Apples and oranges
Issue 01-2015:
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It’s easy to tell apples and oranges apart. However, different kinds of apples look and also taste entirely differently. One variety is sweeter and another more acidic. Only an individual person can decide what tastes best to him or her. However, everyone needs to know what to expect before biting into the apple.
Smart home systems are no different. Although a wide range of technologies and products are now available on the market, no generally applicable, systematic list of requirements characterizing a smart home system yet exists. It is therefore important to quickly and easily record the functionality in order to determine how “smart” a smart home system really is – and whether it is suitable for meeting the requirements of a planned project.
Free online tool evaluates systems
A free online tool lets users record the functionality themselves. They conveniently enter the data on a PC at work or using a tablet when out of the office. The tool systematically queries the capabilities of the different disciplines (heating, lighting, shading, etc.). The queries are intentionally based on capabilities and not on technological details.
Querying the capabilities of a smart home
The specific capabilities of a smart home system depend to a large extent on the availability of actuators and sensors. Thus it should be possible to quickly determine this availability by consulting a manufacturer’s product catalog or by talking to a company representative. It should therefore take less than 15 minutes to record a system.
Many manufacturers do not maintain all types of switch and dimmer actuators in their catalogs. One can thus quickly get an idea of all the things that cannot be accomplished. Nevertheless, these systems may still be suitable for a project because the requirements are limited. However, such systems are inevitably not as “smart” as those that cover all options.
Recognizing seamless solutions
The tool can be found under “Online-Erfassung” (online recording) at www.igt-institut.de/smarthome/onlineerfassung (in German). When filling out the form, it is a good idea to focus on functioning systems that an end user can purchase from a supplier (either directly from the manufacturer or as a tested overall solution from a system integrator). If required sensors and actuators that are not found in the same catalog but are offered with a note that they can be connected via (tricky) couplings, this can be termed “plug and pray” rather than plug and play.
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