Control vs. Automation...
control vs. automation...
The oft misunderstood phrase, "Home Automation" can have many different meanings to many different people. Most often linked with the idea of the "Smart Home", home automation systems have the capability of controlling or monitoring an incredibly diverse, disparate number of devices or systems. Examples include lighting, irrigation, HVAC, audio/visual, security, access control, central vacuum, RFID, pool/spa, weather stations and much more. The idea of placing these various systems under the management and control of a centralized system, that often provides a single interface to each individual appliance, is a general definition of home (or building) automation.
Where things often get confused, though, is when it comes to the different models that the centralized system typically offers. In other words, people often misunderstand the ideas of "Control" and "Automation". They are indeed two very different animals.
Control is a basic concept of an automation system and is essentially a given in any installed setup. The idea is that you offer input and the system reacts to it. This can mean that you press a button on a touch screen to turn the audio volume up. You may have a simple keypad installed that can control various devices and so, you can arm your alarm or set a thermostat's set point from it. In some cases you may have a hand held remote control or key fob that can perform many of the same duties, like turning off all of the home's lights from your bedside. The most basic way to put it is that if you physically tell the system to do something, it parses the input and routes the appropriate command to the appropriate device or appliance. It's also important to note that the input can actually perform many duties at once. This is most often thought of as a macro or routine. You can press a single button, for example, that in turn performs a macro turning off lights, setting back a thermostat, arming the alarm, locking doors and more.
Automation, by it's strictest definition, means that rather than having to react to a physical input, the centralized controller is able to monitor conditions, activity, the environment, etc. in order to make decisions autonomously. I call this a, "hands in the pocket" approach to control. Installations that are programmed as such can offer a higher degree of convenience to the end user. They also can offer considerable reductions in energy and resource consumption for those who are looking to use technology to live a "greener" lifestyle. I'll offer a couple of examples and a couple of personal cases.
One basic sample of automation is the popular option of using the motion sensors installed as part of a security system to provide data that the controller then uses to determine occupancy. Simple systems may use that data to simply turn on a light in a room IF it's just become occupied and IF the light is not already on and IF it is dark outside. You see, it's the "if's" that the controller is monitoring and using as conditional logic. It's actually a very simple arrangement but the convenience can be very compelling. You can use similar logic to raise a path of light if you get up to use the restroom in the middle of the night.
Another model that is growing in popularity is the use of RFID technology. RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. It is in use all around us and is seen most often in commercial or industrial applications. It is used in the transponder that allows you to pass on toll roads without stopping or slowing down. It's used extensively in warehouse inventory management. If you use a key fob or credit card sized pass to gain access and enter doors at your workplace, you are already an RFID user. The technology is now beginning to make it's presence felt in residential applications as well. The absence or presence of an RFID tag can be monitored by an RFID receiver and then, in turn, used as a variable by the home automation controller. This allows the home to determine if a particular person is present and use that information to, say, turn on their favorite genre of music, invoke their particular favorite lighting scene and even allow the system to speak messages intended for that specific person. Another common use in automation is for the trash can's presence to be monitored and for the system to alert you IF it is trash day AND the trash is not curbside to get off your tail and get it out. Yet another example of a "hands in the pocket" approach. The user need not input commands or queries as the system is doing the heavy lifting for them.
Lastly, a couple of ideas that I have implemented for clients in order to save resources. In the west, where I live, water is a premium resource that must be conserved. We have limited amounts to work with and those that we have (groundwater, snowfall, etc.) can be impacted greatly by weather patterns and overuse. Couple that with extremely rigid water rights laws, many of which go back for generations, and we have a resource that is very, very valuable. I had one client that had a great need to know the status of his well and cistern in order to prioritize water usage. He had a slow well that filled cisterns and the cisterns (or holding tanks) then fed the home's plumbing. With an indoor pool, water features, irrigation and domestic use to provide for, the cisterns could easily be depleted. With a slow well on site, it could take a lot of time to replenish the cisterns. In other words, were he not diligent, he could fill his pool with the result being that he couldn't take a shower or flush toilets. Not good. So, taking an automated approach, I utilized ultrasonic metering to monitor the volume of water available in the holding tanks. I then programmed the automation controller to "keep an eye on things" and when certain levels were met to prioritize the water use. It automatically shut down water features, irrigation and even the pool's pumps when domestic water use was jeopardized. This ensured that the client could confidently flush or shower without risking going days without available water. The system also presented the results in real time allowing him to know at a glance where he stood.
One other example of how true automation can save money and resources is by monitoring occupancy and programming the system to "back off" devices that need not run full tilt when no one is around. Lighting and HVAC are both considerable electricity consumers. With the use of a centralized controller, the home (or building) can monitor occupancy and determine whether or not it is prudent to turn off unnecessary systems. If there is no one at home, the controller can set back heating and cooling set points for the HVAC system, turn off lights that have been left on, put the audio/visual equipment into a standby state and more. I use this in my own home to basically follow my small children around and shut down the numerous devices that they inevitably leave on and unattended.
In closing, I hope this helps clear up what may be, for many people new to automation, some confusing areas. I also hope that it excites you as much as it does me. The use of technology can be used to make your life much more convenient, entertaining and comfortable all while freeing you up to do more important things than wandering the home controlling every thing by hand.