SMART life
Today we will tell you in detail about our Smart Automation System project presented at the Russian StartUp Tour. The guys working on the project identified the most important advantages of the Smart Home, explained why automation is needed and why you should not be afraid of hacking the system.
From left to right: Yulia Yakimovich (interface development), Alexander Slobodyan (client developer), Yury Hanetsky (server architecture), Alexander Bogdanovich (project manager)
')
Smart home projects are becoming more popular. On the Internet you can find many articles on how to make smart home yourself. Why did you decide that you can offer the system better?
Alexander B.: In most automation systems that are present on the market, there is no balance, that “golden mean” between the standard user interface and the possibility of its expansion. In some systems, the interfaces are very overloaded and display too much information at once. They are designed for people with a technical mindset and are not adapted for the average user who can easily use it in everyday life. Other systems are very beautifully drawn (some even for individual orders), offer a lot of options. But a significant drawback of such systems is that in order to add new functions and sensors, they need to be completely redrawn and redone, for which you need to contact the manufacturer, most often not for free.
Our system is flexible and allows you to expand and add new sensors to it without serious consequences. Thanks to Olya Mikhailova and Yulia Yakimovich, the interface has been carefully designed and adapted for any user: from children and housewives to tech-savvy people.
We use some basic things that exist in other systems, but it wins due to a carefully thought-out interface that anyone can easily understand. It is also very easy to add new items. There is no need to go to our office, order a new plan, editor, redraw something. The user himself pulls his sensors onto the floor plan, which he himself creates in the editor.
In addition, we have integrated automation and video surveillance , which is integrated into our system not only in the form of a picture, we can control the cameras directly from our system. We use Felenasoft's proven Xeoma software, which allows you to use your product in a commercial environment.
Yuri: we also use z-wave devices for wireless networking. In fact, the system can be deployed for ready repair. It all depends on the budget of the person who wants to install the system. Many sensors are miniature with a neutral color.
Alexander B.: Thus, our system has 6 key advantages:
What is the practical use of the system? Will it roll down to the smart light system?
Alexander B.: Practical application is in the words “smart automation”. Automation in our product is a series of solutions that allow you to simplify the routine in everyday life for the user, ranging from lighting, monitoring equipment, lighting and ending with lawn watering. Consider the scenario of arriving home: the system will turn on the necessary lighting, open the garage door, provide data to the user from motion sensors, cameras.
Julia: In addition, the society should develop, while caring for the world around it. Full automation of the house is directly related to the environment. Such systems allow you to fully control costs , reducing the consumption of many resources. Which also leads to savings in the financial costs of the consumer. The emergence of automation systems is an integral part of the development of society.
Alexander B.: Life runs forward, accelerates, I want to do a lot of things and accomplish in the short period of time we spend at home, and I would like to devote this time not to my home routine, but to my family and friends.
Will there be any benefit for people with disabilities?
Alexander B.: Yes, definitely. First, home automation will be useful for those who care for people with disabilities. These people will always know what is happening in the house during their absence (with the help of various kinds of notifications about critical situations in the premises - raising the temperature, switched on appliances). In the future, we plan to integrate our system with GPS and various biometric systems. So we will further facilitate the care of people with disabilities.
Secondly, automation systems are useful for people with disabilities. They can independently control the lighting, temperature, opening or closing of doors, etc. without any extra effort.
Can you list some more advantages of the automation system?
Alexander B.: One of the essential advantages of the system is the economy : the system controls the consumption of resources (electricity, water).
As I said, the user will be spared from the routine . It should be noted that there is a big difference between the residents of apartments and private houses. The difference is in the floor space. In a private house with several floors and a garage it is hard to run back and forth - it was experienced. And trite: leaving for work, the ability to make sure that everything is off, and not to bypass the whole house.
The next situation is going on vacation. The keys to the apartment / house are usually left to relatives or neighbors, so there is some concern. Our system allows not only to remotely monitor the condition of the room, but also to control individual elements, such as watering flowers, and also allows you to monitor the room, energy consumption. All this is possible thanks to a given action scenario. And if there is any penetration, the motion sensor will react and be able to notify the landlord that some kind of system change has occurred. Here it is worth noting that the user himself sets the behavior scenarios in different modes: vacation, at work, at home, etc. Depending on these modes, the user himself through simple convenient scenarios creates a specific set of actions that he can control remotely and react in time.
How much is the Smart Home system? Will an ordinary person be able to afford the installation of the entire system or is it only for owners of luxury houses?
Alexander B.: we are also counting on the system for those who are not ready to spend large sums on automation, and on those who can pay. It all depends on the number of devices that the user wants to install. It’s hard to give exact numbers, but anyone can find out about the cost of the server - mini PC - it is he who is the basis of our system, as well as a set of Z-wave devices, sensors, on the basis of which we have a system. If the user wants to control only the smoke and movement in the room, then you need to put a smoke sensor and one camera, mini PC server, and the cost of such a set will be up to $ 1000. Again, the price also depends on the cost of the mini PC. Here we can not dictate and set the exact cost of the finished system, since we do not sell mini PCs / sensors / controllers. In general, the cost of the system will not be high, since we are counting on the general public. A ready-made set of controllers, to which you can purchase the necessary sensors, costs about $ 250.
At the moment, we are interested in several people who are ready to use our system with their devices. We are also open to cooperation with those who supply z-wave devices and mini PCs.
A careful analysis of such systems makes their “problem areas” obvious. For example - what will happen to the door locks and other automation in the event that electricity is lost?
Yuri: some sensors use independent power sources (batteries, in particular). The opening / closing of locks does not affect the presence of electricity, i.e. if the lock is closed, it will not open automatically when a power outage occurs, because the manufacturers of z-wave devices themselves have provided for opening the key in a similar situation.
As for the data on the server, we use an uninterruptible power supply unit; we also provide for backup of critical data for recovery: both local (on a flash device) and global on a support server. When the system is restarted, the data will be updated by polling all disconnected devices along with the data synchronization in the backup storage. Thus, user data will not be lost.
Alexander B.: If there is a diesel generator in the house, then a power outage will not affect the system in any way. If not, then our server will continue to work and the sensors on batteries, which will remain operational, even if UPS or our server stops working.
Moreover, in z-wave-devices there is such an option as binding the sensors to each other. Naturally, they cannot send e-mail or push-notifications, but one sensor can send a command to another. A simple example: a motion sensor and a lock. When the light is turned off, the motion sensor can send a command to the lock open / close sensor to check its status. I will note that such situations need to be thought through independently, we cannot foresee everything, but this is not necessary - we have provided the user with the opportunity to customize any scenarios with any sensors - exactly those that are in his house.
Yuri: there are also sensors that are installed on the power line itself. And theoretically, with their help, we can track the outage. The system itself will still maintain performance at the expense of UPS, but we will receive data that there is no electricity, and we will be able to handle the situation.
Alexander B.: Yes, the server can still work for a long time, depending on the load on the UPS, and send notifications to the landlord about the power outage in the house. The user will then be able to take any action on his part.
Another “problem zone” is the protection of user data, which we decided by using authorization and communication with the client server via the HTTPS protocol with additional data encryption.
Further bottlenecks can be detected during beta testing and promptly implemented protective measures.
The following question was raised about the protection of personal data. Is it dangerous to connect to such a system via the Internet?
Yuri: we will have the opportunity to work with the system without connecting to the global network . The user will be able to control the home by connecting to a locally-organized network using wi-fi or ethernet. Nobody will connect from the outside. I see no reason to be afraid of connecting via the Internet, because now everyone has google accounts, cloud storage, where users store their personal data, the same photos.
But for reinsurance, local connection to the house is the most reliable option, since Only the person in the house can connect to this network.
Alexander B.: for greater reliability, the tablet can be tied to a server and an encryption key can be used when connecting; the server will be able to give access only to those mobile devices that it knows. Even knowing the username and password, the attacker will not be able to access the system, and the connection will be terminated.
If you lose your phone or tablet, you can quickly block access to this device and the attacker will also not be able to access the system.
Yuri: another option is that during the initial authorization, the user must be in the house and connect via the local network to receive the encryption key and enter the login-password pair. Otherwise, the server will not provide it with the key required for authorization.
Alexander B.: there are many options and opportunities. I want to note only that the authorization mechanism will be clearly established and the specified number of options will provide reliable protection against hacking.
In the next part of our interview, we will talk in detail about the technical side of the project, the general scheme of interaction, interface features and problems encountered during development.
From left to right: Yulia Yakimovich (interface development), Alexander Slobodyan (client developer), Yury Hanetsky (server architecture), Alexander Bogdanovich (project manager)
')
Smart home projects are becoming more popular. On the Internet you can find many articles on how to make smart home yourself. Why did you decide that you can offer the system better?
Alexander B.: In most automation systems that are present on the market, there is no balance, that “golden mean” between the standard user interface and the possibility of its expansion. In some systems, the interfaces are very overloaded and display too much information at once. They are designed for people with a technical mindset and are not adapted for the average user who can easily use it in everyday life. Other systems are very beautifully drawn (some even for individual orders), offer a lot of options. But a significant drawback of such systems is that in order to add new functions and sensors, they need to be completely redrawn and redone, for which you need to contact the manufacturer, most often not for free.
Our system is flexible and allows you to expand and add new sensors to it without serious consequences. Thanks to Olya Mikhailova and Yulia Yakimovich, the interface has been carefully designed and adapted for any user: from children and housewives to tech-savvy people.
We use some basic things that exist in other systems, but it wins due to a carefully thought-out interface that anyone can easily understand. It is also very easy to add new items. There is no need to go to our office, order a new plan, editor, redraw something. The user himself pulls his sensors onto the floor plan, which he himself creates in the editor.
In addition, we have integrated automation and video surveillance , which is integrated into our system not only in the form of a picture, we can control the cameras directly from our system. We use Felenasoft's proven Xeoma software, which allows you to use your product in a commercial environment.
Yuri: we also use z-wave devices for wireless networking. In fact, the system can be deployed for ready repair. It all depends on the budget of the person who wants to install the system. Many sensors are miniature with a neutral color.
Alexander B.: Thus, our system has 6 key advantages:
- Simple ability to expand and add new sensors to the system
- The filter system in the interface, which hide unnecessary user sensors at the moment
- The presence of two modes: simple and expert, when the user receives additional information about the system
- Ability to independently edit the plan of the house in a convenient editor
- Combining automation and video surveillance into a single system
- The ability to implement the system after repairing the premises
What is the practical use of the system? Will it roll down to the smart light system?
Alexander B.: Practical application is in the words “smart automation”. Automation in our product is a series of solutions that allow you to simplify the routine in everyday life for the user, ranging from lighting, monitoring equipment, lighting and ending with lawn watering. Consider the scenario of arriving home: the system will turn on the necessary lighting, open the garage door, provide data to the user from motion sensors, cameras.
Julia: In addition, the society should develop, while caring for the world around it. Full automation of the house is directly related to the environment. Such systems allow you to fully control costs , reducing the consumption of many resources. Which also leads to savings in the financial costs of the consumer. The emergence of automation systems is an integral part of the development of society.
Alexander B.: Life runs forward, accelerates, I want to do a lot of things and accomplish in the short period of time we spend at home, and I would like to devote this time not to my home routine, but to my family and friends.
Will there be any benefit for people with disabilities?
Alexander B.: Yes, definitely. First, home automation will be useful for those who care for people with disabilities. These people will always know what is happening in the house during their absence (with the help of various kinds of notifications about critical situations in the premises - raising the temperature, switched on appliances). In the future, we plan to integrate our system with GPS and various biometric systems. So we will further facilitate the care of people with disabilities.
Secondly, automation systems are useful for people with disabilities. They can independently control the lighting, temperature, opening or closing of doors, etc. without any extra effort.
Can you list some more advantages of the automation system?
Alexander B.: One of the essential advantages of the system is the economy : the system controls the consumption of resources (electricity, water).
As I said, the user will be spared from the routine . It should be noted that there is a big difference between the residents of apartments and private houses. The difference is in the floor space. In a private house with several floors and a garage it is hard to run back and forth - it was experienced. And trite: leaving for work, the ability to make sure that everything is off, and not to bypass the whole house.
The next situation is going on vacation. The keys to the apartment / house are usually left to relatives or neighbors, so there is some concern. Our system allows not only to remotely monitor the condition of the room, but also to control individual elements, such as watering flowers, and also allows you to monitor the room, energy consumption. All this is possible thanks to a given action scenario. And if there is any penetration, the motion sensor will react and be able to notify the landlord that some kind of system change has occurred. Here it is worth noting that the user himself sets the behavior scenarios in different modes: vacation, at work, at home, etc. Depending on these modes, the user himself through simple convenient scenarios creates a specific set of actions that he can control remotely and react in time.
How much is the Smart Home system? Will an ordinary person be able to afford the installation of the entire system or is it only for owners of luxury houses?
Alexander B.: we are also counting on the system for those who are not ready to spend large sums on automation, and on those who can pay. It all depends on the number of devices that the user wants to install. It’s hard to give exact numbers, but anyone can find out about the cost of the server - mini PC - it is he who is the basis of our system, as well as a set of Z-wave devices, sensors, on the basis of which we have a system. If the user wants to control only the smoke and movement in the room, then you need to put a smoke sensor and one camera, mini PC server, and the cost of such a set will be up to $ 1000. Again, the price also depends on the cost of the mini PC. Here we can not dictate and set the exact cost of the finished system, since we do not sell mini PCs / sensors / controllers. In general, the cost of the system will not be high, since we are counting on the general public. A ready-made set of controllers, to which you can purchase the necessary sensors, costs about $ 250.
At the moment, we are interested in several people who are ready to use our system with their devices. We are also open to cooperation with those who supply z-wave devices and mini PCs.
A careful analysis of such systems makes their “problem areas” obvious. For example - what will happen to the door locks and other automation in the event that electricity is lost?
Yuri: some sensors use independent power sources (batteries, in particular). The opening / closing of locks does not affect the presence of electricity, i.e. if the lock is closed, it will not open automatically when a power outage occurs, because the manufacturers of z-wave devices themselves have provided for opening the key in a similar situation.
As for the data on the server, we use an uninterruptible power supply unit; we also provide for backup of critical data for recovery: both local (on a flash device) and global on a support server. When the system is restarted, the data will be updated by polling all disconnected devices along with the data synchronization in the backup storage. Thus, user data will not be lost.
Alexander B.: If there is a diesel generator in the house, then a power outage will not affect the system in any way. If not, then our server will continue to work and the sensors on batteries, which will remain operational, even if UPS or our server stops working.
Moreover, in z-wave-devices there is such an option as binding the sensors to each other. Naturally, they cannot send e-mail or push-notifications, but one sensor can send a command to another. A simple example: a motion sensor and a lock. When the light is turned off, the motion sensor can send a command to the lock open / close sensor to check its status. I will note that such situations need to be thought through independently, we cannot foresee everything, but this is not necessary - we have provided the user with the opportunity to customize any scenarios with any sensors - exactly those that are in his house.
Yuri: there are also sensors that are installed on the power line itself. And theoretically, with their help, we can track the outage. The system itself will still maintain performance at the expense of UPS, but we will receive data that there is no electricity, and we will be able to handle the situation.
Alexander B.: Yes, the server can still work for a long time, depending on the load on the UPS, and send notifications to the landlord about the power outage in the house. The user will then be able to take any action on his part.
Another “problem zone” is the protection of user data, which we decided by using authorization and communication with the client server via the HTTPS protocol with additional data encryption.
Further bottlenecks can be detected during beta testing and promptly implemented protective measures.
The following question was raised about the protection of personal data. Is it dangerous to connect to such a system via the Internet?
Yuri: we will have the opportunity to work with the system without connecting to the global network . The user will be able to control the home by connecting to a locally-organized network using wi-fi or ethernet. Nobody will connect from the outside. I see no reason to be afraid of connecting via the Internet, because now everyone has google accounts, cloud storage, where users store their personal data, the same photos.
But for reinsurance, local connection to the house is the most reliable option, since Only the person in the house can connect to this network.
Alexander B.: for greater reliability, the tablet can be tied to a server and an encryption key can be used when connecting; the server will be able to give access only to those mobile devices that it knows. Even knowing the username and password, the attacker will not be able to access the system, and the connection will be terminated.
If you lose your phone or tablet, you can quickly block access to this device and the attacker will also not be able to access the system.
Yuri: another option is that during the initial authorization, the user must be in the house and connect via the local network to receive the encryption key and enter the login-password pair. Otherwise, the server will not provide it with the key required for authorization.
Alexander B.: there are many options and opportunities. I want to note only that the authorization mechanism will be clearly established and the specified number of options will provide reliable protection against hacking.
In the next part of our interview, we will talk in detail about the technical side of the project, the general scheme of interaction, interface features and problems encountered during development.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/256873/
All Articles