Home Automation
... system coupled to compatible ancillary management devices designed to carry out specific network tasks (like routers etc.). The serious approach to building a networked home environment starts with selecting appropriate devices that allow a high degree of interactive compatibility or a hardware component that offers multi-function operations. There is no point installing an array of separate components designed to manage only one function such as home automation or security or Intercom or complex IR distribution or telephone networks or CCTV or (in some cases), lighting or sprinklers or heating and the list can go on. The cost to try to inter-connect them (if possible) is expensive and makes little economic sense. If you can achieve the same configuration using one or two multi-function components linked together that can do almost everything the combination of components can do, using a single program software interface would be a huge advantage to the average homeowner. Careful research and planning are the most fundamental issues that have to be addressed if you want an automated domestic framework that has expansion qualities with built-in longevity. Security Selecting the optimum combination of products is critical to establishing a home that meets all the occupant's needs and expectations. Creating a Network Centric environment is one process, allowing for integration of automated control now or in the future. The Network Centric Home security features will evolve around a network server that will be used to centrally manage the security infrastructure. The infrastructure will include those security features that are internal and external to the home. The security infrastructure will be designed to allow for remote (Internet) monitoring of the installed systems. There are two main security issues related to the Network Centric Home. First, there are the security features that will be included in the proposed system and secondly, there are those security issues that pertain to the home network. Selection of specific security features will depend upon the vendors’ compliance with the appropriate standards for interoperability with the security infrastructure. Hardware and software must be compatible and include sufficient documentation. Due to the potential wide variety of different vendor applications, the security server will most likely be a Linux based machine that supports wireless technology and Internet Protocol version-6 (IPv6). The IPv6 will support future infrastructure modernization/upgrade and other enhancements as well helping to meet unique IP demands. One of the primary aims is to provide plug&play (PnP) functionality on the networking level. As appliances and terminals are brought in and turned-on, they should be rapidly recognized and configured with minimal user intervention (Future Home, 2002). Video surveillance can be used for both security and safety. Video Cameras can be strategically places and used to monitor the property for intruders and/or for safety purposes such as the monitoring of play areas or nurseries. Installed cameras can be wirelessly linked to command consoles (or server) for display on selected monitors which would be strategically placed throughout the premises and/or digitally recorded as desired. Video equipment can include motion detection and infrared (night) capability as necessary. Lighting can be installed to enhance the convenience, safety, and security of the home. This lighting, when combined with motion detection equipment and light sensors, can also provide economic benefits by eliminating the traditional waste of electricity when lights are left on. Outdoor floodlights that are combined with motion detection and wireless cameras can be used to deter theft and vandalism and provide a lit path to the door. Lighting control systems can be linked either wirelessly or through the installed electrical wiring to the command console. Security of a home or dwelling can be significantly enhanced with the installation of an automated locking system. The new systems include voice activated, keycard, touch pad, or finger print readers. All these system can be integrated into the security system using wired or wireless network connections. Access to the premises can be controlled to permit specific time-of-day and/or day-of-week entry as necessary. These systems should include a back-up key entry for emergency use. Home and premise security equipment should include a variety of sensors to monitor the integrity of the home and fenced-in areas. Wireless intrusion and motion detection sensors can be used to provide a heightened awareness of potential trouble. Additional wireless sensors that detect fire/smoke or other hazardous substances including, but not limited to, carbon monoxide or radon gas can be included within the security infrastructure. Network Security There are two network related security issues that must be addressed. These issues include the end-to-end data encryption of the wireless communication links and accessibility to the security features. Special emphasis should be placed on ensuring the privacy of the wireless local area network (WLAN). WLANs, which use radio waves, do not have the same physical structure and therefore are more vulnerable to tampering. The end-to-end data encryption can be resolved by using wireless LAN equipment that provides encryption using either Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) or Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). The following is a breakdown of the security features provided by both WEP and WPA. WEP aims to provide security by encrypting data over radio waves so that it is protected as it is transmitted from one end point to another. However, it has been found that WEP is not as secure as once believed. WEP is used at the two lowest layers of the OSI model - the data link and physical layers; it therefore does not offer end-to-end security. WPA is a new Wi-Fi standard that was designed to improve on the existing security features of WEP. This new technology works with existing products such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11b standards, which have been enhanced to provide WEP. WPA improves on the security that is already provided by WEP. First, it provides improved data encryption through the use of a temporal key integrity protocol (TKIP) that scrambles the keys by using a hashing type algorithm and then by adding in an integrity-checking feature that ensures the keys have not been tampered with. The second major enhancement involves user authentication through the extensible authentication protocol (EAP). This protocol is built on a much more secure public-key encryption system to ensure that only authorized network users can access the network. Appliances In home automation, one's toaster, television, and coffee pot are no longer simply household appliances, they become information appliances capable of processing data and making decisions. Even today's standard home appliances contain some sophisticated electronics. The only missing ingredient in unlocking the true power of these devices is networking: "The average middle-class American household already has around 40 microprocessors, in cell phones, microwave ovens, self-focusing cameras, and the like. Furthermore, many of these microprocessors are astonishingly powerful. For example, the latest game consoles have more processing power than the supercomputers of a decade ago. However, this power is hidden from the users, who see only a simple interface designed to provide just the basic functionality the device for which it was designed (Odlyzko, 1999)." They just need a system that will link them together. The introduction of smart devices is giving consumers the flexibility of automating tasks. Devices such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), smart phones, and set-top boxes are offering new capabilities and features. Smart devices will be able to control such systems as smart appliances (Internet refrigerator, microwave), electronics (home theater, stereo), and home security systems (Haberman & Tsirtsis, 2000). In order to perform these tasks, the smart devices and the smart appliances will have to be network-capable and globally reachable. Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Plug and Play, or auto-configuration as it is called in IPv6, allows devices to be added to a network with little or no configuration effort. Stateless auto-configuration is the key to keeping the home network simple, yet flexible. By allowing devices to auto-configure network information (e.g. address, gateway, DNS server, etc), the user is relieved of the need to know to configure network information in every device in use on the network (Haberman & Tsirtsis, 2000) The simplicity will allow users who normally would not use networking to utilize it without feeling overwhelmed. The auto-configuration capabilities of IPv6 do not require an administrative server. However, if a user does wish to have such a server, IPv6 supports the use of stateful configuration services that might actually be required for some advanced or legacy applications. This flexibility allows for either a peer-to-peer (i.e. VoIP) or a client-server (i.e. security system control) paradigm to exist within the home network. IPv6 or Internet Protocol Version 6 is designed to replace IPv4 which is called TCP/IP. The advantages of using IPv6 in a home network would include 128-bit addressing, auto-configuration, new security features and the fact that it supports real-time communication and multicasting. Auto-configuration allows a device to assign itself a unique IP address without the intervention of a server. The self-assigned address is based in part on the unique LAN MAC (Media Access Control) address of the device such as a laptop computer. Another aspect that can be utilized with home networking is device and service discovery (Haberman & Tsirtsis, 2000). The function of device discovery is accomplished with the Neighbor Discovery protocol in IPv6. This protocol allows devices on a shared network to efficiently discover the information needed in order for them to communicate. Of more importance to a network user may be the capability to do service discovery. The Service Discovery protocol, allows users to determine if a particular function is available on the network. An example of its use would be a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) trying to determine if a VCR was active on the network so that it could be configured to tape a show. With the development of Internet-capable appliances, it should be noted that embedded devices have capability limitations. These types of devices do not have the capacity to include a fully functional IP stack, such as DHCP client code or a configuration interface. These types of devices should be developed with IPv6 today. This will allow them to utilize the benefits of IPv6 and avoid having to upgrade or replace appliances in the future. Smart Appliances Millions of so-called "smart toilets" have been sold in Japan (Mitchell, 2004). These toilets automatically analyze fluids for indications of health problems. They also monitor a person's body temperature and blood pressure. The data from these units may not be so useful to the average person, but by transmitting results over a network to a medical care facility, doctors may remotely monit...