Technical, Qualitative and Energy Analysis of Wireless Control Modules for Distributed Smart Home Systems

Abstract

Distributed smart home systems using wireless communication are increasingly installed and operated in households. Their popularity is due to the ease of installation and configuration. This paper presents a comprehensive technical, quality, and energy analysis of several popular smart home modules. Specifically, it focuses on verifying their power consumption levels, both in standby and active mode, to assess their impact on the energy efficiency of building installations. This is an important aspect in the context of their continuous operation, as well as in relation to the relatively lower power of loads popular in buildings, such as LED lighting. The author presents the results of measurements carried out for seven different smart home modules controlling seven different types of loads. The analysis of the results shows a significant share of home automation modules in the energy balance; in particular, the appearance of reactive power consumption due to the installation of smart home modules is noteworthy. Bearing in mind all the threads of the analysis and discussion of the results of measurement experiments, a short SWOT analysis is presented, with an indication of important issues in the context of further development of smart systems and the Internet of Things with wireless communication interfaces, dedicated to home and building applications.