Home safe home: ABB

What should the safe home of tomorrow look like? ABB – the world’s leading company in the field of building automation – knows the answer and has developed a wide range of Smart Home systems that ensure reliable protection and a secure feeling in one’s own home.

Smart house technologies are becoming increasingly important in construction projects. The reason why more and more householders are opting for Smart Homes is their increased need for safety, comfort and energy efficiency within their own four walls. ABB, the global leader in power and automation technologies, has developed smart home systems that offer a wide range of secure, comfortable and energy efficient solutions. The result is a flexible and varied range of products that control lighting, heating and air conditioning, door communication systems, audio systems and much more, simplifying everyday life.

According to the U.S. Houzz Smart Home Trends Study 2016, upgrading their home security technology is the most important reason why residents opt for intelligent home automation. 67 % of respondents said they wanted to use smart home appliances to protect their homes from intruders. This was followed, in second place, by residents who wanted to have their living area in sight at any time and from anywhere. Solutions should be precisely tailored to these individual needs. For example to provide comprehensive protection against burglaries and offer effective monitoring capabilities that allow residents to make sure everything is in order at home via use of a tablet or smartphone.

Safety begins on the doorstep

At ABB, safety begins on the doorstep. The front door connects private and public living spaces. It is especially here where comprehensive safety precautions are most important. An example is the door communication system, ABB-Welcome, which offers a video system with integrated infrared illumination. The best way to secure your doorstep is to scan your personal fingerprint or enter a PIN code known only to residents of the house. Due to the innovative 2-wire bus technology the door communication system can be installed easily and quickly. As a result, the system is suitable both for use in new buildings as well as for renovations.

One of the most important and at the same time simplest measures to prevent burglaries is light. Light, which is turned on by a movement detector as soon as something moves or by the presence simulation – a function that can authentically simulate the presence of the occupants, even if no one is at home. In the evening the lights go on, in the morning the blinds go up. For longer periods of absence, such as holidays, the usual weekly schedule can be recorded and activated via tablet or smartphone.

A good feeling at the touch of a button

While light acts as a deterrent against intruders, it has a soothing effect on its occupants. If you hear suspicious sounds at night, you can switch on the panic lighting with the touch of a button. Via a central switch, all the lights in the house and garden are illuminated at the same time, brightly lighting the whole environment. On the one hand, the panic switch provides a dazzlingly bright light, while on the other hand it provides residents with orientation and a secure feeling at the simple touch of a button. The prerequisite for this function is the programming of a predefined light scene.

A great addition to the anti-burglary protection is the system’s smart window monitoring. Everyone knows the procedure of checking whether all windows are closed before leaving the house. In smart households of the future, all this will be carried out by our window sensors. They check the position of the window handle. Is it open, closed, or on tilt? This information is then, for example, wirelessly transferred to the tablet or smartphone, making it possible to check whether all windows are closed while on the road. Open windows act like an invitation to burglars, but also leave your home exposed to the potential enormous damage, which can be caused by storms. Detectors are installed wirelessly between the window handle and the window frame and the existing window handle can be used as usual. Since installation work on the window is unnecessary, this feature can be retrofitted at any time.

Data security guaranteed

Good IT security is the prerequisite for the use of smart technology. For many people the issue of security is crucial when deciding to purchase a Smart Home system. It is critical, therefore, to offer systems that fulfill the highest security and data protection standards. With certification from the German Association of Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Information Technology (VDE), ABB guarantees the IT security of its Smart Home systems. For example, the ABB-free@home® system was tested by the VDE for information security and found to be safe.

*This is a sponsored article by ABB.