'Mesh' Network Makes for Smarter Homes

May 10, 2004 -- Turning on a household light is usually a simple matter of flipping a switch. But what if that one simple flick of a finger could also turn up the home furnace, draws the blinds in the living room and maybe turn on a little relaxing music?

Such smart home setups — once the stuff of sci-fi novels and luxury homes of owners with the deep pockets for an expensive, custom installations — are slowly making their way into the mainstream market.

For years, hobbyists with technical knowledge and patience have been toying with home automation setups using the so-called X10 protocol. These systems use a home's existing electrical wiring to transmit control signals, which makes such setups inexpensive to add but a tad unreliable.

But the latest stab at simple home automation may be a new wireless standard dubbed ZigBee. Backed by industry heavyweights such as Philips, Honeywell, Motorola, and Samsung, the protocol has yet to be ratified and accepted industry wide. However, a company called Zensys in Copenhagen is ready to get the ball rolling.

The Danish company has begun releasing a new home control system called Z-Wave. The setup uses controllers featuring specially-designed chips with built-in radio transmitters and receivers that communicate over the 900-megahertz frequency.

Passing the Signals

Using proprietary software, each chip in the controller establishes its own unique "address" in the system and can automatically look for other nearby controllers or any other device embedded with a Z-Wave chip. Much like computers on a local network, each Z-wave controlled-device acts as a "node" and can share information with each other.

By establishing this "mesh network" approach, Z-Wave's home automation has improved range and reliability over other home systems that may be using the 900-megahertz frequency.

"The devices are smart enough to find the best way to route commands to where they need to go," says Michael Dodge, vice president of marketing for Zen-sys in the United States.

For example, if a user issues a command to turn on the kitchen lights using a remote in the bedroom, the command doesn't go directly to the Z-wave controller in that room. Instead, the radio signal might bounce to a hallway controller which has a stronger signal and then on to a switch in the foyer which has better connection to the controller in the kitchen.

What's more, "The switch will then send a signal back saying the light's on and even at what strength," says Dodge. "so say you want to dim the lights to 50 percent [brightness], you can and the switch will confirm that it has done so back to your remote control."

Catching the Z-Wave

For now, Z-Wave is limited to plug-in controllers for household lamps and other small appliances. But that could change soon.

"It costs about five dollars to add a Z-wave chip into a device now," says Dodge. "But the next generation chip, due out in November, could drop the cost down to $2.80."

And that has captured the interest of industry giants such as Spring Grove (Ill.)-based Intermatic, one of the largest electrical switch makers in the U.S., and Residential Control Systems (RCS), a maker of home heating and cooling controllers in Sacramento, Calif.

Already, other partners, such as HomeSeer Technologies, a software maker in Bedford, N.H., have created a computer enhancement that uses the Z-Wave protocols and chips. Using their software and a specially-designed Z-wave controller, home automation buffs can control all their Z-wave devices from their home PC.

For example, users can program the software for "scenes" or settings and allow the computer to automatically issues commands based on a set "profile." A "sunset" scene, for instance, might close the drapes on all west-facing windows while telling the Z-wave thermostat to crank up the heat in those rooms.

And if the software is installed on a home PC connected to a broadband connection, users can check-in or even reprogram the system from any computer on the Web.

"It's as simple to set up since it uses a point and click interface," says Richard Tinker, chief technology officer for HomeSeer. "The two-way aspect is really a huge benefit from what we had in the past with X10."

Starter kits featuring the Z-Wave technology are available on the Web. But Zensys and its partners expect to have more Z-Wave-enabled devices and controllers in retail outlets and home improvement stores by this fall.

The Year of the Smart Home?

According to Erik Michielsen, a senior analyst at ABI Research in Oyster Bay, N.Y., the trend in wireless automation will most likely take off around that time.

"Over the last few years, broadband technology and now wireless networking have added new dimensions in the home," says Michielsen. "Consumers are comfortable with faster speeds and connected devices. And this is a progression continues toward a more 'connected home,' the automated home."

But while Zensys may be the first company out to exploit the rush to wire the home with more smarts, Michielsen is quick to note that the race is just starting.

"What makes this even more exciting, it's not just one technology. There are lots out there," he says. And protocols like ZigBee — once it becomes ratified and widely accepted — might give Z-wave a run for the money.

Still, Michielsen does give the Danish company credit for being the first out of the gate with the technology.

"The home automation space has always been for movie stars, athletes and rappers," says Michielsen. "And now it's just a year or two away from being sold off the shelves of Home Depot."