Smart Home. Saturday , July 28th , 2018 - 17:23:14 PM
Rising penetration of internet of things is one of the major factors responsible for the innovations taking place in smart home automation technology. Arrival of smart thermostat technologies such as Z-Wave, C-Bus, ZigBee, KNX, EnOcean, and others has simplified the adoption and implementation of wireless technology. This technology plays a crucial role in the insanely increasing popularity of home automation. Major companies in the market are keen in investing heavily in research and development along with business collaborations. Growing demand for home entertainment, security, and energy management can be considered as a vital sign of growth for this industry.
While technology is becoming more and more "distributed", a central server is the standard and perfectly future-proof solution for your home. By "server" we mean a system comprising a processor, file storage and networking. The range in servers is huge - you could have a single USB drive connected to the network and call it a server, or a powerful computer with massive storage. For most people, a system with at least one hard drive and a processor less than five years old is adequate. Of course, the server should be wired directly into your network at the fastest possible connection speed. You can purchase a "DLNA" server, "NAS" server (for several hundred US dollars) or high-end system to control your entire house (several thousand or more US dollars). But in fact any personal computer, laptop or even a capable Internet router will suffice. Some internet routers have a USB port that you can connect a USB hard drive to, and the router's processor can handle the media streaming, provided the router has appropriate software installed, such as a DLNA server. You can install free DLNA or other server software on a Windows or Mac PC in minutes. Basically you can re-use an old computer to act as a home server, or buymake a new computer specially. Many networking devices run on Linux, so if you see something like a NAS or DLNA server for sale, just remember you can install Linux on an old computer and easily replicate or surpass the supposedly high performance dedicated servers for sale today. When choosing your server, make sure a) It's networking speed is at least 100Mbits b) It has plentiful storage space c) The processor is at least less than five years old. Normally, providing the network speed is very fast and the processor quite recent, spend as much money as possible on the storage, such as multiple, high-capacity hard disks.
So now you have the high power and superfast data ready for plugging your devices into, the first thing you'll probably want is some music. Because you'll need it to keep you energized while you install and setup the rest of your smart home! If your server is already online, or you have a portable storage device like a phone, you will need some kind of music receiver. It could be short-range like Bluetooth, or have longer range like WIFI. But the most important aspect is convenience - with music you want instant playback or listening becomes more stress than enjoyment. Look for a music receiver with always-on connection like Bluetooth, WIFI, or simply a 3.5mm analogue input cable ready to plug into. If all your music is on your server, again convenience reins supreme - choose a music player with fast and easy navigation to find your favorite song or playlist. Then, just add speakers! For TV, video, movies and games you will need some kind of screen - be it a computer screen, TV, projector or portable device like an iPad. But not all screens are created equal - some are smart, some aren't. If your screen is just a display alone, you will need something with a processor to retrieve and control your content. New "Smart" TV's have the necessary processor and software to work with most servers - if you have an older TV or just a screen you can buy a "Smart TV box" or "Dongle" that can do the same. Unlike Music, for video content you do need a good processor to display your content reliably, so choose a newer "Smart" TV or media player. Normally speaking, the newer it is, the longer you will be able to use it.
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