SMART HOME CONTROL

 

Artikel in der Kategorie Remote Control

• Test of the smart socket Konyks Priska

  Montag, 26. August 2019 - keine Kommentare - in Remote Control

  Today, we are testing another outlet of the brand Priska Mini. A totally different plug from its big sister since it is not a multiplug this time, but a simple model and especially one with very small dimensions.

  A plug that is not without evoking another plug that is well known in the smart home environment. Indeed, there are many similarities with the Z-wave Fibaro Wall Plug. Next to each other, it's hard to believe.

  A copy and paste in the design, it is true that the Fibaro brand is a reference in home automation, for its technology of course, but also for its small size. Indeed, its size allows it to be connected to a power strip without encroaching on a nearby outlet, and this is a real plus. Of course, the Konyks Priska is also eligible for this rule. This makes it a choice choice for those looking for a Wi-Fi smart socket.

  

  Installation and configuration of the Konyks Priska socket

  Now that the presentations are made, let's get to the heart of the matter and move on to the installation of the smart outlet. As with the Polyco we tested a few months ago, the Priska is just as easy to implement.

  • Start by plugging the plug into a household electrical outlet.
  • Then launch the application available free of charge from Apple or Android application stores.
  • Go through the top right corner of the application to add a new device and select Electrical outlets from the list provided. Then press and hold the plug button until it lights up.
  • The plug is detected, connected and in progress. Then, all that remains is to give it a name and an assignment document.

  The Konyks Priska smart socket and its features

  That's it, the plug is now installed. Simple and quick! Now turn the plug on or off from anywhere on your smartphone.

  To go further, this smart socket is not only remotely triggered. It can also be programmed with a timer or rulers with recurrence.

  Finally, like its big sister, it is not always necessary to take the smartphone out of the pocket to turn your device on or off. Compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Home voice assistants, it is also possible to simply operate an electrical voice device.

  OK google, turn on the TV. Alexa, start the coffee maker!

  But Konyks is also about integration with home automation systems. Not directly yes, but using the IFTTT service, compared with Aqara outlet. Thus, the Priska socket can be operated directly by your home automation scenarios. So here is another dimension to give it another dimension. Finally, IFTTT also means interaction with the very many services that are accessible there and therefore borders that are still being pushed back.

• Fibaro CO sensor Test

  Mittwoch, 27. März 2019 - keine Kommentare - in Remote Control

  Carbon monoxide is an odourless, colourless and non-irritating gas, making it difficult for humans to detect. However, it is particularly toxic and responsible for many domestic poisonings, unfortunately very often fatal. It is therefore becoming extremely important to protect yourself from it in each of our homes, which is the purpose of this article of the day with this new z-Wave CO detector and can therefore be integrated into home automation boxes and, consequently, an integral part of the system and scenarios of the connected house.

   

  This gas comes from poor combustion, often from domestic heating systems combined with poor ventilation. Its density being close to that of air, this gas spreads very easily and quickly in the fireplace making it all the more dangerous.

  We are at a time of year when our heating systems are operating at full capacity. It is therefore important to raise your awareness of this domestic risk and to introduce you to this peripheral of the z-wave Fibaro range, which will be able to prevent and protect the inhabitants of your home from this major risk!

  As a reminder, carbon monoxide poisoning represents between 6000 and 8000 cases per year in France. It is the leading cause of death from intoxication in France.

  

  The Fibaro CO sensor from Fibaro
  CO detectors are quite rare in the list of Z-Wave home automation devices or quite expensive. With its new peripheral, Fibaro is expanding its catalogue a little more and offers us a carbon monoxide detector designed and connected for less than 100€.

  Fibaro and known for its very stylish peripherals. Its smoke detector had already revolutionized the home automation environment, small, discreet and design, it fits perfectly into the home decor without denoting, while ensuring the protection of the fireplace against fire.

  With its new FGCD-001 detector, Fibaro continues this lineage. It's not surprising that the same detector as the brand's smoke detector is used.

   

  Identical housing
  Identical size
  Same feeding mode
  Identical secondary functions

   

  Indeed, take a Fibaro smoke detector, substitute the smoke detection function with components capable of detecting carbon monoxide and you get a connected CO detector, capable of warning you in case of CO in the air while indicating the room temperature via the same device.

   

  The technical characteristics
  Module type: Z-Wave transmitter
  Power supply: 3V Lithium Battery CR123A
  Battery life: 3 years
  Service life under typical conditions: 8 years
  Measuring range of the CO concentration: 0-450 ppm
  Measurement accuracy: ±10ppm / ±5%.
  Radio frequency: 868.42 MHz
  Transmission distance: 50m free field, 40m indoor
  Dimensions: 65 x 28 mm (diameter x height)
  Operating temperature: 0-50°C
  Operating humidity: 0% - 93%.
  Temperature measurement range: 0 to 60°C
  Alarm response time (default setting): 50ppm 60-90min; 100ppm 10-40min; 300ppm <1.5min
  Noise level: 85 dB at 3m
  Standards: R&TTE 1999/5/EC; RoHS 2011/65/EU; EN 60950-1

  
  How to install a carbon monoxide detector?
  The installation of a carbon monoxide (or CO) detector is an important point for optimal operation of the device and a guarantee of detection and alerting the occupants of the home. It is therefore important to comply with the few rules relating to the installation of the detector. They are not complicated, but, nevertheless, it is imperative to respect them.

  First, this detector must be installed in the room where the fuel appliance is located. Ideally, therefore, in a house:

  the room where the boiler is located
  the kitchen if you cook with gas
  the living room if you heat yourself with a fireplace or stove
  the garage if you perform frequent operations on internal combustion engines

   

  Mount the detector on a wall
  Place the detector more than 30cm from the ceiling
  Keep a minimum distance of 180cm from the ground
  Make sure to place the detector above the highest level of the sashes
  Observe about 2m with the combustion source
  Finally, make sure that no obstacles are placed within a 30cm radius.

   

  And on the side of smart home hub
  Of course, this device is supported by the Fibaro gateway, that goes without saying. It is also supported by the Eedomus box and by Jeedom. We will soon see how to install this new detector on the last two as well as the options and possible configuration on each of them.

  This detector has a z-wave plus chip, which makes it less energy consuming and installable further from the box, an important point when you know that many boilers are in garages and basements, sometimes far from the home automation system.

  For the most curious among you, know that this device behaves exactly like its little brother the smoke sensor of Fibaro on the Jeedom and Eedomus boxes.

   

  Conclusion
  As always, Fibaro delivers a very good quality device, well finished, discreet and pretty to look at. But above all, it makes it possible to make your home a little more secure against the risks of CO poisoning. So yes, this device has a cost, it is still displayed at a price a little less than 100€, but it is an important security axis of the home that deserves this investment to protect our families.

  Finally, like its little brother, this new device also allows you to raise the temperature in the room where it is installed in the home automation system.

• BlueHub: when Siri can make life easier

  Dienstag, 6. November 2018 - keine Kommentare - in Remote Control

  This was a subject I had addressed in my book, the "Guide to the Home and Related Objects", by demonstrating the interest that home automation can have for people with reduced mobility. Last Monday, I was able to attend the presentation of BlueLinea, a French company specializing in this field, which is a good illustration of what I said. A short video of Bluelinea presents its activity very well, through testimonies:

   

  

   

  Last Monday, the company announced the launch of its new product, BlueHub, in collaboration with Apple, since the solution in question is based on Homekit and Siri. Even if the solution is not Bluelinea's, this video broadcast by Apple in the United States shows very well the interest of home automation and Siri for people with reduced mobility:

  Already having solid knowledge in the field, as well as an adapted product catalog, BlueLinea wanted to go further by proposing a complete home automation solution, adapted to each person, each disability being different, with its particular constraints. Working closely with Apple, as well as other giants in the field of home automation and automation (Hager, Legrand, Somfy, Geze), it has developed a solution that incorporates the best of today's technology, with the man/machine interface using Apple's Homekit and its Siri voice assistant.

  The technology exists, it just needed to be made available, especially in France, but above all to be easily installable, reliable and affordable. Some specialized equipment, such as remote controls, exist, but are extremely expensive due to the number of products manufactured in small quantities. The result is a very high price, and a very long renewal period, as the technologies are not all new. This is how Blue Hub was born, which comes in the form of a starter pack, which will be sold at around €2000 to some 2500 certified installers of the Handibat network, which includes installers specializing in home support.

  The solution has been designed to be "industrializable", scalable, and durable, based on open protocols, such as Z-wave, as we can see on the content photo, which offers Fibaro devices in particular. The heart of the system is a din rail block, which will therefore be housed directly in the electrical panel, avoiding any maintenance and handling errors on the part of the user. The strength of this solution is also based on the network of Handibat installers, but also Silverbat (Handibat being specialized for people with reduced mobility, and Silverbat for seniors).

  In addition to the equipment, it is also the support offered by Bluelinea 24/24 that is a real plus, both for the installer and the user.

  On the user side, no complicated application: everything happens in the "Home" application, native to Apple devices, which we presented here. From favorites in the iOS dashboard, to voice control using Siri, all the uses planned by Homekit are of course available. The Apple TV can then become the center of the house, since as a reminder, it is the one that bridges the gap between home and the outside.

  Initially intended for people with loss of autonomy, linked to old age or disability, these solutions are already of interest to the general public, which is naturally part of the development of "Smart Home" in France and then in Europe.

  Home automation can help in many areas, to save energy, improve safety, or increase comfort. For most people, home automation for comfort comes last, because it is still difficult to justify an expense of 200€ for example to drive bulbs with your smartphone. But for nearly 20% of the population, simple actions such as turning on the light, opening a door or closing shutters can quickly become extremely complicated. This population includes all people with disabilities, reduced mobility and seniors, who may suffer from osteoarthritis, for example. Here, this "comfort" home automation system, which may seem like a gadget, makes sense. You just have to think it through and put it in place correctly. A bet that seems to have worked for Bluelinea.

• How to choose the good cylinder electric linear

  Mittwoch, 30. Mai 2018 - keine Kommentare - in Remote Control

  In essential terms, a direct electric actuator is a gadget that produces a straight line motion and is powered by a source of external vitality.

   

  This movement is usually accomplished by expanding and retracting a bar or by a slider that moves forward a track. Straight electric cylinders have an almost unlimited number of uses. They are used as part of the social insurance division, in machine and mechanical work applications, in home and office computerization, in sunlight-based frames, and even in aviation innovation. The strides that accompany it will determine which right electric actuator will suit my application.

   

  Determine the amount of force required

  How heavy is the question moved or raised in your project? Automations transmits a range of items from small scale straight electric cylinders with a drive limit of 15 lbs to substantial obligation direct mechanical electric rf remote control cylinders equipped to move powers up to 2000 lbs.

   

  

   

  Determine the distance the electric cylinder must travel

  What separation do you need to move something in your project? This is called the strike length and decides how far the right 220v electric cylinder will move on one side.  Automations transport various direct electric cylinders with strokes from 1" to 60".

   

  Determine the required speed

  Should your project be fast or moderate? The speed of a direct electric cylinder is measured separately every second. The particular sheet for a direct electric actuator will tell you the speed at which the electric linear actuator controller kit is rated. In most cases, the higher the required drive, the slower the electric actuator moves.