be difficult.
Currently, special devices are being produced that allow the integration of various "smart" elements of the house. The control process itself takes place through an easy-to-understand interface using a smartphone or tablet. For this purpose, you can use not only a smartphone, but also the console of the Android operating system. In an intelligent network, completely different groups of devices can be combined: ventilation, heating, water supply systems, as well as a control system for curtains, doors, electric lighting, and so on. The application installed on the phone can reflect how much electricity was spent in the house, the state of the security system, the climatic situation in the house. It can recognize specific emergencies in the house (gas or water leakage, fire, intrusion of unauthorized persons into the house) and send a signal in time - to the rescue service, police or e-mail. Observing measures, communication can be conducted using an encrypted connection (the same as for transactions in financial transactions). This is done for the sole purpose of preventing unauthorized persons from connecting to the home control.
Recently, a new Android Home platform was released, the main purpose of which is to unite all devices of the “smart home” system. This operating system is developing very intensively and already today provides great opportunities for decentralizing the management of the “smart home” system using mobile devices based on the Android OS.
Now it is possible to control a TV, satellite receiver, washing machine, dimmers in the house and lamps using any device based on the Android platform. These devices and subsystems are controlled via an Internet connection, which makes the mobile device a universal remote control that allows you to control the processes in the house from anywhere in the world. In addition to managing systems in the home, the developer of Android OS, the world famous company Google, offers the integration of the multi-room system with entertainment services from Google. This makes it possible to distribute entertainment media content at a very high speed, users have the opportunity to enjoy their favorite music or watch a legendary movie directly from the Internet. The integration of these capabilities into the multiroom system makes it possible to use these services almost anywhere in the house.
The concept of building a “smart home” system based on the Android platform is designed to facilitate system management by using any mobile device on an identical operating system. Speaking of analogs, Z-Wave or ZigBee, I would like to note that they are suitable for controlling an alarm system or climate control, but with decentralized control of entertainment systems, the Android operating system has no worthy competitors yet.
Smart home control can be amazing. Control system designers offer many solutions that are based on different standards, but have problems incompatible with each other and in most cases cause difficulties in installation and installation. The practical application of smart technology shows its dullness: after all, it stubbornly follows the established rules and with great difficulty accepts any exceptions to them. Thus, smart home control systems today are intended more for geeks, and not for users of the mass market.
Every phenomenon has a tendency to change. Some start-up companies have recently brought to the market smart home control solutions that not only transcend the boundaries between established standards, but do not forget about user comfort and control. Nowadays, modern approaches such as remote access via the Internet or via a smartphone app are taken into account. The article on home control systems presents three similar solutions: Qivicon and Homee (complete home control systems), and Tado (highly targeted solution for home heating control). You cannot buy them in Russian online stores yet, but they fully function in the territory of the Russian Federation, unless you have to order them on European resources.
A smart home control system helps save money almost from day one, especially if you use it to control the heating of your home, so this fact will at least help you become interested in automating the work of equipment in your home.
Qivicon - a system for inexperienced users
Qivicon is Telekom's basic smart home system. The basis for inclusion in the home network is the Home Base device, which costs about 13,000 rubles, which connects to the router and provides communication between the components of the smart home. Configuration and control is performed via the web interface (browser on a PC) or via a mobile application for a smartphone. Qivicon relies on open source software, that is, it can theoretically be supported by any manufacturer. Telekom currently has 30 partners, including the classic eQ-З smart home appliances, Miele refrigerators, and controllable LED lamps. In the process of using it, it quickly became clear that the system was designed for an inexperienced user. The instructions included with each Home Base will guide you step by step through the installation and configuration of the components. By the way, they all communicate with each other via radio, and for installation, in most cases, it is enough to use double-sided tape. This will delight those who rent a house or don't install any smart appliances forever.
Qivicon allows control and management of all actuators via a smartphone app, even when the owner is away from home.
The importance of linking the system to the cloud
Note that all settings are saved in the cloud, which can confuse especially cautious users. However, if you choose a truly strong password, it is perfectly safe. In the event of a system failure, automatic daily backups can quickly restore all configurations. And this is really important: in the process of operation, it will take a long time until you manage to program suitable scenarios for the most important situations (workdays, weekends, holidays, vacations).
One cannot do without one or another tried-and-true fine-tuning, otherwise it will be too cold in the bathroom in the morning and too hot in the living room in the evening. If you lose such an individual space heating plan, you will have to start from scratch. And that's not all: the magnetic contacts that automatically regulate the heating when the windows are open will also have to be reconfigured, as will the outlets in the living room, which automatically turn off the power at night.
Control systems cost
To enter this world of Qivicon, there are starter packs that include the Home Base module and various actuators. For example, the European energy concern EnBW offers thermostats for heating systems, switchable sockets, etc. Although this is not enough to fully connect a house to the network, it is a good start. Of course, the components can be purchased separately, and if you want to make your whole house smart, then you have nothing else to do. A smart decision: if the package includes components with a specific signal standard, the Qivicon Home unit can simply be expanded with the electronic key that comes with the units.
Difficulties: applications for controlling the corresponding devices are included in the starter package. When purchasing an EnBW package, the EnBW program is applied, when purchasing a Telekom kit, a Smart Home application is provided. Free download through utility stores is not provided, codes are required to activate applications, which are provided only with packages. In other words, the concept of open source software does not apply to software.
EnBW offers free use of the app for a year, after which you have to pay almost € 50 per year. Telekom requires € 30 per year after two years of free subscription. As a result, all the money saved on energy will be spent on paying for programs.
Tado - heating control system
Tado has chosen a path that is fundamentally different from the Qivicon solution: instead of controlling individual heaters, the Tado system regulates the operation of a central element, that is, an oil or gas burner or a heat pump. The advantage of this solution is that the regulation can turn off the burner directly - this avoids the heat loss that inevitably occurs at high flow temperatures despite the heaters switched off. The Tado compatibility list includes a huge number of heating systems, more than a hundred manufacturers and types of expanders and controls.
Tado heating control system complete setInstructions for all types of heating
It is often not so easy to recognize which heating control is installed in the house (however, if you try, this information can be obtained from the company that serves your home). And Tado, in turn, does not have ready-made documentation for every possible combination of devices. If the customer configures a heating system in the web interface for which an instruction has not yet been drawn up, it is generated by the Tado team. In practice, this took less than eight hours. The finished instructions were so detailed that even an inexperienced user could easily cope with the installation.
The advanced logic of the Tado system is embedded in the cloud. In addition to the set and actual room temperature, the control includes data on the outside temperature (according to the meteorological service), weather forecast (in particular, on the intensity of solar radiation), the place of residence of residents (it is determined using a smartphone application) and the received information about how much the temperature in the apartment quickly decreases and rises again. But one should not expect too much from the Tado logic: as soon as all tenants move 100 km from the apartment, the system will lower the temperature to about 16 ° C. After that, it can take more than six hours in the house to warm up to a comfortable level of 21 ° C, and when the system detects an approach to the house, temperature regulation may be delayed. Manual intervention through the app will solve this problem. If, of course, the user remembers this in time.
In a well-insulated home, the temperature drops by 2.5 ° C overnight, which is hardly a huge savings potential. Both savings and comfort increase only with a long absence of residents in the winter. In any case, it will take several years to recoup the cost of the system of € 350. However, in older buildings without insulation, the system works much more efficiently.
Tado Management System Installation Brief
The Tado system is not limited to the control of individual heating devices. There are very detailed instructions for connecting Tado components to existing oil, gas or pellet heating systems, and as an alternative, Tado can provide customers with a technician. The technical part of Tado components is hidden in very elegant and discreet cases. Even the display is discreetly integrated. Connecting the Tado expander to the heating system is accompanied by a very detailed and simple instruction. For example, just three wires are enough for a Wolf gas boiler.
Homee: cloud-free smart home control
Homee, like Qivicon, is a complete home management system. She takes control of individual heaters, switches sockets, monitors doors and windows, moves blinds and monitors rooms with motion sensors (and for the basement and garage with humidity sensors). Everything functions by means of a radio signal and does not require cabling, so the system is perfect for apartment tenants who can take everything with them to their new home when they move. In addition, all configurations are saved locally, and an Internet connection is required only for remote control of the smart home.
The optical representation in the form of multi-colored plastic cubes is, of course, debatable, but we like it as an alternative to the traditional discreet design of this technique. However, the very idea of \u200b\u200bturning competition among standards for good is indisputably good. Each of the cubes significantly expands the system by one wireless communication protocol: the so-called Brain Cube is a mandatory basis, it is an intermediary between technologies and via WLAN provides a connection to a smartphone or (if there is the necessary remote access) to a router.
Installing a system from Homee
The solution is installed quite quickly: you need to install the application, insert the Brain Cube, use your mobile phone to enter the displayed wireless network of the Homee system, connect to the system, create an account - you're done! New expansion cubes are simply stacked on top of one another, and no special installation steps are required. The connection to actuators distributed throughout the house or apartment is easy. True, mastering the system is not as easy as in the case of Qivicon: here you first need to find in the instructions for the thermostat, motion sensors or switchable sockets how to put the devices into the setup mode.
Important: not every product is compatible with Homee, the list of supported ones is on the official website.
The application is a little unfinished, as the controls are not quite smooth as we would like. For example, when creating groups, the added devices are sometimes not displayed at all, sometimes displayed with a long delay. But in general, these are flaws that can be eliminated by updating the software. When it comes to pricing, the system follows the same framework as the competition. A set of Brain Cube with a cube for expansion will cost almost 15,000 rubles, and compatible actuators are in a higher price range than accessories for Qivicon. However, the higher cost can pay off, because no other system is as reliable in terms of data protection.
The most interesting alternative smart home control systems
HomeMatic. The cheapest and most voluminous system with its own (and independently developed) wireless communication protocol. The programming and networking of components is relatively complex for today's environment.
RWE Smart Home. It is not necessary to be a client of this energy concern to be able to use the system for a smart home. As with Qivicon, the system relies on ease of installation and management at comparable prices.
Netatmo. Not one of the classic home management providers - so far the firm has attracted attention with a stylish weather station. New to this offer is a smart thermostat that can be controlled via a smartphone, similar to the Tado system.
Belkin WeMo. Smart home system that communicates with a smartphone via WLAN. It is possible to connect various devices to the network. The main emphasis in the program is placed on energy saving and safety.
