There’s been lots of interest in the e-homeautomation.com smart house we featured from from last weeks gadget Show. We asked e-Home to give us some details of the systems employed in the project and they’ve kindly submitted a case study of their install. read on for all the behind the scenes info and photos on this £25,000 system.
The e-Home SHOWHOUSE in Dubai is a cutting edge, dedicated facility for showcasing the wired, wireless and software-based control systems that the company has developed through in-house research and development. developed to educate the public, home developers and integrators, the installation presents the automation possibilities for their own projects. The SHOWHOUSE has become an emblem of state of the art technologies developed by an indiginous GCC company, and has featured on several local, regional and international television stations.
The SHOWHOUSE is a fully-automated home where clients can view the automation and integration potential of the e-Home range of systems. The project was developed and commissioned in-house, with the objective of creating a system that used as much helpful integration as possible. combining smart home systems, digital home applications and distinct services for the local market, including Islamic content, the installed system gives a high-end feel, despite using components in the mid-range price spectrum.
Whilst numerous own-brand systems have been used, the installation also integrates systems from e-Home technology Partners, including Cytech, Opus, Impro and Amulet Devices. The charm of the e-Home CONTROLS software platform is that it works with a variety of third-party systems, including typically used technologies such as X10, C-Bus and Rako. This implies that users can obtain similar degrees of control whether they choose to use e-Home control hardware or not.
The living room integrates aspects of connected Home, home Theatre,
Consumer electronics and home Automation technologies.
Designed by e-Home personnel, the project benefitted from the experience of architects, engineers and draughtsmen. As the vacation home was renovated from scratch for the installation, the project was a substantial undertaking, also employing builders, carpenters, interior designers, electricians and decorators.
This bed has two motorised mattress supports which can be
controlled independently by the e-Homegreen automation system.
As the system is hardwired, it had to be retrofitted – no easy task when the walls are solid concrete! However, the end result was worth the extra effort. The installed systems include the e-Homegreen system, which offers full control of lighting, various appliances and integrated HVAC control. In addition, access control, motorised curtain rails, security, digital surveillance, multi-room audio/video, digital media and home theatre are all integrated together.
The e-Homegreen control hardware is housed in an enclosure in a dedicated room
adjacent to the distribution board. It includes din rail mounted dimmers and relays
for light and appliance control. as per local electrical power board rules, there are
three phases per distribution board, making good design vital for a working system.
Control is offered by an in-wall touch screen, LCD switches, a Media center interface (which also runs on Xbox), remote control, SMS and even voice commands. All hardware is developed to run independently of the e-Home CONTROLS software platform, which offers an extra layer of integration and accessibility.
The most significant challenges were retrofitting the cable televisions and conduit into the solid concrete construction. additional obstacles included the types of integration that numerous of the producers had never seen before. This included interfacing the access control, paging and multi-room audio/video system to the centralised e-Homegreen system. This allows the triggering of various components such as text or picture pop-ups on the LCD screens through Media Center, audible notifications and notifies through the speakers, and sending messages to pager handsets and mobile phones.
The rack includes the Opus 500 multi-room audio/video distribution
hardware and the automation server running e-Home CONTROLS.
There are several helpful applications for this. For example, when the owner enters his/her access code to enter the villa, or when a guest presses the safety and security button at the front gate, the presence of someone at the door will be announced by the system through the speakers.
Another integration challenge was synchronising all of the motorised doors, gates, curtains, projector lift and projector screen with the automation system in purchase to know the exact open or closed status of the devices. Further, a conventional Jacuzzi was integrated into the automation system with full control over incoming water flow, water temperatureand drainage. This also allows switching the hot and cold water supplies for summer and winter season periods. It also implies you can run a bath on the way back from work by SMS, PDA, iphone or PC!
The e-Home 15” touch screen allows control of automation, security,
surveillance, media, HVAC and community/Web applications.
Implementing the project was a terrific experience, both for e-Home and our technology Partners. As noted above, there were numerous integration features which had never been used before, typically making maximum use of numerous systems’ capabilities. For example, using certain outputs from the e-Home safety and security system will set off the e-Homegreen automation system and the Opus multi-room system to flash the outdoor boundary lights and produce a siren from the in-ceiling speakers whenever a safety and security or other alarm signal occurs.
An interface was offered that allowed integration of the security, automation and irrigation system so that if the system detects movement in the garden (for example when guests arrive) it will automatically turn the irrigation system off to avoid an embarrassing dousing of the guests.
Watch the e-Home System on The gadget Show
Being a state-of-the-art facility, the SHOWHOUSE has been continuously upgraded and improved, especially the interfaces for the e-Home CONTROLS software. new features include iphone and iPod Touch control, energy monitoring and saving, a distinct integrated pager system developed for the local market to contact servants and drivers, and full control of Media center by touch screen and voice.
The system has shown to be stable and reliable, with practically 100% uptime. The most significant issue was getting the projector back from the producer after it was sent back for the filter to be replaced!
The demonstration facility has been widely well received by journalists, retail clients, home developers and industry professionals. numerous people who check out are impressed that such technology is available today, believing that it is something that only exists in movies. The facility has been seen by numerous VIPs in Dubai, and has been filmed for local, regional and international television stations on a number of occasions.
Equipment List
Automation
e-Homegreen dimmers (halogen lights).
e-Homegreen dimmers (LED lights).
e-Homegreen dimmers (fluorescent lights).
e-Homegreen HVAC controllers (for fan coil unit control).
e-Homegreen LCD wall panels.
e-Home motorized curtain tracks.
e-Home lifestyle 15″ wall-mount touch screen.
e-Home lifestyle iTouch 12″ wireless touch screen.
e-Home lifestyle room Controller.
Amulet devices microphone-enabled Media center remote for voice control.
e-Home CONTROLS software.
Security
e-Home (powered by Cytech) safety and security panel with full power backup.
e-Home safety and security keypad.
e-Home safety and security door intercom.
e-Home safety and security GSM module.
Vivotek PTZ IP cameras with severe environment enclosures.
Access Control
Impro access controller with full Ethernet connection and door controllers.
Impro severe environment access control keypads with reader.
Impro hidden-away access control reader.
Impro indoor slim-line access control keypad with reader.
Audio Video/ Multi-Room
Opus 500 multi-room master controller with 4 zones activated.
Opus touch screen wall controller.
Opus digital amplifiers.
Opus in-ceiling speakers.
42″ LCD high-definition screen.
Drop-down HD DLP projector.
Drop-down projector screen.
Amina in-wall architectural speakers for surround sound.
e-Home AUTOMATION is a leading company of smart home technologies. Their systems are developed to allow seamless control of all aspects of a property, including lighting, climate, appliances, curtains and blinds, multi-room audio/video, security, digital surveillance, entertainment, community applications and energy saving.
www.e-homeautomation.com : All stories labelled ‘Installation’
Share this:
Facebook
Twitter
Reddit
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Email
More
WhatsApp
Print
Skype
Tumblr
Telegram
Pocket