How Home Automation/ Smart Home works

The basis of home automation technologies is the communication(exchange of input and output data) between different appliances, devices and systems. For example, a sensor sends a signal to an actuator that draws the curtains, or several sensors send a signal to a control centre that processes the data and triggers a specific scene automatically (i.e. sets the operating mode of a selected combination of devices).

Communication between devices takes place in a network, which may consist of a small number of devices or more devices managed by a common control centre.

Devices could communicate(exchange information/ data) over a wired network or wirelessly, using protocols (a set of rules for exchanging data and information over a network).

There is not only one established standard for the operation of equipment, part of the networks in the automated home. There are thousands of devices and many competing standards, channels and protocols for communication.

For the most part, equipment for building home automation systems is not manufactured to a single standard. There are many competing standards for both wired (cable) and wireless solutions for building a "Smart" Home. Thanks to the greater flexibility they provide and their relatively low cost, wireless technologies are among the market favourites.

Although there are a variety of adapters and software with which each device can communicate with another based on a different standard, standardized solutions are preferable as cheaper, more secure, and easier to upgrade.

Among the more common standards on the field of home automation are Z‐Wave, ZigBee, En-Ocean, KNX, X10.

One such standardized technology is Z-Wave.

Z-Wave is a radio data exchange protocol designed for home automation networks. The technology was developed by the Danish company ZenSys(currently Sigma Designs) and currently more than 250 manufacturers base their products on it.

There are more than 1000 interoperable products in the Z-Wave ecosystem. All devices based on the Z-Wave protocol are certificated of compatibility.

Thanks to advantages such as interoperability, the frequency (Z-Wave frequency used in Europe is 868.42 MHz, which means that the probability of interference is minimal), extremely low power consumption (Z-Wave devices run on batteries) and not on lastly, low electromagnetic radiator (about 4000 times lower than that of mobile phones), Z-Wave wireless technology is one of the most widely used in the field of home automation.

The equipment offered by Domotika works on the basis of Z-Wave wireless technology.

Z-Wave technology is designed specifically for communication between devices, appliances and systems in residential areas. Products based on this standard talk to each other in a secure network that can be controlled and automated from a mobile phone, tablet or desktop computer.

The main element of home automation systems with Z-Wave equipment are: sensors, controllers, actuators, control center, multifunction devices.

• Sensors are devices that measure or detect changes in the environment (temperature, movement, light, smoke, etc.). They collect and provide information about what is happening in your home.
• Controllers are appliances or control mechanisms.
• Actuators are the devices that drive the appliances.
• The control centre manages the network of connected devices and allows you to automate and regulate it remotely (via the Internet).
• Multifunction devices can be multiple sensors combined in one device or devices that combine functions from several other devices.