Sensors for Home Automation | Types, benefits, manufacturers
This article covers home automation sensors types and their functions. It mentions benefits of sensors used in home automation and manufacturers of sensors used in smart buildings.
Introduction: Before the development of the smart homes and buildings people were having several issues in their home environments. They need to manually control various devices and systems which resulted into inconvenience and time consuming tasks. Moreover systems were not optimized for energy savings and lacking in interconnectivity and communication capabilities. Home owners had limited access to real time data and information about their homes which are essential to monitor security threats.
Smart home automation offers numerous benefits such as increased convenience and efficiency, enhanced energy savings, remote monitoring and control, personalized settings, improved security and safety and seamless integration of devices and systems.
Several wireless technologies have made it possible to control devices and systems wirelessly from short and long distances for home automation in smart buildings. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Zwave, Insteon, EnOcean, Thread, LoRaWAN, 4G LTE and 5G are widely used wireless technologies. Sensors play vital role in smart home automation for data collection, automation and control, optimizing energy efficiency, to enhance comfort and convenience, providing security and safety etc.
Types of Home Automation Sensors for smart buildings
Following are the types of sensors used in smart building home automation systems to monitor and control different aspects.
• Motion sensors : They are used to detect movement within specific range. For security applications, these sensors trigger alarms or
activate surveillance cameras when motion is detected. They are also integrated into lighting systems to turn lights ON or OFF based on movement.
• Occupancy sensors : These sensors are used to detect presence or absence of people in a room or area.
They allow automatic control of HVAC systems based on occupancy. This optimizes energy usage and comfort.
• Light sensors : They are used to measure intensity of ambient light. They are used in smart lighting to adjust lighting levels based on
natural light conditions. This optimizes energy usage and minimizes spending on electric bills.
• Temperature sensors : They are used to measure ambient temperature in different areas of a building. This is used to provide feedback to
HVAC systems to regulate and maintain minimum temperature required.
• Humidity sensors : They are used to measure moisture content in the air. This is used to provide feedback to
HVAC systems to control humidity levels. This ensures comfort for occupants and prevent growth of mold.
• Window/Door sensors : These sensors monitor status (open or close) of doors and windows.
These sensors are often integrated into security systems which alerts owners when door/window is left open or if unauthorized access is detected.
• Water leak sensors : These sensors detect presence of water or moisture in areas prone to leaks such as bathrooms,
toilets, basements or near appliances. They are used to trigger alerts or to shut off water supply to prevent further damage.
• CO2 sensors : These sensors are used to monitor concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the indoor air.
They are integrated into ventilation systems to regulate fresh air intake based on CO2 and occupancy levels.
• Smoke and CO sensors : These sensors detect presence of smoke or elevated levels of carbon monoxide.
They are essential for fire safety. They are used to trigger alarms or activate ventilation systems or notify owners
in case of emergencies.
• Noise sensors : They are used to measure ambient noise levels in different locations of the building.
They are used to adjust audio levels automatically and to provide feedback on noise pollution levels.
• There are many more sensors for smart buildings, smart homes, smart cities and IoT (Internet of Things) applications than listed above.
Home Automation Sensors Manufacturers
Following table mentions vendors or manufacturers of home automation sensors.
| Manufacturers or companies | Home Automation sensor types |
|---|---|
| Philips Hue (Signify Holding) | The company manufactures smart lights including bulbs, lightstrips, lamps and other accessories. Hue bridge product acts as smart hub which allows to connect with about 50 smart lights. Smart lights can be controlled using Philips Hue App running on mobile phone. The solutions support bluetooth and zigbee standards. Visit Philips Hue for more information. |
| Home sensors : The devices such as Google Nest include sensors which detect informations such as motion, ambient light, temperature and humidity. Visit Google Nest for more information. | |
| Ecobee | This company based in Canada makes smart thermostats, occupancy and temperature sensor, smart light switches, contact sensors, smart sensors for doors and windows, smart cameras with voice control etc. The devices can be connected wirelessly. Visit ecobee.com for more information. |
| Eve Systems | Eve devices support wireless connectivity using Thread or Wi-Fi and also support Matter protocol specifications. Sensors are integrated into their products which include smart LED Lamp, strip, switch etc. The company develops wireless motion sensor, indoor air quality monitoring device, smart plug, shutter controller, wireless contact sensor for door & window, security cameras, water leak detector etc. Visit evehome.com for more information. |
| Fibaro | The company makes smoke sensor which is designed as per Z-wave technology. It has built-in temperature sensor, sound alarm, light indicator and voice control functionalities. The company also develops intercom, motion sensor, door/window sensor, flood sensor, CO sensor, smart implant etc. Visit fibaro.com for more information on their products. |
| Aeotec | The company makes smart sensors. One such Multisensor-6 consists of 6 sensors in 1 unit which include humidity sensor, motion sensor, temperature sensor, light sensor, vibration sensor and UV sensor. The other sensors developed are security sensor, environment sensor, electricity monitoring sensor, door sensor, water leak sensor etc. The sensors can be powered using either USB or battery. Visit aeotec.com for home automation sensors and more. |
| Honeywell International Inc. | The company manufactures noise sensors, occupancy sensors, light sensors, motion detectors, heat detectors, humidity sensors, flow switches and sensors, current sensors, enthalpy sensors, air quality sensors, air velocity sensors, contact sensors etc. Visit honeywell.com to check more products. |
| Insteon Technologies, Irvine, CA 92620 | Insteon is a wireless technology which supports RF (at 915 MHz) and Powerline (at 132 KHz) physical layers. It supports full mesh topology and about a hundred devices can be configured in a network. There are numerous products available including sensors based on this technology. The sensors include open/close sensor, hidden door sensor, motion sensor, leak sensor, smoke bridge, garage door kit etc. Visit insteon.com to learn basics of this technology and products certified by Insteon. |
| NYCE Sensors Inc. Canada | The company manufactures zigBee wireless products for security and Home Automation applications. |
| EnOcean GmbH | The company is pioneer in wireless energy harvesting technology. The company manufactures self powered sensors for various applications. It supports different frequency bands in various countries such as 868 MHz (Europe, Africa, Southe America, Middle East), 902 MHz (North America) , 928 MHz (Japan) and 315 MHz (Asia and other parts of the world) . enocean.com |
By leveraging benefits of sensors in smart home automation systems we can create a seamless and intelligent living environment. Smart home atmosphere improve daily life, enhances safety, promotes energy efficiency and offers greater convenience and control for home owners.