Home Automation Solution

At its core, a home automation solution is a system consists of:

• A controller that transmits commands.
• A series of modules and adapters that connect to lights and appliances and accept commands from the controller.

This is the ability to control your home's lighting, appliances, thermostat, security, home theater, and more from either within your home or outside it.

The amount of control you want over your home automation--and where you want to access it--can also dictate the type of system you need. If you just want control over lighting and appliances in other rooms while you are physically in your home, a closed home automation system with controller specific to that system will be fine.

But if you want to access your home automation system remotely from your office or vacation destination, you'll want a system that can be accessed using a Web browser or even your smartphone.

There are several home automation technologies that utilize different standards and thusly don't talk to one another. This is unlike Wi-Fi networking, where all Wi-Fi-enabled devices speak the same language. The main technologies for home automation are X10, Insteon, ZigBee, and Z-Wave.

• X10 uses powerline networking to send commands to switches. However, commands go only in one direction--from controller to module--and they can sometimes not reach the destined module due to interference. Also, there is not feedback loop, so the controller can't tell if a command was received and acted upon.
• Insteon also uses powerline networking, but also adds RF (radio frequency) connectivity to create a wireless system. It is backward compatible with devices that use the X10 standard.
• Z-Wave uses a proprietary, low-power RF signal to wirelessly send commands from the controller to modules. It's been adopted by more than 200 manufacturers worldwide-- including Black & Decker, Schlage, Wayne Dalton, Leviton, and ViewSonic--enabling you to more easily mix and match components from different companies when setting up your home automation system.
• ZigBee uses an internationally recognized RF signal standard, but most home automation systems that use ZigBee require contractor installation.

The Insteon, ZigBee, and Z-Wave technologies utilize a mesh network solution, which means that the devices within the system can talk to one another and act as repeaters for commands. Also, the more devices you have connected to the system, the more reliable your system will be.