Home Automation

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Home automation is the residential extension of building automation.

It is automation of the home, housework or household activity.

Home automation may include centralized control of lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), appliances, security locks of gates and doors and other systems, to provide improved convenience, comfort, energy efficiency and security.

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Why do some devices require a hub and others don't? (alien.top)

submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I am a noob to home automation but I have a few Kasa light switches that I like. The Kasa switches connect via wifi and Google is able to interact with them. I am also interested in some smartblinds (maybe Smartwings) and I notice they REQUIRE a hub. I understand they are Zigbee over wifi. Why do some devices require a hub and others don't?

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

A note about ZigBee, Bluetooth (LE or otherwise) and WiFi. They all use the same 2.4ghz frequency band. They do not communicate with each other, but they CAN and often DO interfere with each other. The neighborhood I moved into a year ago is nothing but single family homes, but I can still see anywhere between 6 and 10 WiFi networks in addition to my own. That’s not including anything else my neighbors might be using that uses 2.4ghz. Think wireless headsets, baby monitors, and the like.

I struggled with my ZigBee mesh working for a while, and then randomly some battery devices would just stop communicating. This was the worst with ZigBee wireless buttons. They may work again, if you press them 5 or 10 times. Even some wired ZigBee devices were struggling with delayed signals.

Give serious consideration to Zwave if you browse for WiFi networks in your home and see more than one or two neighbor’s networks, or if you can see your neighbor’s Bluetooth devices when you try pairing something to your phone. Zwave uses the 900mhz band, which sees MUCH less use these days, especially since 900mhz cordless landline phones are pretty uncommon now.