Published: 23 January 2015
Category: Technical articles
The smart home is truly with us, but if you’re using wireless technologies – which many do – which protocol to use? This is not always an easy question to answer. Lighting manufacturer Megaman, which is the exclusive distributor of LightwaveRF products in the UK, explains, and also provides a solution:
It is estimated that there will be 36 million smart homes in Europe and North America by 2017.1 There are already a number of lighting products and dimming systems that offer smartphone and tablet control, and there will be even more by the end of this year.
With so many choices on the market, it makes the selection of the right smart luminaire or dimming system extremely difficult. The more challenging decision, however, lies in selecting the correct wireless protocol.
The market is awash with options. Bluetooth is one of the more well-known solutions, and the range on Bluetooth devices is gradually improving by the use mesh networking technology. Currently, however, this is only a solution for control within a room or small space, as the user needs to be in close proximity for switching.
ZigBee is another popular protocol for smart lighting products. It is an extremely powerful and diverse protocol which covers every eventuality. It is also scalable as it operates on a mesh network.
The trade-off with using ZigBee is the price of the chips and hardware it needs to operate its protocol. Some would argue that using such a powerful protocol to switch on light or other domestic appliances is overkill.
Something that is often overlooked after selection is whether the manufacturer’s other products or products on the same protocol can be used together on one smartphone or tablet app. Commonly the answer to this question is ‘no’. There is still a lack of communication between manufacturers within the different industries who won’t work together to offer a complete smart home solution.
Apple in the mix
The only way this will change is if a market-leading technology company acts as the ‘middleman’. Apple is taking the lead in 2015 by launching the Apple Home Kit, a platform that brings smart products together.
This is a step in the right direction; however at this stage it is unclear which players will be involved and what the levels of functionality will be. The exact launch date is also yet to be confirmed.
Therefore, this leaves the problem when selecting smart home products that offer a complete solution for a home from a single app. As very few manufactures make products in all three areas of control, the consumer is left with many apps for controlling different products on different protocols.
LightwaveRF – affordable and flexible
LightwaveRF addresses these issues because it operates on its own protocol using the 433.39 MHz and 868 MHz frequencies. By using its own protocol, hardware costs can be reduced by removing any unnecessary functionality that is included in other protocols.
In short, the consumer gets a better value product. There is no compromise on performance either; with a range of around 20 metres from transmitter to receiver (which can be increased with the use of a signal booster).
This technology offers a wide range of affordable products in the lighting, heating, power and alert categories. All of he products work from the same smartphone and tablet app for day-to-day energy saving and comfort.
LightwaveRF also has an open application programme interface that allows third party integration, making it an extremely flexible solution.
More about LightwaveRF
LightwaveRF is a range of intelligent dimmers, radiator valves, sockets and sensors that are just that little bit smarter. While they look and work just like ordinary dimmers, valves or sockets, they will change the way homeowners and their families control their heating, lighting and power in their homes.
LightwaveRF means, says Voltimum Partner Megaman, which distributes LightwaveRF products in the UK, that a smarter home is now within everyone's reach. Automated lighting and heating can cost thousands of pounds and usually involves major wiring and renovation work.
1 Berg Insight Smart Home Report 2013
To learn more about LightwaveRF, please use the links below: