I have noticed a lot of the consumers getting into home automation are understanding what these home automation platforms do but seem to know very little about the basics of how they work. This is just a brief write up, of three home automation platforms available on the market (WINK, Smartthings and WigWag), focusing just on the HUBs and the basics of their platform technology approaches. There are many more, but almost all fall into the same basic technology and infrastructural designs as these (i.e cloud-to-cloud, localized and hybrid which is part cloud-to-cloud and part localized)
WINK
HUB hardware specs 433Mhz (Kidde): PIC16F883 Microcontroller w/TI CC1101 RF Transceiver 433Mhz (Lutron): STM32L100R8 (ARM Cortex M3 @ 32Mhz w/64Kb Flash) w/same TI CC1101 RF Transceiver Z-Wave: Sigma Designs SD3502A Zigbee: Ember EM357 (Cortex M3 based SoC w/192Kb Flash and 12Kb RAM) WiFi/BT: Unknown; Chip with markings "5408E3 E423B1" Host CPU: Freescale i.MX28 @ 454Mhz Ethernet: Part of PCB layout but not populated
Wink’s software approach is cloud-to-cloud (this means all device functions and processing happens in the cloud and only the commands are sent and received locally). This can lead to latency or issues when internet is out. Also, limits the overall functionality of the platform in the future.
Controlling and onboarding devices are all done through the use of the Wink app, which is a very limited approach. This means essentially you just have a universal remote control for devices. There are no rules involved or any type of control outside of direct controls. Home automation is about having an environment that works with you and helps you out. Although the Wink app allows you to do some automation of tasks, like creating a schedule of lights to turn on, advanced integrations of devices has to be done through a third-party rule engine like IFTTT. IFTTT is cloud based, so if the Internet goes out your IFTTT rules will not execute.
Since the WINK hub is cloud-to-cloud, it can’t support USB ports, thus having no room for expansion. Also, Wink has a closed code base; everything is done by them.
Wireless protocols supported: BLE, Zwave, Zigbee, Wifi & Kidde Lutron
SmartThings
HUB hardware specs The new SmartThings hub has a powerful processor that enables video monitoring and battery backup that will allow SmartThings to continue to work for up to 10 hours in the case of a power or Internet outage. It also includes a local app engine that makes SmartThings less reliant on the cloud and enables quicker communications.
The Hub has been upgraded with a new 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, 512MB DDR3 RAM, and 4GB of Flash Memory. (This upgrade had to be made because they ran into the flaws that were previously explained with the Wink platform. The old hub just wouldn’t of had the processing power to handle local processing. Since they already had a big cloud-to-cloud only platform to begin with this now gives them some local processing.)
Additionally, the new Hub has support for SHP (Samsung’s Smart Home Protocol) which is used by appliances such as refrigerators, laundry machines, and a friggin’ sweet robot vacuum cleaner. SmartThings is the only home automation platform that supports SHP over LAN. Because they include support for ZigBee, Z-Wave, and LAN-connected devices and have a Bluetooth (BLE) radio that will be enabled with a future software update, this does give their hub an ability to absorb many device types into their ecosystem.
However, SmartThings software technology is mainly cloud-to-cloud with some features that run locally. Everything is done through their mobile app(this leads to same issues described with Wink). There is some basic rule type features in their platform but, for anything complicated, a third party rule engine would have to be used, like IFTTT.
In description they mention they have a battery for up to 10 hrs of extra life, if power goes out. In this situation however all rules made will not run and all local controls from phone also will not work because there will be no LAN if router has no power. (All platforms when disconnected from the internet won’t have internet required features such a push notifications or controlling devices from outside of home/location)
The smartthings hub has two USB ports. This is because they have some localized processing. This allows for expansion of hub to things such a memory storage, or expanding the amount of radios on the HUB.
Smartthings has a very limited slightly open-source code base. Where they control almost everything for their platform.
Wireless protocols supported BLE Zwave Zigbee Wifi
WIGWAG
HUB hardware specs A20 with arm A7 dual core 1Ghz processor 4GB of flash memory 2 802.15.4 radios CC2530 1 Zwave radio 2 USB ports (can use to expand and and in Insteon/BLE)
Wigwags software tech runs locally on machine and uses the cloud for analytics, security, and data storage(an example why this is good thing is all other platforms no longer support TCP bulbs, wigwags platform still does). The wigwag platform has both a web app (this is good for your settings. From in here you can do such things as change the wireless channel on one of you wireless protocols or have settings that block certain devices. A mobile app is great for quick controls and onboarding but once the modern home has hundreds of devices attached doing everything through mobile just will not be practical. This is also where their full rule builder is) and a mobile app. It has its own built in rule engine so that even if internet goes out all rules and controls still work locally. All applications can work locally on the relay. You can access the rule builder, relay admin panel, mobile app direct control all locally. Data is synced between cloud and relay whenever they link up again.
The implications of this are that you can build rules in the cloud when you relay isn't even connected and they will sync to your relay when it reconnects. Rules run (barring any cloud only capabilities like email) even when cloud is not connected. Only thing that needs cloud right now is analytics gathering (i.e. the feed).
Wigwags software will be released as all open-source. One will eventually be able to add any device, apps on their own. It can even take the whole source code and put it on their own hardware if the user wanted.
Wireless protocols supported Insteon(expandable dongle) Zwave Zigbee Sixlowpan Wifi
Right now these differences may not be apparent for users, but going forward the approach each platform/HUB takes is going to affect the expanability and usefulness in the coming years. Knowing these difference now may help save a lot of money, time, and headaches in the future.
Submitted August 19, 2016 at 11:37PM by davidkoreshjr http://ift.tt/2bDkMkx homeautomation
