Automating Easy - Page 2 - Home Automation Blog from uk-automation.co.uk

Smart Home Statistics

According to a recent report by the British government, the Government’s £11bn programme to install energy smart meters in every home by 2020 may be at risk of failure. There have been many setbacks and problems in the plan to make more homes smart, involving the installation of the meters, which take automatic gas and electricity usage readings and send them back to energy companies. The ultimate aim is that this will eliminate estimated billing and encourage households to save on energy costs through monitoring their consumption. “We do not believe that near-universal smart meter roll-out will be achieved by 2020,” said the Energy and Climate Change committee report. However, it does show that the country’s leaders can see the benefit of smart home technology and in fact, those who already have smart meters are already seeing reductions in their energy consumption, with research published last month showing “high satisfaction rates and confidence in the technology.” Chairman of the committee, Tim Yeo, said: “Smart meters could generate more than £17bn in energy savings for the country.”

Confidence in Technology

This confidence is enhanced by another recently published home automation report which shows the global home automation market valued at USD 4.41 billion in 2014, with an estimated growth rate of 26.3% from 2014 to 2020. Modern day home automation solutions use the latest digital technology to provide better performance and efficiency and according to the report, the market is “primarily driven by growing need for effective solutions in various domestic applications such as lighting, safety and security, energy management, entertainment (audio and video) and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning).” Interestingly, the highest revenue generating segment was safety and security in 2013. Unsurprisingly, North America was the leader in the home automation market in 2014 followed by Europe and Asia Pacific collectively accounting for more than forty percent of the global market revenue share. Experts have said that a rising awareness towards energy conservation and ability to manage energy consumption through automation technologies are the main influences on the market growth of home automation, together with the rise in smartphone-based home automation solutions. Companies like UK-Automation are at the forefront of smart home technology with a range of branded products for safety, security, lighting, HVAC, energy and entertainment. So even if the smart meter scheme is not initiated by the proposed date of 2020 into every home, you can still make significant savings by installing some of the energy and cost saving products that can be found on UK-Automation’s website.

Garage Remotes from Merlin

Merlin is a well known and well established brand for anyone who needs a remote control garage door opener. Through UK Automation, the company offers a number of options for those who want the ease and security of a remote control for their garages and lock-ups. The first offering is the 2 Channel Full Size Garage Remote which is priced at just £36.00. This is one of the company’s most popular items, and is used for Merlin Prolift range of garage doors. The product is a new generation transmitter which features high security code hopping technology. What this means in layman’s terms is that they have the capacity to transmit a unique code whenever the buttons are pressed. Both 2 or 4 channel models are available enabling the user to operate additional Merlin garage door openers. The large button makes for easy operation and there is a holster for wall or visor mounting.

Keyring Remote

For those who prefer the comfort of a keyring remote control, Merlin has two versions. The 2 channel remote control retails at £25 and is designed specifically for fit on a keyring. This compact device can also be placed as a wall mounted push button. Easy to use, the key are manufactured from soft feel silicone rubber. Again, the same technology is used as with the full size version, with its unique code. The Merlin 4 Channel Key Ring Remote is exactly the same but obviously, as the name implies with four channels, and is priced at £40.00.

For the safety conscious, there is the Merlin Beam Sensor available for a mere £39.00. This safety beam sensor is only compatible with the Merlin Prolift 230 and Prolift 430 garage door openers and offers all the benefits of a safety beam sensor. Safety beam sensors give peace of mind and are connected to the bottom of the track. When the infrared beam is broken, even though nothing may come in contact with the door, the door is reversed.

Finally UK Automation offers the Merlin Remote Control Upgrade Receiver. For just £50, you can upgrade an existing Merlin remote control system to high security. Simply add the receiver, which fits directly onto Merlin products via spade terminals, screw terminals and plug on looms included for easy connection to other products. This upgrade is extremely useful for older Merlin door openers with obsolete radio transmitters. More importantly it can also be used on other brands of garage door openers although the receiver may need a DC power supply. For these and all other garage door openers, visit UK Automation for the best choice.

Amazon Smart Home News

According to a report from the research agency IDC, the Internet of Things is set to be worth $7.1 trillion in five years time, more than twice the size of the smartphone, PC, tablet, connected car and wearable market put together. Which means big companies like Amazon are already harnessing the power of the IoT in their new product development.

Zipabox Smarthome Z Wave controller by Zipato

Amazon is branching into the home automation market with the launch of its hardware and a cloud-based service, both of which support web-enabled devices around the home. The Dash button is a physical device which was introduced last week across America, on a purely invite-only basis, and if successful, will become readily and globally available in time.

Dash Button

The plastic device is a little bit bigger than a human thumb and it connects to Wi-Fi; when the Dash is pressed, it allows the user to automatically order items from Amazon Prime. At present, Amazon has partnered with a mere 18 companies, including big names such as Gillette, Olay, Huggies and Bounty. Each Dash button acts a one-click entry point to these branded items on Amazon, and the button can be “tweaked via the main Amazon app to order products, but only from that one brand. Shoppers can choose whether pressing the Gillette Dash button would order another 5-pack of shaving cartridges or a 10-pack, for instance.”

The aim is that Dash buttons will be scattered around the home, so that if you are running low on an item or run out, then a simple press of the button will enable you to re-order exactly what you want in less time than it takes to actually access the item’s website.

Amazon’s interest in this is pretty clear: the organisation makes for loyal customers who have the ease and comfort of ordering items from one place. As for the shoppers, could anything be easier? Or indeed, lazier.

DRS

The second launch is a new cloud-based service is called the Dash Replenishment Service (DRS), which is expected to be introduced, again in the US, by autumn. According to a report on the Mashable website “If the Dash button is a physical, one-click access point to Amazon, think of DRS as a budding ecosystem of third-party devices, all running software that connect back to the tech giant.”

So far, Amazon has linked with four companies: although this is expected to change drastically once the concept is launched. Initially, Brita water is one of the inaugural four and its filters will feature a sensor that measures usage, and when necessary, will connect to Amazon and reorder water filters. The other companies include sellers of household products and again, when the product is running low, the sensor will inform Amazon and reorder.

The Internet of Things is set to revolutionise smart homes and Amazon is only one of many companies that are leaping eagerly into a new market. Shopping from home may become even easier in the coming years and in order to make sure your home is up to date and geared up with everything needed to ensure it can handle smooth transition to innovations, check out the home automation products that we offer.

What’s New So Far For the Smart Home?

The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, brought to market over 20,000 new products to entice the smart home owner. Some were practical, some were dubious and some were downright unbelievable.

However, the 3D food printer by XYZprinting is one of the more useful and interesting items: the concept enables any user to upload any design or import them from the Internet for making cake and biscuit decorations. The Food Printer works by turning ingredients such as chocolate, dough or other solid items into uncooked food. XYZPrinting says it has worked with a food specialist, and created a proprietary recipe that can be used in single- or triple-material versions. The machine has an onscreen touch display which allows users the choice of preset designs for the shape of the food. Alternatively, budding Mary Berrys can import designs from online or upload their own designs via a USB port.

Also unveiled at CES was a wearable fitness tracker that can analyse body composition. The InBody Band tells you your fat and muscle mass, body fat percentage, sleep patterns, heart rate and body mass index using four sensors, two at the front and two on the rear. You can get a reading simply by placing your fingers on the front-facing sensors. Ideal for those on the move who want to monitor their bodily performance on a constant basis.

Or if you prefer a belt, then the wearable market has been introduced to a smart belt called “Belty” from Paris-based Emiota. This device monitors the wearer’s waistline measurements and advises when they become too tight and less intake and more exercise is required. Automatically loosening when the wearer sits and tightening when they stand, the belt is expected to alert people when it’s time to start losing the fat!

Finally Swedish furniture manufacturer, Ikea has launched a brand new range of furniture fitted with wireless charging spots for mobiles and tablets. Called the Home Smart range, products include bedside and coffee tables as well as individual charging pads for any surface. Makes you wonder why no-one has thought of this concept before!

Raspberry Pi

UK-Automation offers a variety of branded products and one of the most interesting is the Raspberry Pi. This ingenious little device is a relatively inexpensive computer the size of a normal credit card, that plugs into a computer monitor or TV. Using a standard keyboard and mouse, it acts in exactly the same way as a desktop computer (internet usage, video games, to making spreadsheets, word-processing) but it has the facility of interacting with the outside world. It also allows people to programme computers and learn how they work.

Initially launched and developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation charity http://www.raspberrypi.org/help/what-is-a-raspberry-pi/ with the “intention of promoting the teaching of basic computer science in schools”, it has already proved its value in numerous situations, from music machines and parent detectors to weather stations and tweeting birdhouses with infra-red cameras.

What Else is New?

The Razberry daughter board mounted on the Raspberry PI

So what is offered with the Raspberry PI from UK-Automation? First is the RaZberry, a small daughter board that connects on to the Raspberry PI. This allows it to be used as a controller and gateway for any Z-wave equipment. This little board is ideal for those who want to be creative in writing an individual user interface and applications. It comes complete with an Installer UI and Ajax web demo.

Features include:

External 32 K SPI flash for network data
Sigma Designs 3102 Z-Wave transceiver module offering additional enhancements
Backup and recovery function including network topology
Extended Node Information Frame
Firmware update from the Raspberry PI OS
Network management (Include, Exclude, Reorganize)
Device interview and configuration
Management of direct associations between devices

And a host of other interesting features.

There is also the Installer User Interface that implements all the features of the Z-Wave network. Not only does it manage and operate a Z-Wave network but also acts as a reference instance to learn how to access the JSON Data model and execute demands.

HiFiBerry DAC+

There is also the HiFiBerry DAC+ a high-resolution digital-to-analog converter for the Raspberry Pi Model B+. In layman’s terms, this is a sound card for the Raspberry Pi, to give the best audio playback quality.

Features include:

A dedicated 192kHz/24bit high-quality Burr-Brown DAC giving hifi quality audio output
Compatible with Raspberry Pi Model B+ & Raspberry Pi 2 with no additional power supply required
Ultra-low-noise voltage regulator for optimal audio performance
Hardware volume control. You can control the output volume using “alsamixer” or any application that supports ALSA mixer controls.
Supplied with spacers to fix the board onto the Raspberry Pi

Whatever your needs, UK-Automation keeps ahead of the competition and looks for devices that will make your smart home even smarter. We have a good range of HiFiBerry parts for the Raspberry Pi.

Systemline Entertainment Systems

UK-Automation offers a number of options for entertainment systems, including the Systemline multi-room entertainment range. Since 1987, Systemline has been manufacturing leading systems and is now Europe’s leading designer and manufacturer of high quality products for the smarthome market.

Decades of Sound

It was 1988, Systemline introduced its first multi-room control system, the first system in the world to be based on universal IR control and since then the company has expanded and developed rapidly to offer numerous products that enhance a room.

UK-Automation offers five products from the Systemline range:

As it is built into the wall, this is a space saving device and the wipe clean option keeps it tidy and attractive. The quality of sound is unsurpassed and you can even pipe TV sound through the system. With options for iPod Dock & Bluetooth Receiver, it offers a flexible alarm feature and wireless connectivity.

E200EL built in HiFi Sound System by Systemline with iPhone Dock

The E200EL bundle contains:

E200 Keypad
iPhone/iPod dock (30pin) versions above 4 will require an adaptor (not supplied)
A pair of Q Acoustics QI 65BC ceiling speakers
Cat5 Cable
Hub
DAB Aerial
Power Supply

E200BT Bluetooth built in HiFi Sound System by Systemline - E200 Keypad

The second product is the The E200BT Bluetooth built in Hi-Fi Sound System by Systemline. This basically offers exactly the same sound quality as the E200EL, but includes:

E200 Keypad
A pair of Q Acoustics Qi-65CB ceiling speakers
QED uPlay Plus
Cat5 Cable
Hub
DAB Aerial
Power Supply

Systemline High Performance Ceiling Speakers CLS2 — Systemline High Performance Ceiling Speakers

Finally, for those who simply want a great quality speaker system, Systemline has the Q Acoustics Ceiling Speaker Qi65CB, which has been designed as an incredibly slim speaker with a maximum rear depth of only 73mm. Cost efficiency is assured and it offers good bass extension and a detailed mid-range for voice reproduction and an extended high frequency range, eliminating the need for a conventional crossover and tweeter arrangement. Features include:

Magnetic grille
Tweeter / Tweeter diameter: 2.2” (55mm) sympathetic radiator
Woofer diameter: 6.5”
Power handling (program): 10-50W
Impedance (nominal) ohms: 8
Sensitivity dB (2.83V, 1m): 93
Response (low frequency) -3 dB: 77Hz
Max rear depth: 73 mm
Size:Round: 232 mm
Cutout (nominal): 203 mm

According to its website, Systemline “will continue to innovate and develop solutions . . . and look to provide the ‘wired-for-wireless infrastructure’ to deliver the level of choice appropriate for today’s needs.”

Hot Picks from this Year’s CES Show

Each year, January marks the time when people converge on Las Vegas for the CES Show to contemplate some of the weird, wonderful and downright odd items to be introduced to the consumer gadgets market.

Put a ring on it

How do you fancy a wearable that lets you control all of your devices just by waving your hand? Ring from Logbar is a smart wearable magic ring, powered with Bluetooth. The beauty of this little gadget is that it can be pre-programmed with lots of gestures which enables the user to control devices hands-free.

For example, if you move your finger clockwise, you can turn a lamp on and off. If you draw a circle with your finger, you can access the camera on your smartphone remotely. However, this does herald warning signs that perhaps the Ring should not be used when you are out with friends on a stag night. Who knows what you may return home to!
The plastic Ring is due to market in March and it will be available in various sizes.

Other wearables

It seems that wearable devices are the ‘in-thing’ with a discreet wearable camera gaining interest. The Clip 2 from Narrative is described as “a cute little camera that clips onto your collar and automatically snaps what it sees every 30 seconds.”

For those who have children who are permanently plugged into social media, this will be extremely popular. For those caught unaware on camera, it might not be so popular. The Narrative Clip 2 sends the pictures back to your smart mobile device so that you can peruse them at your leisure.

Similar to the original Narrative Clip, the Clip 2 has an 8-megapixel camera, 86 degree lens angle, flexible backside mount, wireless connectivity and a more powerful battery. Reasonably priced at under $200, it comes in red, white or black and will be available some time later in the year.

Top Pick

Finally, the top pick is the Parrot self-watering plant systems which enables your plants to water themselves automatically. There are two parts to this launch: the Pot, a dishwasher-safe smart pot with its own water reservoir; and the H20, which you simply put in a normal into a plantpot and attach a standard water bottle. A lot of intellectual research has gone into these products, with Parrot developed them in conjunction with horticulturalists from European universities.

The Parrot Pot senses moisture levels, fertiliser, sunlight and temperature and feeds the right amount of moisture to the flowers and plants. Both the Parrot H2O and the Parrot Pot will communicate with the Parrot app via Bluetooth.

Please a look at UK Automation’s range of bluetooth devices including this one.

News From America Smart Home Command Centres

So many home automation products are hitting the marketplace that the question is, how can they be managed and controlled? News from America is that there are many companies vying to become dominant in controlling smart homes. Today’s marketplace incorporates everything you could possibly want for the automated home, with products and services that seem positively futuristic. Washing machines, devices, Internet-connected light bulbs, security cameras, entertainment devices, heating . . . even garage-doors that alert users if left open, devices that slow down when everyone is asleep and lights that come on at the recognition of an opening lock.

This year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-race-to-build-command-centers-for-smart-homes-1420399511 highlighted the need for a smart home control platform, a command centre if you like. And if the Americans are thinking of it, then the UK won’t be too far behind. The glut of smart-home choices is part of the Internet of Things which basically refers to adding computing, sensing capacity and wireless communications to hardware. Because of the sheer amount of products, the demand is there for platforms to control multiple objects.

Mergers and Movers

Z Wave 4 Button Touch Panel Switch by MCO Home

We can see this happening already, with Apple last June deciding to make future home devices using a platform called HomeKit. The company is attempting to reduce the need for individual apps and hub devices by building features into its iOS software to configure and coordinate multiple wireless gadgets more accessibly and easily. “It becomes a lot less confusing for the consumer,” says Chris Allen, CEO of iDevices LLC, one of multiple companies announcing HomeKit-based products at CES.

“There is nothing worse than 15 different apps for 15 different devices,” says Nate Williams, chief marketing officer of Greenwave Systems.

We can see how companies are thinking using for example, Whirlpool, the cleaning machine company, who joined the smart thermostat company, Nest’s programme which enabling interactions such as spinning its dryers periodically when users are absent. Another UK company, Wink, deveoped last year the ability to command Nest devices to its home app as well as many others as Nest’s app doesn’t control other companies’ devices.

“Every single one of these U.S. retailers and service providers want to have their own offering of a platform,” is the prediction from Jimmy Busby, chief executive of Alabama-based CentraLite Systems Inc., which designs home hardware and software for other companies.

Some companies are already offering tasty titbits: PEQ, a hardware and service provider is on the brink of to merging with a connected vehicle service called Zubie, which would allow subscribers driving away from their homes to have automatic happenings, such as their front doors automatically locking and the heating turned down.

Nest has already announced certain partnership measures, including Dropcam camera recording footage in the event of smoke which could which help in later investigations.

Certain companies are using the Web service IFTTT “If This, Then That.” The example cited is a motion sensor catching someone in the biscuit barrel: “Post a Facebook status message anytime someone reaches for the cookie jar.” Maybe that’s going too far but the sentiment is obvious.

Who will take ultimate control remains to be seen but in the meantime check out UK-Automation’s list of products for a comprehensive insight into what’s new and existing in the smart home market.

See our latest home automation products

Should you buy a 4K TV?

If you are under 18 then your birthday present list will presumably consist of video games, consoles and DVDs, but if you are a grown-up with an interest in home automation, then the latest range of 4k televisions may well be worth a browse.

What Is an Ultra HD TV?

We are all aware of HDTVs which have a 1080p resolution. Loosely translated, this means there are 1,080 pixels vertically and 1,920 pixels horizontally and together these create the picture you are watching. The new era of 4K or Ultra HD televisions utilise resolution display of at least eight million active pixels. This means a minimum of 2,160 vertically and 3,840 horizontally in a 16:9 aspect ratio.

As an option, but not coming as standard, there is a greater potential colour space called rec. 2020.

What are the benefits? A 4K display shows a lot more detail with higher resolution images and you can watch a much bigger screen comfortably without any break-up of picture. This is why currently all available 4K Ultra HD TVs are manufactured in excess of 50 inches.

Indeed, currently in the UK, a working group chaired by the BBC and BSkyB are constantly checking higher frame rates, greater contrast and a wider colour spectrum which indicates that 4K unlike 3D is a very viable innovation. So far Sony has released a selection of 4K branded Blu-rays. As of April this year, Netflix became the first big name to deliver 4K content streamed automatically to those with a 4K channel. In fact, watch out 8K in the future: trials have been conducted, and NHK is aiming to shoot and transmit the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 8K format.

Best Buys

So far it seems that Sony is more animated about 4K technology so it stands to reason that these TVs are currently heralded as the best on the market. The Sony KD-65X9005B and the Sony KD65X9005BBU 65 4K Ultra HD 3D Smart LED TV with Freeview HD are expensive at the moment, but expected to fall in price. Samsung UE65HU8500 curvd TV is heralded as “the sexiest 4K TV currently available” (http://www.techradar.com/news/television/tv/10-best-ultra-hd-4k-tvs-in-the-world-today-1198304). 65 inches of curved screen with connections including HDMI 2.0 ports and support for the new H.265 4K video codec that is being used by Netflix.

Panasonic is not being left behind: the company has brought out the TX-50AX802 and the Panasonic TX50AX802B 50 4K Ultra HD 3D Smart LED TV 2000Hz Freeview HD to keep up with competitors. Finally the Toshiba 58L9363 is the cheapest Ultra HD TV in the UK.

Although the good news is that these TVs can be installed without the use of any extra equipment (just make sure that you have an HDMI version 2.0 input), 4K technology is evolving fast and soon there will be the opportunity to link up your TV with the rest of your home automation systems. You can be assured that any connections or advice can be obtained by visiting UK-Automation (http://www.uk-automation.co.uk/) so get your home prepared for the future of 4K technology.

UK Automation doesn’t sell normal TVs, but we do sell CCTV and many different types of related cables

Battle of the TV Players

Two new innovations were launched a couple of months ago which promise to bring home automation to a new level. Google has announced Nexus Player, an Android TV box (http://www.techradar.com/news/television/nexus-player-release-date-news-and-features-1269424) and Amazon has brought out the Fire TV streaming set-top box.

Nexus Player

So what are they? Let’s start with Nexus Player, Google’s new living room media box. After the failure of Google TV, this product is expected to put the company back in the running. According to the press company, Nexus Player is a home media player for streaming Netflix and playing games on your TV. In appearance it is a small (120x120x 20mm) round device that plugs into the TV via HDMI. What does it do apart from stream and download video and music from the internet and home network. It works by running a brand new TV-optimised version of Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and has 8GB of internal storage, which means a lot of capacity to download games to playing on screen.

Here’s the techie bit: it was built by computer wizards Asus on top of a 1.8GHz quad core Intel Atom chip with a separate graphics chip to power games and HD videos via an Imagination PowerVR Series 6 GPU. An 802.11ac 2×2 (MIMO) chip promises excellent internet connection. Also, it offers a voice search facility to let you search for apps or for stuff on the internet by speaking into the remote control.

It promises instant access to all purchased Google Play content, apps and games and any content you have on your phone can be instantly beamed towards the Nexus Player and your TV using the cast button so you can use your phone as a remote control when watching with compatible apps.

You can also automatically sync games and other media between the Nexus Player and your other Android devices so you don’t have to start from the beginning.

Amazon Fire TV

Amazon Fire TV has a good look with a minimalist matt black remote control and it uses Bluetooth to communicate. The box itself looks like an external hard drive, and sports a quad-core processor, a discreet GPU and 2GB of RAM. Although you can wire it into a central router via Ethernet, it also has two dual-band Wi-Fi antennas.

Its benefits include a voice recognition feature that uses a microphone on the remote, and certain interesting extras, such as viewing photos stored on Amazon Cloud Drive, and playback for Music purchased through its MP3 store. It also has more and better quality gaming options than other Amazon devices. And it provides full-spectrum access to Amazon’s cloud video services, and Amazon Instant and Amazon Prime Video.

The fact is that the major players in the industry are going all out to entice people to buy innovations, and people will. All you have to do is make sure that your home is geared up to accommodate these products and others that will inevitably come along as competitors.

Check out everything you need for cabling and connection at UK-Automation.