Browsing: Protocols

Home Automation Systems
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Bluetooth brings mesh capabilities to the home
Anyone who has been keeping an eye on IOT communication standards, listen up.  Bluetooth is about the throw a considerable-sized hat into the ring.  Now, you would be forgiven for thinking that Bluetooth has already entered the arena years ago, and in fact was one of the original standards that have been used by many smart device manufacturers.  … Read More
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General
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Ransomware and Your Smart Home – The Security of Z-Wave
Smart home technology is all around us, but what’s the security of Z-Wave, the wireless communications protocol that drives the inter-connectivity of your devices?  The world around us is changing by the second. Innovation in wireless connectivity and the protocols that allow devices to talk to each other is what makes smart homes a reality.… Read More
Protocols
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Z-Wave
Z-Wave was developed by a Danish startup called Zensys. It is a proprietary wireless communications protocol specifically designed for the needs of remote control applications and therefore all kinds of home automation devices.  While using a low-power wireless technology it supports the communication via a mesh structure which means that several Z-Wave devices also act as a signal repeater and verify that the commands were sent successfully.… Read More
Protocols
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KNX
KNX is an abbreviation for the word Konnex and describes a standardized protocol for building control and also has its place in traditional home automation. Its biggest advantage is the independence of any particular hardware platform which means that it could also be executed on an 8-bit microcontroller.… Read More
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Protocols
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Insteon
Insteon tries to combine the best of both worlds which means it supports powerline communication as well as radio frequency communication. Considering it only as a protocol would be an understatement. It is rather a complete technology stack which also consists of separate protocols for the two different types of communication.… Read More
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Protocols
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Universal Powerline Bus
Universal Powerline Bus or short UPB is a communication protocol developed for the needs of home automation. As the name suggests it uses the existing powerlines of homes for sending data. It was developed in 1999 by PCS Powerline Systems and was inspired by the already ubiquitous X10 protocol.… Read More
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Protocols
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ZigBee
ZigBee is a home automation protocol which was originally invented for the use in Personal Area Networks (PAN). Like Z-Wave it uses low power radio frequency communication which results in long battery lives for ZigBee using devices. The protocal is based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard and is widely considered as an alternative to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.… Read More
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Protocols
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X10
As the oldest protocol on the market X10 has build up quite some reputation over the last 30 years. Communication Powerline/Wireless X10 was originally designed for powerline communication only but through time the need for wireless communication emerged. Benefits of the X10 ProtocolCheap Available almost everywhere (RadioShack) Big community and existing inspirations due to its ageDisadvantages of the X10 ProtocolSlow Unreliable (newer Powerlines have become very noisy causing the loss of commands) No Encryption Difficult to install for non-techies compared  to newer technology (e.g.… Read More
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