A smart home is a building or environment that assists humans with daily needs through various connected devices. This assistance aims to provide greater productivity and creativity by freeing up time and resources. People want smart homes for expectations of safety, comfort and luxury, though open questions remain around reliability, security, cost and human behavior prediction that currently limit widespread adoption.

1. Smart HomeSmart Home
What is it? Why is it?What is it? Why is it?

2. What is Smart Home?What is Smart Home?
A building or an environment which assists human with various daily needs
This assistance shall free time and resources providing greater productivity and/or
creativity
A building or an environment which assists human with various daily needs
This assistance shall free time and resources providing greater productivity and/or
creativity

3. Why do people want a Smart Home?Why do people want a Smart Home?
Expectation of safety
Fears of: forgetting something (Iron on) or being unprotected (Alarm)
Expectation of comfort
Dislike of repetitive routines
Expectation of luxury
Caused by social pressure to broadcast success
Expectation of safety
Fears of: forgetting something (Iron on) or being unprotected (Alarm)
Expectation of comfort
Dislike of repetitive routines
Expectation of luxury
Caused by social pressure to broadcast success

4. What does a Smart home consist off?What does a Smart home consist off?
One or more units which can take an action based on
changes in the environment
At least one Sensor, one Actuator , and one Logic unit
must be present in the solution
Communication between devices of the Smart home and
the home owner is often provided, however, is not
required
Device(s) which control an Actuator or access to a Sensor
but lack a Logic unit can not be called Smart Home
devices
One or more units which can take an action based on
changes in the environment
At least one Sensor, one Actuator , and one Logic unit
must be present in the solution
Communication between devices of the Smart home and
the home owner is often provided, however, is not
required
Device(s) which control an Actuator or access to a Sensor
but lack a Logic unit can not be called Smart Home
devices

5. Centralized or Distributed?Centralized or Distributed?
Centralized LogicCentralized Logic
One main “Smart” logic unit. Other parts
of the Smart Home are just sensors or
actuators
Pros:
Cheap peripherals
Easy integration
Cons:
Relies on networking
Single point of failure
One main “Smart” logic unit. Other parts
of the Smart Home are just sensors or
actuators
Pros:
Cheap peripherals
Easy integration
Cons:
Relies on networking
Single point of failure
Decentralized LogicDecentralized Logic
Logic unit implemented in every single
piece of the entire Smart Home solution
Pros:
Self-sufficient units
Cons:
Harder to get all of them into single solution
Logic unit implemented in every single
piece of the entire Smart Home solution
Pros:
Self-sufficient units
Cons:
Harder to get all of them into single solution
Hybrid Logic
A mix of decentralized autonomy supported
with central unit reporting and control

6. Human interfacesHuman interfaces
Home to human
Lights
Sounds
Screens (including mobile devices)
Other actuators (appliances, motors, etc.)
Human to home
Buttons
Touch panels (including mobile devices)
Voice
Moves/gestures
Location
Home to human
Lights
Sounds
Screens (including mobile devices)
Other actuators (appliances, motors, etc.)
Human to home
Buttons
Touch panels (including mobile devices)
Voice
Moves/gestures
Location

7. Smart Home unit interconnectivitySmart Home unit interconnectivity
Power Line Communication (PLC). Example: X10
Wireless. Examples: WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee
Wired. Examples: Ethernet, RS-485
The variety of available protocols and standards
means: there is not one good enough protocol. What
should a “good enough” protocol satisfy?
Simplicity of implementation
Reliability
Security
Price of infrastructure
Power Line Communication (PLC). Example: X10
Wireless. Examples: WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee
Wired. Examples: Ethernet, RS-485
The variety of available protocols and standards
means: there is not one good enough protocol. What
should a “good enough” protocol satisfy?
Simplicity of implementation
Reliability
Security
Price of infrastructure

8. Open questions/problemsOpen questions/problems
Power consumption of the Smart Home: numerous parts may consume significant
wattage. Power management of the units must carefully designed. Power backup and
redundancy must also be considered: what does every unit do on power failure?
User interface: finding intuitive and comfortable interfaces is a great challenge. The
challenge is even greater due to variety of specific needs/requirement of every particular
user
Security: being popular, Smart Home units attract attention from hackers. Even more: not
all home habitants (or their guests) have the same rights (or enjoy the same services)
Safety: spread widely through the home, electrically powered units must be safe for kids,
adults and pets
Human presence and identification. What’s the difference between a baby and a dog? Is
a person in the room? How many people? Who are they? Are they awake or asleep?
Algorithms of human behavior prediction: a significant part of our existence is not routine,
people are often spontaneous and unpredictable
Power consumption of the Smart Home: numerous parts may consume significant
wattage. Power management of the units must carefully designed. Power backup and
redundancy must also be considered: what does every unit do on power failure?
User interface: finding intuitive and comfortable interfaces is a great challenge. The
challenge is even greater due to variety of specific needs/requirement of every particular
user
Security: being popular, Smart Home units attract attention from hackers. Even more: not
all home habitants (or their guests) have the same rights (or enjoy the same services)
Safety: spread widely through the home, electrically powered units must be safe for kids,
adults and pets
Human presence and identification. What’s the difference between a baby and a dog? Is
a person in the room? How many people? Who are they? Are they awake or asleep?
Algorithms of human behavior prediction: a significant part of our existence is not routine,
people are often spontaneous and unpredictable

9. Why not?
What stops people making their homes Smart?
Why not?
What stops people making their homes Smart?
Unresolved open questions (previous slide)
Reliability / maintenance concerns:
How Smart home will react on power loss or spike?
What will it do if one of parts is broken, miscommunicating, etc.?
Interfacing concerns: people tend to control everything instead of being served
Cost / value ratio: initial cost and ongoing expense versus the comfort and safety
Unresolved open questions (previous slide)
Reliability / maintenance concerns:
How Smart home will react on power loss or spike?
What will it do if one of parts is broken, miscommunicating, etc.?
Interfacing concerns: people tend to control everything instead of being served
Cost / value ratio: initial cost and ongoing expense versus the comfort and safety

10. QUIZQUIZ
You installed 10 remotely controlled power plugs in your apartment. Is it “Smart home”
now? Explain your answer.
Which of 3 types of Smart home architectures comes first to your mind? Why? Would you
change your mind, thinking rationally?
What is rarest used HCI (Human-Computer Interface) you’ve ever heard about? What
does block its expansion?
Discuss pros and cons any wired and wireless communication protocol.
Which of open topics is the most important in your opinion? Why? How could it be solved?
You installed 10 remotely controlled power plugs in your apartment. Is it “Smart home”
now? Explain your answer.
Which of 3 types of Smart home architectures comes first to your mind? Why? Would you
change your mind, thinking rationally?
What is rarest used HCI (Human-Computer Interface) you’ve ever heard about? What
does block its expansion?
Discuss pros and cons any wired and wireless communication protocol.
Which of open topics is the most important in your opinion? Why? How could it be solved?

11. Thank youThank you
Q&AQ&A