Smart Home Concept 10 Points

I recommend this article for those who are new to smart home and want to understand the main advantages of the system. In it, I will explain the concept of SmartESP and show what controls a smart home will have. To save your time, I will not list absolutely all the possibilities, but will focus only on the features of the system.

First. Distributed controller system.

SmartESP does not have the concept of a main controller to which other modules or various sensors and devices are connected. Instead, it uses a variety of inexpensive and equal controllers on which a module with an ESP8266 chip is installed. Each of these controllers is connected to its own set of sensors and devices.

Second. Smart home segmentation by projects.

In SmartESP, the entire smart home is divided into separate projects. Each project is a separate task. For example, there is a project called "Climate Control" and it deals with heating and ventilation. Usually, this is some room. And, let's say, there is another project called "Alarm" and it deals with fire detector control and sound notifications. There are other projects called "Weather Station", "Greenhouse", and so on. All these projects are independent smart segments of your home that can be assembled without a strictly defined sequence.

Third. Grouping controllers by projects.

Each project is a group of equal, but not necessarily identical controllers. Let's say I decided to make heating for an apartment. In the first room I will have three heaters installed in different places. Therefore, I will have three separate controllers, near each heater.

In addition, I need to measure the temperature in the room and control the exhaust hood or fan. In this case, I have many options. I can connect only one temperature sensor to one of the heater controllers, or I can use three temperature sensors, each connected to its own controller. Then I will get a more averaged and accurate temperature for the entire room.

The same goes for the fan. I can also connect it to one of the three controllers, since the Climate Control project provides for controlling not only the heater, but also the fan or similar device. At the same time, if it turns out that the fan is located far from the heaters, I can add a fourth controller that will control only this fan.

Naturally, this state of affairs applies not only to devices, but also to temperature sensors. If desired, I can add a fifth, sixth, seventh, and so on controllers, to which only temperature sensors and no other devices will be connected.

I can combine all these controllers within one project, as if it were one universal controller with all sorts of sensors and devices. For example, here, for one project, several controllers are defined and for each of them I can specify what devices are on each. When it comes to sensor readings, the function for their processing is also specified here.

I can do the same when I move on to heating another room. I will create a separate project and add my set of controllers to this group. As a result, I will have several separate projects for heating each room, with their own set of controllers in each of them.

However, if, say, I change my mind tomorrow and want to add or remove a heater or fan, I can simply add, remove or move controllers from one group to another. For example, you can combine projects if you want. Or, on the contrary, move a separate heater in a room to a third separate project, which will work according to a special algorithm, different from the others.

What does all this give? First of all, we get high mobility and dynamism of projects. I can start a home heating project with one heater, gradually adding others as needed and as my capabilities allow. Plus, I can move devices around the room and perform various regroupings of controllers. In a word, I don’t need a general project of everything at once, where I have to foresee and calculate as much as possible. This is very convenient when you are gradually building a smart home without major repairs, simply automating individual functions as needed.

Fourth. Convenient and visual automation.

As you have already understood, each project has its own specialization and can combine many similar controllers. In addition, each project can be assigned its own set of automation modes. Actually, for me personally, automation scenarios are the most important thing in a smart home. It is of little use to simply see the sensor readings and manually turn on and off devices. The primary task of a home to become smart is to be able to achieve the goals we set.

And here the key feature of SmartESP is that it is built on the principle of specialized projects. For example, we have a specific project Climate control and accordingly for this project both specialized firmware of the controller and special forms in which specific tasks are conveniently and clearly created have been developed.

This is a very important point from my practice. Assembly and installation of controllers, setting up and connecting them to the server and other complex procedures can be performed by technical specialists, but the management of a smart home should be carried out by an ordinary user. Moreover, the user's capabilities should not be reduced to a minimum, such as turning on and off or setting the temperature.

Frankly speaking, I am extremely irritated by reviews where, when demonstrating a smart home, they show: look, here you can change the temperature in the house! Are you serious? Who needs to manually change the temperature in the house back and forth? We all need comfort and savings first and foremost, and this cannot be achieved by constantly twitching the thermostat, even in a very convenient way.

It is also impossible to offer the user to write home automation scripts, even if a visual system of their visualization is used. This is difficult and can cause errors of inexperience. That is why the concept of specialized projects is implemented in SmartESP. In this case, the user receives ready-made complex algorithms for controlling devices, and most importantly, sees understandable forms where human names of sensors and devices are displayed.

This form is called a task. Here I can define different indicators that need to be achieved or met. There can be several of these tasks, each at a certain point in time.

For example, a heater can maintain different temperatures at different times of the day. In addition, a gradual temperature change tactic can be used to avoid the discomfort of overheated or sudden cold air. Not to mention that it is possible to determine the complex mechanism of the heater to eliminate its inertia and temperature jumps.

In turn, the control of each device is combined into Modes. You can create a number of Modes for each project. For example, this can be a normal mode, when the usual tasks of creating a comfortable climate in the room are performed, as well as another mode, when you will be absent for a long time. In this case, the comfort tasks are replaced by saving tasks.

As you already understood, switching modes instantly changes the set of tasks for each device. This is really convenient and quick to do, say, through an application on a smartphone. Therefore, if someone offers you heating automation based on the simple principle of turning the heater on and off based on the current temperature, be careful! Home automation should be both functional and visual, so that the user can quickly figure it out and manage strategies first and foremost, not indicators.

Fifth. Multi-level security.

SmartESP implements security at different levels. First of all, the most minimal level of security is built into each controller. That is, in essence, each controlled device has its own security node, which does not depend on communication with the server or one main controller.

For example, if you have three controllers for three heaters in your room, then for each, specifically for each of them, you can set your own autonomy mode. It will be activated automatically when anything stops working: either the Wi-Fi network or the router, or the cable to the router, or the provider or the server or anything else.

Each of these three heaters will work independently of each other and as long as it is supplied with power. Yes, of course, this will be an emergency mode of maintaining some temperature in a critical range, but in any case, you will avoid a catastrophe.

The next level of security is that each switching on/off of the device is almost always limited in time. Very often, when you create a task, the same window contains the field "Maximum operation time". Thus, almost any switching on of the device can be limited by the maximum operation time in case further commands suddenly stop passing.

But that's not all. In SmartESP, each project mode can contain its own set of notifications. As practice shows, it is important to receive warnings on your smartphone about possible threshold values in a timely and quick manner.

And finally, the most interesting level of smart home security is the ability of some controllers to monitor others and automatically change each other’s operating modes.

Actually, this will be the sixth feature. It is called "Smart Network". As you remember, in the SmartESP project we are dealing with a set of specialized projects, and not a single super controller designed to rule them all.

Sixth. Smart network of controllers.

So, we gradually create project after project, and then when it comes time to combine them into something whole, so that they work in concert with each other, we combine them through the "Smart Network". This unique feature makes it possible to set up relationships between projects. For example, for this project, I can set a special mode based on the indicators of a completely different project. That is, when this series of conditions are met, the mode I need will be automatically set.

Again, another project, the indicators of which we are checking, may have its own rules, which in turn switch the mode for it. Just imagine what a complex strategy of behavior of all projects you can create and step by step, adding quite specific and clear links. In fact, you are as if manually creating your own neural network of a smart home, stretching logical threads from each project to others. As a result, a certain event can become a trigger, causing a chain of changes in project modes, which would be very difficult to calculate and organize with classical structured programming of scenarios.

Seventh. A single control panel for different houses.

What if you have several smart homes? Or what if different projects of one house, or even controllers of one project are located at a considerable distance from each other? An interesting feature of SmartESP is that if you use a cloud server, then thanks to Routing you can combine controllers that are in completely different networks and, accordingly, locations.

For example, I have my travel controller, which I often take when traveling. Even being in a rented room, it is convenient for me to control some device when I am away from home. And I do not need a separate server or a separate account, everything is right here in one place and is available for control from both a computer and a smartphone.

Naturally, this can be especially convenient when we are faced with a large automation object, where within one object we are missing one router.

Eighth. Superposition of the SmartESP server

Smart home from SmartESP contains the concept of "Server". Therefore, all controllers of all projects are controlled by one computer on which special software is installed. This is the main "brain" of the smart home, which sends "nerve impulses" measuredly once a minute and polls all controllers, sending them the necessary commands.

The advantage of this is that it does not require excess server capacity, as if a broker were installed on it. With a broker, sensors and devices work in subscription mode and asynchronously, which means that the system designer must factor in increased performance. This is done to support a large number of sockets or the case of all controllers accessing the server at the same time. Owners of such servers have to choose between inefficient costs or unwanted risks.

Besides, there is another fundamental question: where should this server be located? And the answer to it will please everyone. The SmartESP server can be located both in the cloud and at your home.

The first cloud option is more convenient and versatile. It is perfect for a simple user who does not have enough knowledge to set up a home server or simply does not want to mess with it at the initial stage. That is why, with a cloud server, you can very quickly launch your first smart home and conduct a number of experiments.

On the other hand, the larger and more critical your smart home becomes, the more often the question arises: who actually controls my home? Plus, doubts arise about the reliability of a distant cloud or Internet provider. These are all understandable questions to me, so yes, you always have the option to install a SmartESP server locally at home.

Although, in principle, I chose two options for myself at the same time. That is, as a rule, I use a cloud service, but at the same time I set up my local server on a small computer, which performs a number of other functions of a home server. For example, it also contains network storage, a mini-PBX and, of course, thanks to docker technology, it includes a backup SmartESP server.

What is also quite important is that thanks to the "Maintenance" section you can not only back up your Smart Home, but also quickly transfer all projects from one server to another. Accordingly, from a cloud server to a local one and from a local one to a cloud.

Ninth. Using a familiar Wi-Fi network.

SmartESP controllers are based on the inexpensive ESP 8266 chip, which uses the popular Wi-Fi network that you probably already have at home. Yes, there are now alternative options for using Bluetooth controllers, but in reality, not everything is so clear-cut.

First, you will need to purchase a specialized gateway from a specific manufacturer, which has limited compatibility with other devices and sensors.

Secondly, for stable operation, the distance between the devices and the gateway or intermediate repeater must be small. This immediately requires the purchase of many controllers to cover the distances.

Thirdly, mini controllers use weak Bluetooth because they are designed to operate on batteries. On the one hand, this is convenient, but in practice, not always. When your smart home becomes medium-sized and you have, say, fifty controllers, then each of them will have a battery that works for one year. It turns out that if you divide 365 days by 50 and if the devices are discharged in turn, then every 7 days you will need to change the battery somewhere. Of course, this will not happen, but you will still have to change the batteries several at a time and every month.

Therefore, SmartESP uses a more familiar and universal WiFi signal, powering the controllers from the network. This scheme works confidently both in a one-room apartment and in a country house, where, moreover, long autonomy is especially often needed.

The only thing I recommend is, if possible, not to use your router's home WiFi network if it contains consumers with high data transfer volumes. In general, it is always better to connect home devices such as a TV or desktop computer via cable. If you do not have this option, then an inexpensive and optimal solution would be to use a separate router for Smart Home, which you will simply need to connect to the main one. Two separate WiFi networks are a more stable and professional solution.

Tenth. Open design documentation.

SmartESP provides open drawings for its projects. Thanks to this, you as a user always have a choice, to assemble the controller yourself or buy a ready-made one from a master. Each option has its pros and cons, so I will not agitate you in favor of one or another option, I will simply say that you, as with the SmartESP server, have the right to choose.