As we have discussed throughout this Digital Home series, much of the focus of this movement is based on current or near-future homes being built with “Green, Personal, and Smart” technology integrated in. That’s great for those who will be buying future homes, but what if you already own or live in a home? Is it possible to make an old “dumb” home, Smart?  The answer is absolutely yes.

Until recently, home automation for an existing home has been more dream than reality. Traditionally, the market has been split into two camps – the very rich and the “geek” hobbyists.  At the high end, mansions have sophisticated (and very expensive) home-control systems that manage security, lighting and entertainment setups. At the low end, do-it-yourselfers have taken the piecemeal approach, installing inexpensive - and often unreliable - devices that do various smart things. At either extreme however, the mainstream home was left out.

But that has changed. In just the last five years, home automation has received a 21st-century kick-in-the-pants. A typical existing home can now be upgraded and outfitted to be Smart within a reasonable budget and at a competency level most homeowners could handle.

To begin understanding how we can make our existing homes Smart, we’ll look first at the high level aspects to the upgrade. There are five basic elements to an upgraded home automation (Smart) system:

1. A central processor which handles all of the commands coming and going through the system and tells the house what to do; think of it like a brain for your home.
   
2. A dedicated network which passes all of the commands and two-way feedback back and forth between the brain and all of the system and control interfaces; think of it like a nervous system for your home.
   
3. Various system interfaces are what allow the central processor to talk to the various subsystems; think of it like having your own personal foreign language translator.
   
4. Control software is what tells the whole system what to do; think of it like a computer program custom written for your home.
   
5. Control interfaces are the various keypads and touch-panels used to tell the system what to do; think of it like a custom personal web page for your home.

Past the knowlege of these basic five elements, the real power in building an upgraded Smart home lies in integration. Purchasing or creating all five of the Smart elements is one thing; making them all talk to each other in a way that multiplies the possibilities and facilitates the control of the home, is another.

True home automation can be defined as the complete integration of many different types of systems in the home into a user-friendly control interface. All the different systems and features can then be operated by a few presses of a button on a colorful touch screen or a simple keypad from anywhere in the house (or even via a device or remote PC anywhere in the world).

When viewed holisitically, your home is just a complex set of different systems that really should be able to function as one integrated system.  As such the home should have the capability to respond in a “smart” way based on simple input from the owner(s). Basic home automation can be as simple as a single room automated lighting system that dims and controls the lights or as complex as an entire home with many systems that can be remotely operated from a single interface. Here’s an example of one such scenario: Before going to bed, a homeowner presses a single button on a remote. Instantly, the window blinds close, the thermostat resets, the house lights turn off, and the security system turns on. Eight hours later (this time automatically) the window blinds open, the thermostat re-adjusts, bedroom light slowly fades on, PC turns-on, and the coffee-maker begins.

Currently some standards are emerging for the integration of the five key aspects, but more work remains to be done if the Smart home is to ever live up to its potential. Stayed tuned.