− 074 − Home Automation with Bob VanderClay April 28th, 2014 Glucksman Library Bob VanderClay returns to discuss the ultimate topic for Technical Difficulties: Home Automation. We touch on several popular tools, including Hue, SmartThings, WeMo, and Nest. The Ultimate Topic Listen to this section on SoundCloud: 0:00 Home automation is a troubled topic that exemplifies pretty much everything that’s broken about technology these days. “Or everything that you can broke” Like any technology early in its adolescence, the various manufacturers in the industry are trying to appeal to a broad audience, but in doing so they are presenting a wildly differing, and often incompatible visions of ideal home automation. Luckily, the rise of mobile technology and improvement of IFTTT-style API bridges have made it more possible to unite these disparate systems into a somewhat coherent whole. This week, friend-of-the-show Bob VanderClay rejoins Gabe and Erik as they revel in their home automation triumphs and bemoan their tragedies. (Re)Introducing Bob VanderClay Bob VanderClay You might remember Bob from Episode 032 where he discussed blogging platforms. Bob worked as a developer for NASA, ETS, BAE, and the US Joint Forces Command, before moving into the private sector. He’s currently Erik’s partner at high90 where he develops web applications for the multifamily software industry. A Litany of Disasters It’s probably best to start with a short overview of where everybody is coming from. The table below highlights the systems we’ve used, loved, and hated over the years. Sonos Logitech Harmony Ultimate Nest WeMo Synology Surveillance Station SmartThings Hue GE/Jasco Smart Switches “It went back into the somewhere box.” Smart Switches and WeMo Listen to this section on SoundCloud: 3:34 In theory, the dream has always been to have your smart home be wired into the walls. We’d be able to interact with everything the way we’re used to, but could also do it more awesomely with technology. Unfortunately, that remains more of a dream than a reality, as “smart” wiring options have proven anything but. Gabe’s experiences are sadly typical in this arena. So Many Options X10 has been around since the 70’s and has become the defacto standard for wireless appliance controls. One advantage of X10 modules is that communication can occur over the home power lines. Many X10 controls rely on wall-warts and lightbulb adapters but the most severe issues with X10 are caused by interference with the signals between devices caused by appliances and wiring. Insteon, Z-Wave, and ZigBee followed on the heels of X10. Insteon is a proprietary technology that is widely available in the US and works as a mesh network over a combination of power line and RF. ZigBee is based on the 802.15 standard and also works as a mesh network operating without a single master control. Z-Wave operates as an RF mesh network in the 900MHz range. Z-Wave may interfere with sub-GHz cordless phones, if those are still around. Interestingly, the Open Z-Wave project aims at making an open standard free of expensive development kits. This has already resulted in a Raspberry Pi daughter board. Hobbyists One of aspects of this industry that I find fascinating is the work that goes on in the parallel hobby electronics industry. There have been wireless communications tutorials like this one online since 2008, and individual chipsets can be had for as little as $10. Versions of the Xbee, even directly supports the ZigBee protocol, but general 802.15, Bluetooth, and
− 074 − Home Automation with Bob VanderClay April 28th, 2014 Glucksman Library Bob VanderClay returns to discuss the ultimate topic for Technical Difficulties: Home Automation. We touch on several popular tools, including Hue, SmartThings, WeMo, and Nest. The Ultimate Topic Listen to this section on SoundCloud: 0:00 Home automation is a troubled topic that exemplifies pretty much everything that’s broken about technology these days. “Or everything that you can broke” Like any technology early in its adolescence, the various manufacturers in the industry are trying to appeal to a broad audience, but in doing so they are presenting a wildly differing, and often incompatible visions of ideal home automation. Luckily, the rise of mobile technology and improvement of IFTTT-style API bridges have made it more possible to unite these disparate systems into a somewhat coherent whole. This week, friend-of-the-show Bob VanderClay rejoins Gabe and Erik as they revel in their home automation triumphs and bemoan their tragedies. (Re)Introducing Bob VanderClay Bob VanderClay You might remember Bob from Episode 032 where he discussed blogging platforms. Bob worked as a developer for NASA, ETS, BAE, and the US Joint Forces Command, before moving into the private sector. He’s currently Erik’s partner at high90 where he develops web applications for the multifamily software industry. A Litany of Disasters It’s probably best to start with a short overview of where everybody is coming from. The table below highlights the systems we’ve used, loved, and hated over the years. Sonos Logitech Harmony Ultimate Nest WeMo Synology Surveillance Station SmartThings Hue GE/Jasco Smart Switches “It went back into the somewhere box.” Smart Switches and WeMo Listen to this section on SoundCloud: 3:34 In theory, the dream has always been to have your smart home be wired into the walls. We’d be able to interact with everything the way we’re used to, but could also do it more awesomely with technology. Unfortunately, that remains more of a dream than a reality, as “smart” wiring options have proven anything but. Gabe’s experiences are sadly typical in this arena. So Many Options X10 has been around since the 70’s and has become the defacto standard for wireless appliance controls. One advantage of X10 modules is that communication can occur over the home power lines. Many X10 controls rely on wall-warts and lightbulb adapters but the most severe issues with X10 are caused by interference with the signals between devices caused by appliances and wiring. Insteon, Z-Wave, and ZigBee followed on the heels of X10. Insteon is a proprietary technology that is widely available in the US and works as a mesh network over a combination of power line and RF. ZigBee is based on the 802.15 standard and also works as a mesh network operating without a single master control. Z-Wave operates as an RF mesh network in the 900MHz range. Z-Wave may interfere with sub-GHz cordless phones, if those are still around. Interestingly, the Open Z-Wave project aims at making an open standard free of expensive development kits. This has already resulted in a Raspberry Pi daughter board. Hobbyists One of aspects of this industry that I find fascinating is the work that goes on in the parallel hobby electronics industry. There have been wireless communications tutorials like this one online since 2008, and individual chipsets can be had for as little as $10. Versions of the Xbee, even directly supports the ZigBee protocol, but general 802.15, Bluetooth, and