In this article, we are going to know about Home Automation and the Internet of Things in detail.
Some confusion has been created among consumers in relation to what is home automation and the “apps” or “gadgets” that are used to carry out automated actions within the home. The fact of being able to manage certain aspects of a home from a smartphone does not mean that we have a smart and automated home with the necessary security.
We are rapidly moving into a postmodern era and for someone unfamiliar with electronic devices and how they work, the difference between automation and remote control can be a bit confusing. The same if we talk about home automation and IoT, Internet of Things.
Home automation has a long history that began at the beginning of the last century and has not stopped growing to this day.
Until the 1900s virtually all cleaning, repairing and cooking tasks had to be done by hand. As homes became connected to electricity, many companies began offering labour and labour saving machines to the market. Thus, water heaters, sewing machines, refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes dryers and especially washing machines began to be seen.
With the new technology of the 20th century, homes gradually became automated with appliances operated automatically via timers, sensors, and ultimately computers.
Often times, the terms “smart”, “connected” and “automated” are used interchangeably when it comes to domotic connections and Internet of Things (IoT) devices for the home, as well as virtual assistants such as Alexa or Siri, and this can lead to confusion.
Although they seem the same, home automation in the house it is not the same as IoT.
Table of Contents
What Is Home Automation?
It refers to advanced systems that enhance the automation of domestic functions programmed from a central office within the home and controlled from an internal device in the home with an extension to a Smartphone.
With home automation in house, we can control different parts of a building with great efficiency and privacy. It allows us to have our own installation at home connected to our smartphone without intermediaries.
One of the most commonly used protocols in home automation installation is KNX
What Is The Internet of Things?
Internet of Things or IoT tries to extend the Internet beyond computers and smartphones to a wide range of devices such as household appliances, processes and environments. Internet of Things is the connection of any device in a home with another around it through the Internet.
Main Differences Between HA And IoT
When we speak of home automation, we refer to an internal system or circuit within a home or building based on an installation with its own wiring to which different devices can be connected. These devices may in turn be connected to each other speaking the same language, or not, to perform different functions.
This network or internal circuit within the house is made through home automation systems such as the KNX standard and can be integrated with IoT individually.
On the other hand, the Internet of Things depends on an external internet server, its speed and its ability to function.