Down to the Wire!

Home Automation requires a solid home network foundation to work properly. There are a range of conflicting hardware technologies and software systems used by today’s smart home products. When reading product descriptions or specifications on retail boxes or websites, you’ll come across many different buzzwords and acronyms, some or all of which may be unknown.

At the risk of boring or confusing you, some of the hardware terms you may see include Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, BLE (bluetooth low energy), Zigbee, Z-Wave, or RF (radio frequency). Software terms include TCP/IP, UDP, HomeKit, API (application program interface), Skills, & Thread.

I won’t even try to explain all of these and you shouldn’t have to learn them either. The important thing is that sooner or later, all smart home devices must be interconnected to your home network. As the foundational backbone for your home automation system, it is very important to have a stable and reliable home network. If your network doesn’t work, then none of the devices connected to it have a chance of behaving properly.

Because of the cost and complexity of running wires all around a house, and the inconvenience of being plugged into an actual cable, wireless LAN networking using the Wi-Fi standard has been widely adopted. Wireless networking uses radio waves to send and receive data through the air without any cables. Like any radio, Wi-Fi networks are subject to distance limitations. Radio signals work best in open space and whenever they pass through walls or other obstacles the signal strength is reduced and the range is affected. The quality of Wi-Fi in your home is greatly affected by building materials, physical home layout, and other radio devices nearby.

In a small home or apartment, your Wi-Fi may work perfectly, but in many homes, there will be parts of the house where the signal is weak or nonexistent. If you are working on your smartphone or laptop computer, you’ll just move to a different spot in the room or house to fix the problem. (If you have big gaps in coverage, you might install multiple Wi-Fi radios (access points), or even step-up to the new “mesh Wi-Fi” systems that work much better.)

The important thing to keep in mind is that when you are installing a smart home device such as a light dimmer, appliance controller, or other product, you have to put the controller where you need it. You can’t move the lamp because the automation device is getting bad Wi-Fi reception in that particular corner of the family room!

Before starting a home automation project, take the time to walk around your home with your laptop and see where you have poor Wi-Fi reception or dead spots. You really want to take the time to do a thorough analysis and resolve any problems you find. With an Apple iPhone, you can use the free Apple AirPort utility to measure Wi-Fi signal strength even if you don’t own an Apple AirPort Wi-Fi system. With a laptop, there are several good programs you can get that will help you measure your Wi-Fi network and build a map of coverage (some are free, some are paid).

I have written some “rules of thumb” to keep in mind.

Robert E. Spivack, SmartHome Technology Specialist: — I design, install, and retrofit home automation systems at DoItForMe.Solutions

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http://DoItForMe.Solutions is your one-stop source for SmartHome Retro-fits, Upgrades, and New Installations

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