Yesterday only geeks and enthusiasts dealt with smart homes, and today we, without suspecting anything, go to buy a spare light bulb, and return with a real smart device. In other words, the "smart home" enters our life so unceremoniously and mercilessly that soon, look and feel, from "ordinary" houses and bricks will be gone.

However, most of us have about systems smart home the concept is so vague that over time, the confusion in my head only grows. We, of course, know that coffee makers have learned to make coffee at a given time, and the light will turn on when we ask it, but this is how it works - here the devil will break his leg.

Do we know what a smart home is? Smart lamps, coffee makers, robotic vacuum cleaners ... A real techno-revolution is going on around us - and maybe it's time to get to know the world of home automation better.

At the same time, almost all articles on the Internet either say a couple of words about this, or are intended for those very geeks who have already eaten more than one dog in this matter. Once we have already corrected this misunderstanding and published an article about a smart home, but today we decided to repeat ourselves - even clearer, even clearer, even more concise than last time. Let's start an excursion into the world of smart home.

Introduction: terms and history

First things first, remember that smart home is the marketing name for home automation. The term includes everything that our home can accommodate: smart vacuum cleaners, coffee makers, refrigerators, light bulbs, radiators, humidifiers, temperature sensors, etc. In English, our “smart home” corresponds to the term “smart home”. At the same time, you may come across the term "multiroom" - these are the same smart devices, but concerning audio-video equipment: cinema centers, smart speakers, and so on.

There is also an English expression "smart house" - it is associated with different systems management in multi-apartment buildings: water supply, central heating and security. As a rule, these questions are not included in our "smart home", but if it comes to your personal home, then why not.

Historically, home automation has been around since the early 1960s, following the explosion of computers. At first, everything worked on punched cards and tapes, but even then, control systems could turn on devices on a schedule and communicate with alarm systems. True, all this took place in the homes of enthusiastic inventors ... So, the Spira brothers already in the 61st year patented the first dimmer - a device that automatically regulates the light.

Automation devices were created independently in different parts of the world, and in the end, in 1978, the Scots from Pico Electronics created a universal data transfer protocol for all these devices. The standard was called X10, and it was then that the doors learned to slide open automatically, and the light turned on with a pop.

The further history of the smart home is the history of the creation of such universal "languages" for various devices(for example, the electronic bus CEBus). The fact is that the manufacturers of smart devices still could not agree among themselves which protocol to use. It's funny that this problem persists to this day - and is one of the most important in the matter of home automation.

You can also remember 1984, when the American Association of Homebuilders first used the term "smart home", and 1999, when Disney popularized this idea with a film about the intelligent computerized home.

How it works?

The center of any home automation system is the controller - this is the computer that processes the commands and sends them to the necessary devices and devices. Typically, this is a separate device installed somewhere in an accessible place. But sometimes your smartphone or tablet can act as a controller - this happens, for example, in Apple's HomeKit system from Apple. As a rule, devices from different manufacturers can be connected to a controller that works with a universal data transfer protocol.

So the controller is at the center of the system. On the one hand, we have “senses” around the house, which will provide him with various information - these are various sensors: temperature, humidity, leak detection, etc. When the sensor detects something, it sends the data to the controller, which analyzes it. We can communicate with the controller directly, bypassing the sensors: by sending commands to it from a smartphone or control panel.

And finally, on the other side of the system, there are "active" devices, that is, our smart devices. The controller, depending on the programmed algorithms or information received from the sensors, gives commands to smart devices - and they, in turn, make our life more convenient.

To summarize, the smart home system consists of three components:

sensors (sensors) that are sensitive to the surrounding space;

a central controller (or hub) that processes all information and sends commands to devices;

and the instruments themselves performing various tasks.

How do all these components connect to each other? In two ways: by wire or radio. It is clear that the wireless method is more convenient for installation: nothing needs to be installed - bought, installed and forgotten. However, wired systems are much safer because they do not rely on home wifi a network that is susceptible to failures and even attacks.

I will also mention centralized and decentralized smart home systems. The former are controlled by one controller module - as described above in this section. The more devices are connected to each other, the more devices are subject to one controller - the more complex and interesting the scenarios of their work. However, there are also decentralized systems of several chains of devices or even single stand-alone devices. Such systems are less flexible in customization, but they are more secure: one component fails - the rest do not care about anything.

Now let's move on to what smart systems are. I will break the description into sections and start with smart light.

"Smart light"

These words unite a whole class of lighting-related devices, from dimmer switches to smart bulbs and blinds. We classify the functions of "smart light" - the main capabilities of such systems are as follows:

switching on / off lighting depending on the time or the presence of a person in the room;

brightness adjustment depending on the time of day, the number of people and other triggers;

shading the room when turning on the projector or TV;

regulation of the amount of natural light - automation of curtains and blinds;

light notifications about various events;

imitation of the presence of people in the room to ensure safety;

design scenarios for lighting a room, changing dynamically or by commands (a set of Nanoleaf lamps);

• custom scripts or algorithms, such as changing white light to soft light while reading.

Microclimate

This class includes air conditioning, heating, humidification and ventilation systems, and all this confusion is called the abbreviation HVAC (HVAC). The goal is to make life comfortable, but also to save energy. Since human health directly depends on these systems, special attention is paid to safety when creating HVAC - therefore, microclimate systems often work autonomously, independently of other smart home devices. Among the functions of HVAC are the following:

maintaining a comfortable temperature by regulating the operation of batteries, heaters and underfloor heating;

lowering the temperature to a comfortable level at night;

saving electricity by turning off or reducing the intensity of heating;

humidification, dehumidification, ionization and purification of indoor air;

fresh air supply with fans, fan coil units and air conditioners;

automation of the operation of water supply systems, for example, shutting off valves in the absence of the owners' home.

An example of a convenient and simple smart thermostat is. The same brand makes a bunch of other smart home devices that are compatible with Apple's HomeKit system. So if you are a user of apple devices - acquaintance with Elgato is simply a must. You can buy these devices.

Security

Security is a loose concept, and in fact, even a conventional alarm in your apartment can be called a component of a smart home. However, the true capabilities of security automation know no bounds, especially when supplemented with a variety of sensors and sensors. Let's name the main functions of smart security systems:

surveillance using cameras, video intercoms and night vision devices;

saving surveillance video files to the cloud or built-in storage;

signaling and calling security services;

control of the integrity of windows, doors, walls and fences of the home area;

monitoring of the state of opening / closing of windows and doors;

control of access rights to the premises using smart locks;

tracking leaks;

detection of fire hazardous situations and their elimination;

monitoring of wiring operation and protection against short circuits ((thermal imagers).

The company's gadgets are examples of convenient security devices. Their distinctive feature is that you do not need to mess around with installation or configuration for a long time. A controller (available separately) can be used to control a variety of sensors that can be purchased separately or in a single kit.

Good cameras are made by Ezviz. The brand also has a lot of sensors in its arsenal: leaks, door opening / closing, etc. As in the case of Fibaro, the company also has one for a smart home. Let's get acquainted with Ezviz devices.

Observing children, old people and animals

This category can come in handy, even if you do not plan to create a smart home from your home. Smart devices are very successful in helping to make life easier when someone needs your help and supervision. Let's list the capabilities of such devices:

video surveillance of the object in real time;

two-way audio and video communication via video nurses and separate microphone systems;

push notifications about movements or loud sounds;

closing access to premises and automated movement;

object location monitoring;

monitoring the activity and health indicators of the object.

Ring devices are examples of functional and easy-to-use smart cameras and smart video doorbells. These cameras support the night vision function, automatically detect movement in the field of view, and shoot in excellent quality.

Smart devices

The most "delicious" class of home automation systems is what many usually mean by a smart home. This includes smart kettles, pressure cookers, vacuum cleaners, and other household helpers. The list of these devices is endless, so I'll just try to classify them briefly:

kitchen appliances: smart cookers, refrigerators, multicooker, etc .;

other Appliances: vacuum cleaners, scales, washing machines, irons, etc .;

smart furniture and interior items: automatic doors, curtain rods, curtains, lampshades, wardrobes, etc.;

multimedia devices: smart speakers, TVs, projectors, karaoke systems, etc .;

games and entertainment: construction robots, educational games, etc. (robots).

Versatile automation protocols

As I already said, the main problem of the modern smart home is the fragmentation of the market. This means that many smart devices may not work with each other at all. And in best case you will have many applications on your smartphone for each one. Not the most convenient option when you think about it. Some firms offer complex systems Turnkey, where everything works perfectly, but in this case you will not be able to combine the devices you like: for example, a smart device and a humidifier from Apple.

The most obvious solution is to use devices that support the universal data transfer protocol. Today the most promising of these "languages" are the Z-Wave and ZigBee protocols. Both of them were designed not only for convenience, but also for safety. The protocols have a so-called mesh structure. If any node of the system is damaged, commands are sent through any available node (device). Thus, if one component fails, the entire system continues to operate.

Smart House- future or present?

Imagine that Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, invited you to his home. As you enter the spacious hallway, smart assistant Jarvis turns on a moderately bright light so you can take off your shoes and hang your outerwear. In the living room, the assistant sets up a soft light that is comfortable for relaxation. Mark asks Jarvis to play some nice background music - and the sound of Miles Davis' saxophone comes from the speakers. After dinner, you decide to watch a movie, and Jarvis turns on the TV for you, and the lights dim to a minimum. While you enjoy watching, the smart assistant does not sit still: he monitors the safety of Mark's daughters, and if the children cry, Jarvis, in the voice of Morgan Freeman, will immediately inform his father about it.

Immersion in the world of "smart homes" is not necessarily a difficult and painstaking job here and now. It is quite possible to start small: buy a smart light bulb, then purchase a controller and add another device to the system. Gradually, you will feel like a fish in water in matters of automation.

The bell rings - guests have come. Jarvis immediately scans the visitors and informs the owner of the house who is at the door. After a pleasant evening, you go to bed. In the morning, Jarvis prepares breakfast for all the guests, and for Mark he has a clean T-shirt in store - he shoots it from the pump right into the hands of Zuckerberg!

This example of organizing a smart home is just one of many. Bill Gates' home may surprise even more: it is equipped with a glass elevator with voice control; pool with automatic tuning comfortable water temperature; control system for every plant in the garden and in the house and much more.

Of course, to have such a smart home, you need to lead a successful company. But in general, smart technologies and automation systems are no longer the prerogative of the elite: the market is growing, more and more solutions for consumers are appearing on it. To set up your smart home, you only need a desire to immerse yourself in the topic and directly get involved in the organization. Of course, there are many offers of completely ready-made solutions - for example, from BTicino, Crestron, Legrand and others - but you can start small. Say, from a smart light bulb - why not?

The amazing era of the IoT, the Internet of Things - the global interaction of everything with everything through the network - in fact, is just beginning, and the smart home is a good example of what awaits us in the future, but is available today.

Don't forget about ours: here we regularly publish interesting articles about technology and, of course, up-to-date reviews on gadgets and smart devices. Join us on the Yandex.Zen platform.

A free retelling of the humorous work of Mat Honan, published by him in the American magazine Wired, in which he humorously recreates a picture of the life of a "happy" owner of a Smart Home. And if you believe the forecasts of scientists and analysts, then in five or ten years every wealthy consumer will have such a house. According to Honan, such a life cannot be called especially joyful and calm.

The author of the story offers the reader a scenario of an ordinary day in a smart mansion. It begins with the fact that a resident of a "smart" home wakes up early in the morning, hearing the sounds made by pillows, which play invigorating rhythms and wink with built-in light and music. The alarm clock also starts playing something of its own at this time, which does not quite coincide on the theme with the pieces performed by the pillows. It is with this cacophony of sounds that a new day begins for the protagonist.

The owner of the house, already half asleep, begins to suspect that it is possible that the attackers have installed a malware virus in the control program to ensure the operation of the smart home. And all this is due to the fact that he did not install the appropriate patch, which has not yet been released. As a result, the entire street on which the smart homes of its neighbors are located plays the most incomprehensible music and flashes with all the colors of the rainbow. It is good that the owner of the house managed to add some of his musical compositions to the “black list” of the Pandora service.

True, it turned out that the virus began to take photographs when the owner leaves the shower room, and began to post them on Facebook. Although this is just a trifle compared to other deviations in the functioning of the "smart" home, which have already manifested themselves before. So, in 2022, a virus turned off water all over the street in all smart houses just for Christmas and at the same time turned on all irrigation systems at the same time - it really was sad, although the creator of the malware obviously planned to amuse everyone with this.

After waking up so early with pillows and alarm clocks, the resident of the "smart" home decides to make himself coffee and goes to the kitchen. He had to make coffee the old fashioned way, since the smart coffee maker had to be turned off a long time ago. Some failures began in her, she began to periodically go online to participate in DDOS attacks to a game server located in Singapore. And all due to the fact that a virus got into the operating system of the house, thanks to which now smart housing is sometimes used by some unknown hackers as a botnet.

In 2020, the home owner installed a home operating system compatible with Android, as various interesting applications and accessories, and the design itself was the best in its segment. But then it turned out that the new corporate smartphone is incompatible with the current operating system for the home. Now you have to constantly carry around a tablet from Google, which is currently unsupported by new firmware and software. And then the doors themselves began to open when they wanted, so the owner began to think about inserting an ordinary English lock instead of a smart key.

We also found that many of these devices in the Nexus Home system use patented proprietary connectors, as well as chargers, and this is also not very convenient. And recently, Amazon's drones stopped parking correctly for some reason and, as a result, broke a clothes dryer.

When it all started with a simple Nest thermostat and automatic climate control, it seemed to many that the future was bright and cloudless. Each company produced a gadget for managing smart apartments or mansions, striving to surpass everyone else in this. True, it turned out that everything was determined by the company that first began to control the "smart" home.

Then, to manage and ensure compatibility, they also released the SmartWall infrastructure, connecting to it all the sockets and climate control, refrigerator control systems, watering flowers, and counting dishes. And also various biosensors, filtration systems, stereos, drug control, car parking, exercise equipment. There are many other things - you can't remember everything. And who then thought that the new agreement between Samsung and Microsoft would lead to unpredictable consequences in ten years?

«좋은 아침 입니», - welcomes the host in korean electric oven as he reheats his dinner on an induction cooker, and the host sleepily mutters "조용히" back to her.

Over the past ten years, a number of devices have failed (it turned out that things tend to break even in a smart home), and now the house is served by a strange company of devices on different operating systems... It is not possible to achieve normal work, but what to do is to adapt: ​​after all, reinstalling all software, and even changing most gadgets is too expensive.

On the way from the kitchen in the direction of the room, the house suddenly "pleases" the owner with flashes of LED indicators and greets with an exclamation: "Congratulations, you have completed the daily norm of steps." Recent times the house so often began to remind of this norm of the distance traveled that it was necessary to set it at twenty steps a day, so as not to listen to constant reminders from the sofa, chair and TV about the need to jog or walk, even in the middle of the night, to ensure the required norm guaranteeing good health and many years of life.

With a cup of coffee, the sleepy owner of the smart home sits down at the table. He turns on the stereo projector, reads the news. There is nothing interesting in them, and out of boredom he leafs through the heading of advertisements for the sale of houses that are not subject to renewal. They don't even have a simple one charger for an electric car, no smart technology inside. But a person, drinking coffee, continues to dream of buying some completely senseless and completely "unreasonable" house.

Day is breaking. Automatic blinds open themselves. The smart toaster and shower in the bathroom turn on by itself, welcoming the owner. A new morning is coming in the smart home on the smart street.

Smart home sensors work according to the same principle: they transmit a signal via wi-fi to the base module, a box the size of home router... The basic module goes online and communicates with a smartphone. All sensors can be controlled via a mobile application from anywhere where there is an access to the network.

Why don't the sensors themselves go online, why do we need a basic module? There are many sensors. Imagine that ten people come to your house, and everyone is connected to wi-fi. Some networks will survive, some will not. Add the devices of family members - smartphones, laptops, desktops, tablets ... To serve such a busy network, you will need a personal system administrator, just like in an office. The base module distributes the channels so that the radio waves on which all electronic devices in the house communicate do not interfere with each other.

Sensors for water leaks, doors opening and closing, smoke, cameras and motion sensors are connected to the central module, which communicates with you via the Internet via a mobile application.

Here are five smart home features that can make your life easier and more enjoyable.

1. Remote control of outlets

Did I turn off the iron?

Buy an iron that turns itself off. Take a picture of the iron as you leave the house. Check all outlets. Call your household and neighbors, ask them to check. Or plug in a smart plug. It looks like an adapter. If you suddenly doubt that you have removed the plug when leaving the house, you can open the circuit with a few passes across the smartphone screen - and for sure protect the house from fire, and yourself from unnecessary worries.

If there are children at home, the smart plug becomes even more useful. It will help when a smoke detector (it can also be made part of a "smart home", we will talk about it later) is triggered in a room where electrical appliances are working. It's far from home, you are at work or on vacation, what happened is unknown, but you can remotely de-energize the room. Balm for the soul.

The white adapter with LED is the smart socket. It is controlled from a mobile application: one press of a button, and the outlet is de-energized.

Some smart plugs also save you money. They work like a counter, the indicators of which you see in mobile application... Is the device winding too many kilowatts? Disable! Conveniently, if you, leaving the cottage, forgot to turn off the warm floor or other power-consuming device.

2. Fire alarm

You have something burning

Fire alarms are complex and expensive. And a smoke detector connected to the smart home system is easy. It mounts to the ceiling, connects to the base in five minutes, and lasts 12 months until it's time to change the battery. The sensitivity is adjusted so that the siren does not turn on from cutlets burnt in a frying pan or cigarette smoke, but I felt serious smoke. If the room is filled with smoke, you will know immediately: notifications will come to email and push notification, and a loud siren will sound in the room.

A wireless smoke detector connected to the central unit will alert you of smoke wherever you are.

3. Water leakage sensors

Didn't we flood our neighbors?

The third major householder fear is water leakage. An unreliable pipe joint, a weakened tap, or just an overflowing bathtub. Or your apartment is empty. What if the heating was already on and the battery leaked? Install water leakage sensors in the most insidious places. They do not react to small splashes, only to serious accidents. The notification will be sent to the mail and displayed on the screen. True, the sensor cannot do anything about the leak - you have to go and save everything. But it's best to do it as early as possible.

An added bonus: the leak sensor is made wireless. Wires and water are not compatible things, and they also get in the way under your feet. And a cake-sized wireless device can be fixed anywhere. And don't forget to change the batteries.

A water leakage sensor alerts you to troubles such as leaking pipes and an overflowing bathtub.

4. Sensors open / close

Did I close the door?

Leaving home, turn the key and pull the handle a couple of times: this habit will help you not to worry about whether you (or forgetful guests and children) have left everything wide open. But in order not to rely on an unstable human memory, you can install a magnetic sensor for closing or opening doors. Then notifications will come when the door is opened or closed. The same can be done with windows. The main thing is to turn off the sensor on a day when you are expecting a lot of guests.

Even if you never forget to close the door, the sensor comes in handy to monitor children.

5. Cameras, motion sensors

Monitor and guard

If in the 90s your neighbor had a camera mounted in a peephole on a heavy iron door, then your neighbor was not an easy person. The camera can now be installed with much less effort and expense than twenty years ago, and it doesn't look like you have suitcases of currency in your bedroom. Cameras, microphones (and cameras with a microphone, and even with a speaker) and motion sensors can be connected to a smart home. Configure the motion sensor so that it reports the movement of a person, but ignores the cat. You can record, or you can watch live - just like that, just in case. Modern "smart" cameras have a passive mode: they start recording only when they sense movement. Some cameras also see at night, in the infrared range.

A small wi-fi camera monitors everything that happens around and reports to you around the clock. She also sees in the infrared range - and therefore not only during the day; most of these devices have a microphone and speaker.

Pleasant trifles

Not vital, but pleasant functions of the "smart home"

The motion sensor is installed not only for security purposes. Recently, Muscovite Konstantin Konovalov dropped such a device into his mailbox, and now he receives notifications on his smartphone when the postman brings a receipt for payment of utilities or a postal notice. Or the latest issue of Popular Mechanics by subscription. Some tricksters put a portable home camera over a saucepan in which dumplings are being cooked - to see them float up while they themselves are resting in another room.

"Smart" lamps are lighting control from the smartphone screen. Even a child can adjust the color, turn it on or off.

Once you start optimizing, it's hard to stop. You can stick a humidity sensor in a flower pot and do not forget to water. You can install a "smart" air quality controller in the nursery and do not forget to ventilate. Humidity can be controlled in the same way. And the last: "smart" bulbs eliminate the need to get up to turn off the light. This can be done without letting go of the smartphone.

"Smart home" is a remote control remote control to all electrical appliances in the house. Some features make life a little more pleasant, while others save you from serious everyday problems. The Russian market for smart consumer electronics is not yet very developed. One of the pioneers is MegaFon: it offers Security or Basic kits, which can be supplemented according to personal preferences and needs. Each set includes a control center and compatible wireless devices - cameras and sensors; however, you can also select individual devices to your liking.

In the first quarter of this year, our company notes a 30% growth in demand for its products, and most of the market players, including distributors and system integrators, it is predicted that in the next five years the Russian market for systems will grow at an average rate of 25% per year.

Who needs a smart home?

The growing interest of Russians in smart home is obvious, but not everyone understands what it is. Half of the customers who come to us need an explanation of exactly how automation technology can solve their daily problems. They have a need to manage housing, to optimize their life, but they still have no idea how this can be done.

As part of a smart home, they see an intercom with video surveillance and a security and fire system, but this, of course, is not the case. These are just scattered engineering elements, and a smart home is the connection of all subsystems, centralized management lighting and air conditioning, heating, access control, video surveillance, gas and water leakage control, automatic watering and curtains control. And all this is done using a smartphone. The number of subsystems that can be included in a smart home is practically unlimited.

This complexity of modern housing creates the need for a smart home. There are too many electronics and daily processes around us that need to be rationally built, connected with each other, and controlled.

Smart home is a natural stage of progress, evolution of housing, it is a direct consequence of all technical innovations that surround us in modern houses and apartments.

Let's imagine a large country house in which a family lives with children, there are 7-10 rooms in it. When going to sleep, you need to make sure that the lights and air conditioners are turned off everywhere - can you imagine how many energy resources will be wasted if this is not done? This is where smart home scripts help - automatic shutdown by time, for example. And there is no need to walk around the house and turn off everything manually. Or the “everyone is gone” function: the owners leave the house and all electrical appliances are safely turned off.

That is, the larger the area of ​​housing, the more systems inside it, the more obvious advantages smart home. And another important argument is economy. On average, "smart" systems reduce energy consumption costs by 20-30%, and the experience of our projects says that a smart home begins to "work" in full force on an area of ​​100 square meters or more.

Professional equipment for a smart home lives for about 10 years, and then requires replacement due to obsolescence. The average cost of equipment is one thousand rubles per square meter. In a house or apartment with an area of ​​100 square meters, a smart home will cost from 100 thousand rubles. And now you can imagine how much it will pay for itself on average, saving 20-30% of the cost of heat and energy resources every month. According to our calculations, the full payback period for a smart home on such an area is from 3 to 5 years.

Who doesn't need it?

Most likely, you don't need a smart home if:

• You have a small apartment with a small number of functional areas (one bathroom, one kitchen, and so on).
• All switches are within walking distance, it is not difficult for you to monitor the consumption of energy resources: turn off the light and turn off electrical appliances on your own.
• You don't need to provide remote access to the apartment for children, relatives, workers.

Not a very smart home

Most Russians live in small apartments, so the value of a smart home is not obvious to them. Recently, suppliers of "kits in a box" began to actively use this. They are sold at retail by telecom operators, Russian startups and Chinese electronics manufacturers.

"Kits in a box" are simple devices for controlling individual functions in an apartment: temperature, turning on / off a light bulb, turning off water, and so on. The owner of the house sends sms or activates the function in the app, and the radio signal transmits a message to the device.

We call such kits "smart home probe": they solve individual problems in apartments and, in general, can simplify specific household processes. You can install these kits yourself, you do not need professional engineers for this. Those who buy them have no real need for a smart home. And the owners of large houses and apartments will never buy "kits in a box", because "probes" cannot solve complex problems of a smart home.

Smart home market in Russia

The Russian smart home market looks like this. According to our calculations, approximately 50% are suppliers of foreign brands (USA, Germany, Austria). In most cases, their equipment complies with the KNX or EIB / KNX standard. This is high quality but expensive equipment for the premium segment in real estate.

20% of the market is occupied by Russian brands, some of which, in our opinion, are only disguised as independent manufacturers and developers. In fact, their equipment is taken from an assortment of different Chinese manufacturers and passed off as their own.

Only a few are engaged in the real development and production of complex integrated systems "smart home" in Russia. It is quite easy to distinguish real manufacturers by the presence of patents and development departments.

The remaining 30% are the same "kits in a box", inexpensive, uncomplicated and with a service life of 1-2 years.

The cost of Russian smart home technologies is several times different from the cost of foreign equipment, they are much cheaper. The cost of Russian equipment does not include excise taxes and import duties, transportation, markups of several wholesalers, foreign development costs, salaries of foreign engineers - and they are quite high, it is worth admitting this. This explains the difference in cost, which, judging by the latest fluctuations in the ruble exchange rate, will only increase.

Residential real estate will "get smarter"

A typical smart home buyer is a man over 30 years old, usually working in IT, or in some other way connected with this area. He has a higher technical education and hence the habit of trusting modern technologies, integrating them into his life.

The Russian guild of realtors has recently published a study of the market for new buildings. They note that the share of comfort-class housing is growing throughout Russia, and projects for the integrated development of territories - the construction of economy housing on the outskirts of cities -, on the contrary, are being phased out. With this factor, we can associate a further increase in the demand for smart home technologies.

Homeowners over high class more interested in centralizing the management of all life support systems in their apartment.

It is also important that developers have matured to a smart home. Many of them are ready to integrate basic versions of "smart" systems into apartment buildings under construction: automated lighting groups, access control, automatic collection data from meters, heating control, control of water leaks, security and fire alarms.

Such “smart” filling of apartments allows developers to stand out from competitors, increase their status by working with innovative technologies and stimulate the stagnating real estate market.

What "smart House"? They repeat about him at every step, but only a few saw him. Accessory manufacturers aggressively use this label, and we, ordinary consumers, dutifully "peck" at it. Editorial staff site decided to clearly distinguish between two technology segments, deriving from there two completely different trends. Stop being deceived!

Recently, we began to actively monitor the topic of the "smart home" and receive requests for device reviews, which are often attributed to it. In this regard, we decided to prepare a small but capacious article on this topic.

What is "smart home" and why it is not yet available

Let's close our eyes for a moment and say this overused phrase by marketers. "Smart House"! What are you presenting at this moment? Ten or fifteen years ago, you would have remembered a futuristic movie: where the windows are curtained by themselves, where the light and climate are supported by an autonomous system with artificial intelligence where coffee is prepared in the morning in advance without your participation, and so on.

This is the “smart home”. Today it is not futuristic at all - but 100% real. Only it will not appear on its own. You should initially think over such a project at the stage of laying the foundation of your future home. Or do it in an apartment before a major overhaul. You will also need a very significant amount of money, because such solutions require the involvement of professionals, the installation and deployment of specific equipment.

In short, a "smart home" is when everything is cool and beautiful, like in a movie, but for big money and a lot of time. In the next five years, little will change in terms of time and money in Russia. While the real "smart home" is just trying to break through to the masses, marketers of all stripes are building effective advertising campaigns on this immense word. As a result, the consumer himself sits and does not understand anything.

Thanks to the efforts of the media, in the minds of modern geeks, a smart home is a light bulb Philips HUE, sockets with Wi-Fi module, weather sensors Netatmo, sensor sets Lapka etc. But in reality, these are devices of a completely different format, keeping up with the trend called "Internet of Things", IoT.

What is IoT and why is it trending now?

V IoT includes a special class of purely consumer devices, which by themselves cannot become the basis of a "smart home", but profess similar ideas. The very phrase "Internet of Things" implies two key elements of this trend: ordinary objects that can connect to the Web. In an ideal world, these items should also exchange data with each other.

Roughly speaking, IoT Is a coffee maker that has an iPhone application and prepares coffee at the same time as the alarm goes off. IoT is a set of light bulbs Philips HUE that change the color and brightness of the light at the request of the owner. This is the same set of sensors Lapka measuring the ecological situation around. And many, many other existing and future gadgets that connect to our iPhones - for the sake of displaying data or controlling functions.

It becomes necessary to separate “smart objects” of the IoT format and “smart home” for a simple reason. The largest companies in the world in the coming years will be furiously researching and releasing products that meet exactly the challenges of the IoT. Development modern technologies made smart fridges and Wi-Fi toasters a reality. Each of them is interesting in a vacuum of their possibilities, but their installation in the house will never make the latter truly "smart".

This is the difference. You can buy a basket of smart accessories, but none of them - whether together or separately - will be part of a true smart home.

What a smart home really looks like

First of all, a “smart home” is not a set of “smart bulbs”, but a central “brain” that monitors and controls all communications in an apartment, climate and electricity. The key element of a real "smart home" that everyone dreams of is its software and technical platform... It is this "base" that connects at the lowest level to your pipes, electrical panel and heating system in order to control it.

There are many such low-level control systems. For example, there are promising software solutions- for example Wednesday Apple HomeKit, which in the future will unite all "smart coffee makers" into a single and truly efficient network that exchanges data with each other. But without a central control system, these conversations won't go beyond meaningless marketing.

Control systems for "smart homes" are not nearly as much publicized as "sockets" and "light bulbs", but they exist, flourish and develop for many decades. Many of them are very expensive as they include fine tuning Software and specific computer components, plus various sensors, communication equipment and much more.

Lost in thought, the editors site I tried to look for such companies in Russia that offer really working systems for creating a “smart home”. We were especially interested in those who approach the issue from a purely Russian, impenetrable side. To be able to deliver easily, quickly and forever. And preferably for a penny.

A primordially Russian "smart home"

The company responded to our request Ektostroy offering a special solution for our country: "Smart home" in Russian, impenetrable and adapted to our harsh realities. Their system does not depend on the availability of electricity in the house. She doesn't need internet. It works with the highest reliability and does not require further investment, and is able to make life easier and prevent a local man-made disaster.

: behind the temperature in pipes, behind boilers, behind the supply of electricity, behind heating devices and much more. And not only tracking, but also management... The entire system works via a GSM network, does not require any form of Internet, and processes commands via SMS messages.

Example. You are sitting at work, 50 kilometers from your country house. We haven't been there for two months. What if he was robbed? What if he had a problem with the heating system? Suddenly they turned off the electricity, and you are going to go there tomorrow with the guests? The idea behind Ectocontrol is to notify user immediately about the situations described above. This is what allows a person to take the necessary measures on time: arrive on time and eliminate the problem before it causes critical consequences.

Or another example. You are going to the dacha. Even when you leave the house, you send a technical message to your Ectocontrol station, which starts the heating system in the house. Come to warmth and comfort. We rested, went out, closed the gate - they sent a message about turning off the system or working at a low temperature. The pipes remain warm, the house does not freeze through to the end, and you always know what the temperature is in it.

Ektostroy and his team attracted us with their enthusiasm and the fact that their product differs from the existing ones on the market in a number of interesting, sometimes unique qualities. Instead of briefly describing the capabilities of the system, we decided to go further and go to the filming of the process of installing the Ectocontrol system.

In the coming days, we will tell you how one of the most promising systems of the Russian “smart home” works. Until then, don't be fooled. "Smart home" may end with a "smart lamp", but it does not start with it;)