The Internet of Things (IOT)
So, this post will delve a little into the evolution of technology into more areas of our lives. We've now reached a point where we've to consider pushing a firmware update out to the light bulb (Phillip Hue among others!). But what does this all mean when these devices start out specalized but then interconnect with each other? What are the possibilities?!! To find out and also because I'm considering building a home, I travelled last weekend to a big Trade Show in Frankfurt held every two years:
http://light-building.messefrankfurt.com/frankfurt/en/besucher/willkommen.html?nc
This show was massive. I've been to VMworld on a regular basis but think IKEA times 9 or 10 and you'll get an idea of the scale. I arrived at opening time at 9am and was only finishing looking at the third exhibition hall by 1pm, with lots more to get around. I left just before 6pm so spent the entire day looking at various exhibits. So what was it all about?
The exhibition started out by showing lighting as applicable to home, industrial, hotel, commercial and other applicable areas. It was virtually all LED based, from GU10 downlights to streetlights to stadium lights to give you an idea. Besides lighting there was a number of halls dedicated to building automation, again from a house to nursing homes to hospitals to hotels to large commercial buildings of all kinds and scales. Security cameras that can count the number of people passing beneath it, what direction they are going, if they are walking too slow or if they walk the wrong way! Fingerprint entry systems, home automation integration with smartphone apps to control lighting etc.
The stands were many and varied from small to almost half an entire hallway. The range of suppliers and companies represented were from all over the globe. Some specialized in just the reflective part of an LED downlight and nothing else!
So, what has all this to do with computers? Well, KNX is a home automation standard I've been looking at. It's one of the larger ones but by no means the only one out there. Take a light switch. Normally the switch is wired in series with the 240 volt supply into the light, giving you control. With a KNX setup, you wire everything back to a central point. The lights all connect into a KNX actuator. The light switches are wired into a separate 24 volt circuit that is also connected in series to to the KNX actuator. Each light switch is assigned to a unique group. You then use a windows system connecting via USB or Ethernet to program the KNX actuator. ETSS is the windows application that joins the dots. "If I press switch A, turn on light 1 & 2" etc. You can easily reprogram a switch to perform a different function and have a switch at the exit turn off ALL lights and set the alarm on your way out. By separating these two systems you gain a lot of power. You can associates any switch with any light! You can also use presence detection or gesture controlled switches (one where you wave your hand hear, for hygiene reasons in a kitchen/toilet perhaps) to turn on lights. Google KNX and you'll see a raft of manufacturers. The kit isn't cheap, but you can use a binary actuators to turn old / existing light switches into smart switches thereby saving money vs sourcing expensive new intelligent switches.
One issue with most of these systems however is security, KNX Secure is being proposed but the manufacturers aren't currently shipping this feature yet. One guy found a hotel recently that was using android tablets to control the lighting in his room, he plugged his laptop in between the tablet and the port in the wall, ran wireshark and found the communication was unencrypted. He then proceeded to reply lighting commands for his room easily. He worked out that the IP Address of the android device contained his room number and while he didn't try, he could have started messing with lights anywhere in the Hotel! That's the scary version of how this can go wrong. With all the automation in your house keeping tabs on you and making life easier, remember it can be subverted......!
I heard about a new Samsung fridge with a 21" LCD in the door. They want it to be your home hub, showing seasonal recipe's, checking on spoilage and allows you to monitor what is on your shelf remotely! There are intelligent washing machines, they give you information on the amount of energy used and when the wash is finished.
So, you can start today with replacing your bulbs with intelligent led replacements, a media center for all your music, movies and photos. The next step is to start measuring your home, in terms of power, gas, electricity and water usage. Then look at introducing renewables to reduce your footprint. At some point rewiring may be necessary and that opens up moving away from dumb switches to something more interesting. Being able to introduce lighting which adapts to your moods, dimming, colour and color temperature control from the same LED source. Integrating your fire alarm and security system to your lighting will also provide additional benefits. And perhaps a firmware upgrade or two along the way!!!
So, for us technology innovators, this is a interesting era of inviting technology into our homes, and joining them all up to provide a better synergy with our lifestyle. I hope the post gives you some insight into the possibilities.
Links:
http://knxtoday.com
http://www.knx-gebaeudesysteme.de/sto_g/English/_HTML/start.htm
https://www.grahamcluley.com/2016/03/hacking-hotel-gain-control-rooms-lights-curtains/
http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/4/10707894/samsung-smart-refrigerator-connected-fridge-iot-ces-2016
http://www.whirlpool.com/smart-appliances/smart-top-load-washer-dryer/
