![<?echo $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'];?>](/template/twentyseventeen/skin/images/header.jpg)
OFweek smart home network news let the refrigerator automatically order butter and cheese idea has been a long time, but so far this typical application of smart home has not yet become a reality. On the other hand, other networked applications have appeared one after another, and are increasing every day. For suppliers, this means they must determine which wireless network standards to focus on.
Strategy Analytics statistics show that in 2008, there were an average of 2.8 connected devices per household, and by 2015 this figure had risen to 8.6. According to Gartner's forecast, each household will have an average of 500 smart devices by 2022. Germany is one of the key markets for smart homes: From the 2016 smart home monitoring report (published by the market research institutes of Dr. Grieger & Cie. and the German Smart Home Initiative Association), it can be seen that of the 1,017 households surveyed, About 30% already use smart home devices, mainly in energy management, entertainment and communications, and security.
However, smart home and environment assisted living (AAL) technology is not only widely used in the personal consumption field. Property management companies and housing associations are also increasingly concerned about and adopting smart home technology solutions to monitor energy consumption and expenditure, but also for monitoring and regulation. Room temperature to prevent mildew thermal control system. There are many wireless standards and platforms for network connectivity for these applications.
Exclusive agreement from the United States: Z-Wave
US Sigma Designs has developed its own Z-Wave hybrid network protocol, but no other semiconductor supplier uses the protocol. Many equipment manufacturers are worried that adopting this technology will lead to a dead end. In the United States, Z-Wave uses an unlicensed 915 MHz band, but this band is not available in Europe. Terminal vendors using Z-Wave must use 868 MHz transceivers to convert. Other shortcomings of Z-Wave include low data transfer rates and incompatibility with smartphones. This is a very serious problem because most users want to control the smart home remotely through a smartphone. This was also verified in the Deloitte Smart Home Survey 2015.
Flexible frequency selection: ZigBee
ZigBee is another hybrid network protocol that has so far mainly been used in the U.S. market. It is based on the IEEE 802.15.4 specification, uses an unlicensed 2.4 GHz, and is in the short-range frequency band. This means that users can choose the best frequency for each smart home device, especially hybrid transceivers using the short-frequency/2.4 GHz band, such as Atmel's AT86RF215 transceiver. However, ZigBee cannot be recommended at the moment because it discovered a serious security hole in 2015. So far, no way to solve this problem has been found through firmware updates. Perhaps this situation will change in the near future, because the ZigBee Alliance is already testing the 3.0 version of the specification, which will completely block this loophole.
Universal and secure: Thread
The Thread network protocol is also based on the IEEE 802.15.4 specification, using license-free 2.4 GHz and short-range frequency bands. It has the advantages of stability, self-healing and energy saving, while supporting IPv6, it is a 6LowPAN alternative that can rival Bluetooth and WiFi. AES encryption also guarantees security. Because Thread is license-free, 220 companies and organizations around the world support this standard, including industry leaders such as ARM, Samsung, Atmel, Procter & Gamble, and Osram. The popular module provided by Redpine Signals is based on the current RS9113M2MCombo chipset and supports the Thread protocol as well as other mainstream standards such as dual band WiFi (2.4/5 GHz), the traditional Bluetooth standard, the Bluetooth low energy standard (BLE) and ZigBee and so on.
Universal Bluetooth Smart
The Bluetooth Smart Standard, also known as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), also uses the 2.4 GHz band and is widely used worldwide. BLE also has a decisive advantage, that is, support for IPv6, which allows the terminal device to network directly through an IPv6 address. Nordic Semiconductor has provided IPv6 package support on its nRF51 SoC (CortexM0 + 2.4 GHz transceiver) and nRF52 SoC (Cortex M4 + 2.4 GHz Transceiver + NFC) chips. In addition, the wide application of BLE on smart phones makes it a step ahead of other competing specifications. Almost all device models come with a BLE interface to facilitate direct communication with other BLE smart home products. In addition, the BLE 5.0 standard has also been greatly improved in terms of coverage, data transmission rates, and broadcast capabilities. This broadcast function does not have to be connected to the terminal device and transmit data to the cloud, so that an independent Internet of Things is realized, and the APP application is thus superfluous. Industry experts predict that the Bluetooth smart hybrid network protocol will be available in 2017, and natural Nordic Semiconductor will provide corresponding software support packages for its nRF51 and nRF52 chips.
From gym to smart home: ANT
Another agreement that cannot be ignored is ANT, which was developed by Garmin's subsidiary Dynastream and is currently limited to the networking of sports equipment. The ANT protocol has also been recognized and used in home automation, indoor positioning and telemedicine. ANT is a proprietary protocol like Z-Wave, but its advantage is that it has been supported by several semiconductor manufacturers, providing customers with better stability. Due to its low power consumption, flexible network topology, and the support of more and more smart phones, the ANT standard will surely become a competitive standard worthy of serious consideration. Nordic Semiconductor also provides software support packages for the ANT protocol on its nRF51 and nRF52 chips.
Already home WLAN
WLAN is undoubtedly the preferred network standard for smart homes because it has been installed and deployed in most homes and apartments, with a high data transmission rate, and is particularly suitable for applications such as surveillance cameras and multimedia systems that require high bandwidth. In addition, smart home applications such as energy management and environmental assisted living (ALL) also use WLAN as their wireless network standard, whether it is direct communication with a smart phone or data transmission to the cloud through a local network. WLAN and BLE are often mixed and used, in particular, the BLE transmits sensor data to the central control unit, and then transmits to the cloud through the WLAN. In this case, the hybrid module is the most suitable, such as the RS9113 chip from Redpine Signals. The latest short-range WLAN standard, 802.11ah, also ensures that WLAN will become the preferred network standard for smart homes in the foreseeable future.
The standard dispute will continue
It is not yet certain which wireless standard will overwhelm other competing specifications. We can safely say that there is no single standard that can dominate and dominate, and multiple standards will coexist. In this case, the centralized networking unit will be compatible, and a single supplier will develop its own proprietary, well-defined smart home system. The decisive criteria on all occasions are support for IPv6, compatible smartphones, and the flexibility to respond quickly to changes in new environments. ANT has all the above advantages, so it can be concluded that it will occupy a larger market share. However, heavyweight BLE and WiFi will continue to maintain their dominant position in the market.
Jiangmen Hongli Energy Co.ltd , https://www.honglienergy.com