The Brave New World?

Already in several US cities, Comcast Corporation provides cable television services combined with the security and control of "smart homes", under the name of Xfinity Home Security. Signals from home sensors (of motion, smoke, glass break, etc.) and images from surveillance cameras arrive, thanks to wireless transmission, to the home control unit and then are sent to the data center in Colorado. The transmission between the sensors and the control unit is based on the ZigBee protocol which, specially designed for such applications, does not interfere with wireless (WiFi) devices.

Depending on the system settings, some of the data is stored on servers in the data center, other part is analyzed by special software, and some of the information or images may also be sent to the smartphone of the home's owner. The video recordings are stored on the service provider servers for 30 days.

The system can be used for remote control of home appliances and the lighting, heating, etc. It can also be programmed in a more sophisticated way, for example, if a child does not come back home by the programmed time (does not insert the key into the lock), the parent will receive a message on his/her phone. So the users can create their own applications, with the help of the supplied software.

According to Mitch Bowling, SVP and GM of New Businesses in Comcast Cable, responsible for the Xfinity Home Security project, the system is safe due to the encryption of data. It is impossible that a hacker could view video channels or open the locks. However, all data stored on the server can be made available to the relevant authorities, with the consent of the court.

The cost of maintaining such a system consists of the following elements:

• installation fee - $199,
• sensors - $70 per one item,
• security cameras - $150 per one item,
• monthly service fee for video monitoring and recording - $5,
• monthly service subscription (depending on the number of devices) - $29.,95 to $39.95.

Similar services have been launched by Verizon Wireless and Time Warner. This year, Google is to start another project, based on the already introduced "Android@Home" framework for home automation and open source applications for control of electrical and electronic devices from mobile phones.
An example of such an application is the Homebuddy utility which communicates with a controller, e.g. Vera Z-Wave, via the Internet or Ethernet network to switch on/off power, adjust temperature, control various devices.

"Homebuddy" in action

 

Google wants to go one step further and create Smart Home system based on cloud computing, similarly to Comcast. Devices such as Vera Z-Wave controller would send information to a central server processing it in order to optimize the performance of the building. The user would only configure the system, also through a web browser or Android smartphone, without a need to adjust the parameters.

Google project would perform more sophisticated operations than just switching on/ off home appliances, for example, it could assist the user in shopping by sending on their smartphone a list of products lacking in the refrigerator or after expiration date.

The idea of ​​smart homes has been known since the 70s of last century and is derived from the automation of industrial production, of which some aspects, brought to everyday life, might make it easier and more economical.

Until now, a lack of standards for control of home systems and appliances, problems of external control arising from connectivity issues and the high cost of data processing - caused that the installation expenses were high and the benefits low. Cloud computing technology can change this situation and accelerate the development of smart homes.