Home automation with a side of security, please

Connected homes (also known as smart homes) are no longer just about controlling a few basic appliances around the house. As technology matures and consumer demands get higher, those in the connected home game are integrating extended functions to satisfy customer requirements. Despite the growing number of integrated systems, understanding what the main purpose of a system is will help end users select the most suitable system to fit their needs, instead of simply choosing the one with all the bells and whistles.

As the market for connected homes continues to grow, more and more companies from all security backgrounds are looking to steal a piece of the connected home pie. Security players with backgrounds in alarms and intercoms have joined home automation players in trying to produce a more comprehensive connected home product. Gone are the days when turning on the lights and shutting off an alarm was sufficient. Now, in order to stay in the game, home control systems need to do more than just a handful of simple tasks. Nowadays, people not only want to control everything in their homes, they want to do it from one panel, be it fixed or mobile. In order to stay competitive, manufacturers are now integrating all types of home control functions; however, bigger isn't always better.

The Three Faces of Home Control
Trying to create the most all-inclusive home control system is not limited to any one sector of the security industry. The alarm, home automation, and intercom sectors are all trying to show that they are more than just what their industry specialty suggests. Alarm companies are now incorporating audio-visual controls, home automation companies are adding video surveillance, and intercom companies are adding basic alarm functions. While each of these sectors continues to integrate functions typically outside of their namesake, each sector is still bringing its own strengths to the market.

Not Just an Alarm System
The goal of integration in the intrusion industry is beginning to gain realistic momentum with the growing trend of combining home automation and home security systems on a single platform. In 2012 the residential sector accounted for 40.7 percent of the $2.7 billion of the global intruder alarm market, which is forecasted to be one of the fastest-growing verticals with a five-year CAGR of 5.3 percent from 2012 to 2017, according to IMS, an IHS company.

The main purpose of a home security system is protecting the home from unwanted visitors, making intruder alarms the most basic element of home security systems. However, over time the demands and requirements of homeowners have evolved. As the world has become more connected, homeowners now want more than just an alarm system—they want energy saving and home management functions too. As a result, home automation functions have been integrated into many traditional home security systems in order to stay competitive, transforming plain old alarm systems into more comprehensive connected home systems.

“While the trend to integrate is becoming popular in single-family homes, its progress in the commercial sector continues to be slow,” reports IMS, an IHS company. A lack of unified legislation across each technology platform interested in integrated solutions is the reason researchers gives for the slow uptake in the commercial sector. They advise manufacturers to continue focusing on the residential market “while integration in commercial applications remains sluggish, as the industry as a whole awaits standardization.”

A California-based subsidiary of Nortek with a background in traditional security and access control, Linear has developed a platform that integrates both security and automation. The main function of the Linear home control platform is security, according to Duane Paulson, Senior VP of Product and Market Development of Linear. The platform includes a system CPU, touchscreen interface, Z-Wave radio for automation, cellular radio for communications with a central station, and narrow-based RF for communication with security sensors. Additionally, a wide range of wireless peripherals including thermostats, panic buttons, keyfobs, glass break detectors, and wireless carbon monoxide detectors can be integrated into their system and can be remotely monitored, managed, and controlled via the Internet.

Despite integration with home automation functions, the primary function of an alarm-based system is still security. Automation in this type of system is often times connected to the alarms—if an alarm is triggered certain home appliances like lights may be automated to respond. “Automation systems have the potential to make security system management more efficient. With more extensive programming, automation allows triggers to set off flashing lights and do other things should a certain security status change unexpectedly. It also allows remote access and management, so a single person a can keep an eye on multiple apartment complexes or a summer home 24/7, 365, and actually alert authorities if something is not right,” notes Paulson. Therefore, the integration of automation to an alarm-based system is secondary to the primary function of security.

Another important consideration for those looking for an alarm-based system is choosing between a wired versus wireless solution. Opinions vary vastly on this issue. While the reliability of wired systems is undisputed, the unreliability of wireless systems is grossly over exaggerated, according to many industry insiders. To this point, cost plays an important role in which type is executed.

Expanding Home Automation Functionality
By 2018 annual home automation device shipments are expected to exceed 351 million, growing at a CAGR of 78 percent, according to ABI Research. ABI also found that in 2012, 1.5 million home automation systems were installed in the U.S.

End users interested in home automation systems are usually looking to invest in the convenience, comfort, and energy savings it provides—security is not usually highlighted during the initial stages of choosing this type of system. Lighting control, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), audio-visual, and shading are basic functions of a home automation system, while security is merely an extended function. These functions are exactly the main focus of Crestron's home control system, as pointed out by Phoebe Chu, Assistant Marketing & Communications Director of Crestron Asia. With a background in advanced control and automation systems, Crestron places a heavy focus on lifestyle and convenience for the home user. Through their system, lights can be turned on and off, HVAC can be automatically triggered with occupancy sensors, equipment can set to automatically turn off when a room remains idle, and shades and projector screens can be set to automatically lower when a Blu-ray player is turned on.

Similarly, convenience and ease of installation are the main concerns for Legrand and their home control system. Legrand's home system consolidates products from their complete line of innovative home networking, intercom, camera, audio, and lighting control systems, according to Tom Cunningham, Director of Product Marketing at Legrand Home Systems. In addition to these basic functions, extended functions such as internet radio, digital music, and HVAC can also be added.

Honeywell Security Group will be offering a “lifestyle-only” type of home control system. David Gottlieb, Global Marketing Communications Leader for Honeywell Security Group explained that their system is for homeowners interested in automation. Honeywell's system will provide complete control over features, such as lights, locks, thermostats, and video cameras, and is designed to appeal to customers who are not yet interested in buying a security system.

Another growing trend in home automation is energy management. Automatically turning off lights and reducing HVAC usage in unoccupied spaces are ways that Crestron's system saves energy. The system not only tracks all lighting loads, but also provides a bar graph showing real-time and historical energy consumption, which can be viewed by group or individual room, by day, week, month, or year and compared to previous time periods. Legrand suggests using motion sensors for lighting control and scheduling daily events to reduce power consumption.

Legrand's target market sector for home automation-based systems are single-family homes and semi-custom houses, as pointed out by Cunningham. This target sector is echoed by other industry specialists as well. Although many companies are trying to come out with more cost-friendly home automation solutions, the fact remains that automating one's home is a costly task. Because of this, home automation systems continue to be more of a high-end product, still slightly out of reach for the average Joe.

Video Door Phones Get Facelift
IMS, an IHS company, also reported that worldwide unit shipments of video door phones are forecast to grow by 7.5 percent during the next five years. Several technological advances and benefits are helping to drive the transition from audio to video door phones, with global growth in this market being bolstered by Asia. One of the drivers for this growth is increased integration with building automation. It pointed out that expansion will be driven by the increasing rate of urbanization, as lower and middle-class populations move to the cities. This move will result in the need for cheap mass housing such as high-rise apartments, which lend themselves well to audio and video door phones.

Communications is the main focus of intercom-based systems like video door phones. Unlike alarm- and home automation-based systems, intercom-based video door phones do not integrate as many automation functions. Industry experts note that the lack of automation into video door phones is due to the lack of demand for it. One expert pointed out that because video door phones are most often used in residential complexes and high-rise apartments, places that have security guards onsite, the need to integrate security is not a necessity. Additionally, integrating automation functions into existing video door phone systems often requires costly additional cabling and wiring.

However, some companies that come from an intercom background like the Spanish-based Fermax have begun pairing their video door systems with TFT touchscreens for a sleeker, more modern feel. While the majority of intercom-based systems still lack the kind of integration with lighting control, entertainment, HVAC, and alarms that other systems have, Fermax has integrated some automation functions into their latest lineup of video door phones.

Users Come First
As the connected home market continues to grow, companies manufacturing home control systems will continue to expand their systems based on consumer demands and market trends. While the idea of an all inclusive home control system seems like the perfect solution, it is important that consumers consider their personal needs first and foremost. One important consideration is cost. An all-in-one system sounds like a great solution in theory, but in reality this type of system is going to be hard on the wallet. Instead, carefully considering what functions are really needed and understanding the underlying purpose for the system can help consumers make more informed decisions and prevent them from falling into the “bigger is better” trap.