DIY Home Automation Without the Cloud or Proprietary Captivity
Home automation has received increasing attention as devices like smart speakers, remotely controlled light switches and bulbs, learning thermostats, and networked security cameras have become popular. As attractive as these individual devices are, the real power of home automation is in operating them as a coordinated system and doing so not just remotely but algorithmically in response to events and conditions that they detect as well on a schedule. When a consumer attempts to build such a comprehensive and automatic system he is disappointed to find that the industry still has a way to go despite two decades of development and the Internet of Things revolution. Though all the necessary technology exists, the business models, commercial products, standards, training, and installation expertise fall short of what even a moderately tech-savvy consumer needs to succeed with reasonable effort.
The several commercial platforms like Google Nest, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, or SimpliSafe all fail to meet one or several of my criteria for a comprehensive automation system:
- Integrate the functions of lighting, HVAC, security, and access control.
- Run automation on and remote control through a local hub.
- User interface clients that run in a web browser and as Android and iOS mobile apps communicating with the hub over Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and cellular links.
- Control a wide range of devices from a variety of suppliers communicating with the hub by Z-Wave, Zigbee, Ethernet, USB, or Wi-Fi communications.
- Modular and extensible.
- All data generated by the system is owned by the user and its privacy is assured.
The biggest mistake of some of these companies is to try to trap the consumer within their proprietary platforms when home automation is such a broad field that no single supplier can possible offer everything.
From my experience building two generations of home automation systems 16 years apart, I strongly believe that truly useful, comprehensive home automation can only be achieved with an open automation software platform that supports many industry standards for communication and control devices and channels. In this talk I will describe my journey in building my extensive new home automation system using one such platform (Home Assistant) after experimenting with two others (HomeSeer and openHAB). I will explain why you might want to automate and what can be done with home automation, introduce the technology business model options, identify some challenges like privacy and reliability, show my system, and identify some opportunities and even ask for your help.
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- Date: 18 Feb 2021
- Time: 07:00 PM to 09:00 PM
- All times are (UTC-07:00) Mountain Time (US & Canada)
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Speakers
Pete O'Neill
Pete O'Neill
Biography:
Peter O’Neill is a retired electrical engineer and long-time officer and founder of the IEEE High Plains Section. In 38 years in the semiconductor industry he worked in wafer fabrication, device engineering, device modeling, reliability, and test. But his career did not involve skills pertaining to home automation software or hardware like software engineering, embedded systems, or digital system design. Pete is passionate about energy conservation and alternative energy, which were part of his motivation for building two custom houses over 35 years and automating the second one.
Pete started his engineering career at Hewlett-Packard in Loveland (Colo.) after receiving his MSEE from Purdue University in 1978 and went on to work for HP spinoffs Agilent Technologies and Avago Technologies as well as consulting for a quantum computing start-up. His volunteer activities beyond IEEE include service on the City of Ft. Collins Energy Board and the board of the Ft. Collins – Loveland Water District.
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