Approaching Home Automation 2d Evaluation Criterium

Utility

The utility concept at home is related to the comfort or well being definition. What someone says to be an utility at home means somehow a value added for his own comfort. An utility can be something that simplifies a task, speeds it up or even helps to get a better “environment” at home.

We can be just talking of a simple remote control, time programmer, appliance module, presence detector or something else.

The important is that any user could find of some utility dedicated equipment to special applications at home, to personalize his own environment at home.

Since the well being at home is something that is in continuos evolution, anything that could be installed, must be set up to sustain time evolution, integrating or being compatible to future modules or changed without costs. Taking this under consideration, we have to assume the power line carrier as one of the best cabling system to accept any changes at any time. Any other cabling system carrier implies a technical and economical reflection about it’s need and it’s utility, which conclusions never meet end user interests.

More than an alternative to the power line carrier, there is the radio frequency communication carrier. It uses low power emitters and has the advantage (over the infrared signals) to cross the walls, allowing, for example to control any device from any room of the house.

Any equipment to be installed at end users houses must be considered by them necessary and of some utility.

Alex book extract: Domótica & Segurança Electrónica

"A Inteligência que se Instala"

Approaching Home Automation 1st Evaluation Criterium

Any business approach to the Home Automation market, must be focused on the following top priority convincing topic:

NECESSITY

The actual search for Telecare services integrating home automation applications, has two fundamental approaches to be taken under consideration:

1- From one side, there is the practical and economical end user approach;

2- From the other, there is the industrial companies, where each technological solution to be presented must be considered enough and sufficient by the common end user in order to correspond to the general potential market.

The correct balance between those two approaches represents the balance between the offer and search of Telecare products and services.

What do generally people need to add to there homes to achieve it’s principles habitability problems?

Answer:

SECURITY - There is no doubt that it’s something everybody needs at home. In Portugal there are an average of 16 burglary attempts per hour and not everybody has the financial capabilities of purchasing sophisticated (an expensive) burglar alarms.

SAFETY - Gas leaks, flood and fire are more and more expressive in home disasters. This is also something people do not question the need of having a systems controlling this kind of alarms. What they can (and usually do) question is how much it costs.

ENERGY SAVINGS - With the energy cost rising more and more and people buying each more electrical equipments to increase their comfort at home, the energy cost became a preoccupation factor among European families. There is an increasing need on being able to control it.

COMUNICATIONS - Our society is each more dependable on the communications. Communicate became a necessity of everyday. Telephone, fax machine, mobile phone or by computer, everybody communicates. More than an work instrument, the communications link people to services and services to people. The Telecare services are with any doubt needed and welcome by everybody. Who wouldn’t like to be noticed when his house suffered a bugler attempt? Or when a gas leak had occurred? Or if the someone at home suddenly needs help?

The answers to these questions are a necessity in the nowadays homes and the value added of the actual building constructions.

Alex book extract: Domótica & Segurança Electrónica

"A Inteligência que se Instala"