Guide: design and personalize your smarthome!

Here we are, the big file! Apple and Google having drawn up their strategies, we can FINALLY explain to you how to design and personalize your smarthome in the best possible way (yes yes, just that!).

Summary

1. Introduction
2. real estate
3. The furniture
   1. Apple: the “Home” application, Siri and Apple TV
   2. Google: Google Home and Google Assistant
   3. Amazon: Echo + Samsung SmartThings or Echo + Logitech Harmony
      1. Amazon Echo
      2. Samsung SmartThings
      3. Logitech Harmony Living Home
   4. Bonus: connected buttons
4. Conclusion

Until now, home automation was aimed more particularly at hackers, geeks or even early adopters, but this market will soon come out of its Pandora's box and the some 1.42 billion phones sold this year, including 81.2 % on Android (IDC 2015 figure) will soon (by the end of the year) receive an update (iOS 10 with Home or even Google Assistant and the arrival of Google Home) which will quickly push users to wondering about these new icons and how to use them.

First of all, I would like to draw your attention to the way your home is structured: furniture and real estate.

Real estate is the part of your home which, according to its name, is not intended to move! It is therefore the one that will remain as it is for years (to be maintained of course!) and which determines the value of the accommodation: size, location, sunshine, year of construction or renovation... When you enter your accommodation, it is raw , but already has certain elements: walls, windows, toilets, a bathroom…(if one of these things is missing, it means that you surely live in Paris ^^) and functionalities such as a electrical circuit, a heating system, a type of opening... in short, all that we have just listed is what will "stay" while you, you risk moving, moving in, renting , to buy, to sell…

Why am I telling you things you already know? Well, because we're going to have to make the difference between the elements making up the home automation real estate and the elements that will make up the furniture. Let me explain :

Deploying a home automation solution in a home requires some work, and it therefore represents a cost, but it can also be like an investment, yes, an investment! Because adding basic functionalities to a home is intended to increase its real estate value. But beware ! Do not do any work and install any product, at the risk of not being able, precisely, to enhance your home.

What are the components that should be considered as real estate?

1. lighting
2. Energy management excluding smart thermostats (convectors, heated towel rails, hydraulic radiators, heated floors, etc.)
3. The openings
4. Security (smoke detection, leak detection)

And what is interesting with these so-called “real estate” elements is that their functionalities are defined and are not intended to evolve in the next 10 years:

1. Lighting: on/off/dimming
2. Energy management excluding smart thermostats (convectors, hydraulic radiators, heated towel rails, heated floors, etc.): turn on/off/temperature adjustment
3. Sashes: open/close/position
4. Security (smoke detection, leak detection): it's pretty easy to understand

What you have to understand is that for these elements we just need to be able to issue orders to them (the intelligence of the system will be elsewhere) and for them to be able to report their status to us in real time. So they make you a reliable, proven system, but most importantly: UNIVERSAL.

How to succeed in setting up a system like this when we are only talking about brands, manufacturers, protocols?

This is where we are usually called upon (autopromo, new products coming soon:)): MaSmartHome. Because we are able to offer the best solution according to the characteristics of the accommodation, because yes, even if we would like all the dwellings to look the same, each accommodation is different: wired or wireless roller shutters, collective or individual heating system, electric or hydraulic radiators…and for all these elements, we select modules that are part of a long-term vision, and therefore, it is very important not to select connected objects!

Why ?

Because we have seen it, connected objects live according to their manufacturers, are dependent on updates, change of strategy, after-sales service per element...which goes against what we seeks to do, namely: to make an investment that lasts over time on the “real estate” part of our home. (autopromo) This is why we generally work with developers, since it is at the time of construction that it is the simplest and least expensive to deploy real estate home automation. Indeed, this generally requires skills in electricity, since the modules that we place are hidden either in the electrical panel or behind the switches and above all, we have industrialized this part: pairing/configuration (which is time-consuming and therefore expensive, cf Home automation protocols: how to navigate?) in order to drastically reduce costs.

Existing for a few years now, the modules for controlling lighting, openings, heating, etc. have proven that they can be part of this temporal approach, what was missing was a solution that would guarantee their universality. , because alone, they can be dependent on a technology, but with an open gateway, they become easily interoperable with all present and future technologies! How ?

We could say to ourselves: if we put all the protocols in the same gateway, we would be certain of being compatible with all the technologies! However, on the one hand, we cannot anticipate everything that will happen in the next 10 years in terms of protocols (although ^^) and on the other hand, this would have a significant impact on the price, whereas once again, we seek to minimize costs as much as possible and above all, to promote customization according to YOUR needs! We have therefore opted for a solution which allows, by adding a dongle (kind of really inexpensive USB key) and if necessary of course, to be able to make your property compatible with what you have chosen in terms of furniture.

The system is designed to be completely autonomous and functional for several years and it is even possible to connect it to a monitoring/maintenance service in order to detect anomalies and anticipate malfunctions. This fits perfectly into a SmartHome approach within a SmartBuilding.

Let's take a concrete case: buy you a home (well that doesn't happen to you every day either ^^), you are told that it is automated and yet, when you see it as it is, empty, nothing suggests that there is some technology present (which is a good sign, because it means that everything has been done). Now you ask the real estate agent, but how can I control it? And there, what we want to hear is: “as you wish!”. It is therefore now that the moveable part comes into play.

Because yes, when I enter a home, I want to be able to do what I want with it and install my furniture there. So after putting on your bed, your sofa, your television, you huddle and wonder, what's next?

This was also the question that all manufacturers were asking themselves and they were patiently waiting to know the position and strategy of GAFA (see Apple and Google finally reveal their smarthome strategy!), because now they know (and we know) that it will be they are best placed to manage all the visual and vocal interface part of your installation, but also, and this is the most important, all the security and configuration part.

Why and how?

Do you remember the movie Her with Joaquin Phoenix? Where Scarlett Johansson interprets the operating system that manages the house (and not only!) or even Jarvis from Iron Man? Well, without panicking, Siri, Echo, Google Home and Cortana are intended to be similar (even 5 years ago you would have laughed, you say to yourself: Holy shit!).

Indeed, one of the most important points regarding the smarthome was how we were going to order it. So yes, there are smart devices! Moreover, each home automation box manufacturer, each major promoter, each connected object manufacturer... have tried to create interfaces: the most beautiful, the most stylish, the simplest, but studies (it's up to you to find them, but they exist! Come on, at least one) revealed two things:

1. If Google or Apple provides you with a basic application allowing you to perform a task (calculator, calendar, etc.), you are much less inclined to go to the store to download another application that does the same thing (unless you have specific needs , i.e. a percentage of less than 10% of the population).
2. After passing the gadget and fun side, users use the app less and less and prefer to use shortcuts/remote controls/buttons/switches because they don't want to launch an application to control everything: they are looking for simplicity .

And this is where Amazon unveils a revolutionary product (because it is functional): the Amazon Echo. The voice recognition works so well that the product is immediately adopted, whereas the first users only have access to a limited number of functionalities. It didn't take long for players such as Samsung SmartThings or Logitech Harmony Home Living to become “out of the box” compatible. And that's normal, since the Grail to democratize the smarthome had just arrived: voice control. Why such an interest ?

Because it is now possible to speak in natural language at home, so it makes it accessible to everyone: children, parents, grandparents! That she understands, that she can activate the functionalities from the furniture/real estate modules and that she can also give you status feedback. So yes, in France we use voice recognition very little (especially compared to Anglo-Saxon countries), but it's behavior linked to respect for privacy: I don't dictate an SMS in the metro when everything the world can hear me… But when I'm at home or in my car, in my private sphere, I'm more willing to use my beautiful voice. Thus the circle is complete and the race for the connected home is launched.

So now let's get back to personalizing our smarthome! If you have followed my last articles, you understand that what is great about having a real estate home automation base with a universal gateway is that everything you will want to install from now on has been thought of as “plug and play” and you so you no longer need, thanks to the strategy put in place by Apple, Google, Amazon...and the way in which they force manufacturers to manage the authentication/pairing/security part, to worry about protocols or other technical problems, just take your smartdevice, launch the application corresponding to your solution and report a newcomer. This will be directly available in your system and you can assign it a use, a feature, or even integrate it into a scenario without anyone's help! “PLUG AND PLAY”!

What are the solutions proposed by each of the actors? (you will find, as soon as they are available, these customization options directly from our partner promoters! And if your promoter does not offer them to you, no worries! Direct them to us! We'll take care of the rest! We promise, we'll save you money time and money ;))

Announced at WWDC 2016, the “Domicile” or “Home” application (it's more classy in English ^^) will be part of the next iOS update (10). This will therefore have, as a concrete impact, to see all its iDevices rewarded with a new icon.

By accessing it, the application will browse the network in search of “Homekit Ready” objects, and if it finds any, will offer to integrate them into your system. Pairing is simple, all you have to do is enter the number on your box (or take a photo of it) for “Domicile” to retrieve all of the product's functionalities within its platform. To give you an idea of ​​the “complexity” of the thing, here is a tutorial provided by Philips for its Hue range with the Algeto Eve App application (twin sister of “Home”).

As we can see, the big difficulty will be to name the bulbs correctly! And… above all to remember! But we see it, it takes an average of 3 weeks to get used to your connected home, after that, it's just happiness!

Back to our sheep, if you have seen the document (from p.82), we can see how we are going to create our scenarios:

Very simple and effective! We can modify everything according to our desires in just a few finger swipes, it will delight more than 90% of the population! And everyone will be able to test their own scenarios and change them as they wish.

A look at the HomeKit application for the scenario creation part:

You will therefore find your favorite scenes and your favorite objects directly in the iOS notification bar: no need to launch any application, AWESOME!

And of course, it will also be on your iPad, Apple Watch and certainly on MacOS! But as you will have understood, the whole point for Apple of being at the center of object management is to be able to use Siri to simplify commands! Thus, each named object or scene can be called upon by voice. And for the moment, Apple hasn't released a system allowing you to continuously listen to a voice command whether you're in the living room, the bedroom or the toilet…oh! Wait a second? What's that thing on your wrist that accompanies you everywhere? But wouldn't it be a watch? And if ! Don't tell me that Apple is going to promote “Home” in order to make you buy an Apple Watch??! Ahah, the rascals! Rather than creating a product with a 360° microphone and a loudspeaker, why not directly exploit an existing product and whose sales must be boosted? Because it's not pretty-pretty:

The anti-Apples will cry foul, having to buy an Apple product again to benefit from voice recognition everywhere… No worries, I will do a cost assessment at the end of each solution!

So the Apple Watch allows you to have Siri, but also a remote control directly on your wrist allowing you to control your home ANYWHERE, well anywhere, as long as you're inside and your iPhone is connected to the same Wi-Fi. -Fi as its installation. What if you want to control your home from the outside? Ah well yes, in connected house, there is “connected”!

Well guess what, there is another product from Apple that does not necessarily have the wind in its sails: the Apple TV! And if this one allows you to create a bridge when you are not at home? And better: to be able to manage your scenarios in case of absence? That's interesting and that's why the new Apple TV (4th generation) released a few months ago has also had Siri affected (let's not forget that it's a good media player and 'a game console"). They did not lime at Apple!

Now, let's get out our calculator to find out how much it would cost to opt for a personalized smart home with Apple sauce:

Announced at Google I/O 2016, Google Home aims to be your home automation hub par excellence. It has not escaped anyone that it uses the same “concept” initiated by the Amazon Echo, namely a “tube” with microphones allowing 360° sound analysis and an integrated speaker. But this time, it's customizable!

Not much has leaked on Google Home so far, so I'm going to do a mix of what we know and what we can see in the video. I will make updates when we have more information.

Already, unlike Apple, Google has not made our mouths water with any application. So we don't know how each service will integrate. You tell yourself that everything will be done by voice so it's not a problem! But before getting there, you have to be able to configure and configure everything, and to take a concrete example, the Amazon Echo application is not a success, but tends to improve! So I did my investigative work (ahah the melon!) to unearth for you what the bases of Google Home could be and…. I told myself that what could come closest to it is a mix of Google Now (so Google Assistant in the future) and the application that currently exists for the OnHub! Because it is in fact the same thing, without the voice recognition, nor the loudspeaker (that's a lot I know, but that's the max I've found and there's a good chance I'll plant, wait&see)

In view of the screenshots, we can see that the Chromecast as well as the speaker are perfectly recognized as such. And we can also see that there is good management of the devices present on the network. This could therefore be the engine of the system, integrating the initialization, pairing and configuration of any new compatible object either via Thread, or Wifi, or Bluetooth. The application delivered with Google Home will therefore allow, as Apple offers, easy access to the functionalities of each element and the ability to create scenarios. Google Assistant, meanwhile, will use these new components and associate them with all of the web services offered, directly controllable via voice, for example: “play my Spotify playlist on the bedroom speaker”.

This example shows the difference between Apple, which will “control” your numerous objects and initiate sequences of actions based on their functionalities with simple sentences: turn on the light, lower the temperature, read, launch the X scene…while that Google will interconnect your objects to services: launch the Stuffi Youtube video on the living room television, which will be formalized in terms of process: turn on the living room television, put on the Chromecast input, take the link from the Youtube video, the “caster” on the Chromecast in the living room.

Why such a difference ? Well because Siri has lagged in its openness to third-party applications. It is for this reason that the creators of Siri launched Viv, and that Viv at Google is none other than Google Assistant. The war is no longer around raw voice recognition, but in the analysis of the structure of sentences and especially their connections with all the applications present on your smartphone.

As we know, Chromecast is selling like hot cakes and the arrival of Chromecast audio has amplified the phenomenon. The prices certainly have something to do with it, but after seeing the Google Home video, we understand that the web giant has decided to drive home the point once and for all. Indeed, when we see the possibilities offered by the different products and their prices, we come to question solutions that are nevertheless ultra-complete like Sonos. Because yes, since the first launch of the Sonos range, nothing has really changed: Play 1 speakers at 200…uh €229, Sonos Connect at €399 and still not an API worthy of the name.

As for the Google Cast offer, it is constantly expanding and above all integrates with different brands, offering features that meet everyone's needs and budgets. Thus, the question would almost arise to switch to speakers such as LG NP8340 at 109€ (equivalence Sonos Play 1 at 229€), LG NP8540 at 125€ (equivalence Sonos Play 3 at 349€), LG NP8740 at 175€ (equivalence Sonos Play 5 at €579) with additional features (Bluetooth/NFC) but which still have stability problems that we hope will be quickly resolved. Finally, the equivalence of the Sonos Connect (at 399€) in terms of my usefulness corresponds to a Google Chrome Cast Audio at 39€.

In short, I did the math for you and for one speaker of each, at Sonos it's 1556€ and with LG + ChromeCast Audio it's 446€…not to mention the fact that with Google Home, you can control everything very easily !

For the video part, it's the same, the different compatible products allow you to do according to your needs and budgets. If your need stops at playing multimedia files, opt for the Google ChromeCast at €39, if you are more demanding, opt for an Android TV such as the Nvidia Shield at €199, they will both integrate perfectly in your audio/video multiroom system!

As for the connected objects part, even if Google has not displayed like Apple the list of all its partners who will be compatible with Google Home, we can still think that the work initiated by "Works with Nest" will be reused as well, just go to this page to give you a small overview of the list of contenders and also to see who is part of the Thread Alliance (because I would be surprised if the members spent money for nothing) .

Now, let's get out our calculator to find out how much it would cost to opt for a personalized connected home with Google sauce:

Amazon Echo

Amazon is the first to have drawn on the voice recognition part within the habitat with the Amazon Echo. The innovation comes on the one hand from the microphones used: making it possible to hear and recognize a person's voice no matter where they are in the room, and on the other hand the quality of the analysis and almost instantaneous response time. When we know that the Amazon.fr page which weighs 5.9MB loads in 1.87s (you didn't know that!), we understand better how they managed to optimize the processing and data transfer of the Amazon Echo . Vincent you did a test and you present in conclusion that it was a revolution in the middle of the IoT, and it was the case!…until the arrival of the competitors xD

Indeed, the Amazon Echo, available now for more than 2 years in the US, has still not managed to leave its borders. I guess the main reason is that having come in last in the race, they didn't have the perspective and experience to support other languages, whereas Apple and Google are capitalizing with Siri and Google Now at the moment. international for a while. Moreover, even if the guys at Amazon are very good in logistics, we quickly realize that in design, there is still a long way to go. So I fully understand the strategy used on their website and which aims to give the maximum amount of information to the user to guarantee optimal conversion to the act of purchase, on the other hand I am very skeptical regarding the Alexa application that would require a passage in the hands of UX designers. Finally, to make the platform attractive, it was necessary to seek out the developers to allow them to create “skills”, with the aim of extending the field of possibilities of the beast.

We therefore find ourselves today with a very powerful tool, already on sale (good, only in the US), but which lacks a “user friendly” application and above all, a real integration within the smarthome. Well guess what?! There are some for whom this information has not fallen on deaf ears! Two players, I named Samsung SmartThings and Logitech, who may have felt aggrieved by Google and Apple's announcements seeing the smarthome market slip through their hands when they, like Amazon, had done the job of substance: going first in the mass market, have decided to take the lead and join forces with Amazon.

Because they certainly hadn't seen it coming! That Google and Apple were going to pull “home automation hubs” out of their hats and impose themselves on the market. SmartThings and Logitech not having invested in voice recognition, they found themselves having to consider using those of Apple and Google, while for the rest they offer competing products to theirs...strategically, this is not not great. As a result, why not use Amazon's voice recognition (and also their sales force by the way) combined with their hardware solutions, the main advantage of which is to have a large list of immediately compatible products, all matched to their applications, in order to simply create a multitude of scenarios? Well, that's what they did and we end up with a complete smarthome solution, which has nothing to envy to that of others!

We know that the “time to market” is very important! Apple and Google let slip their strategies without being “acquirable” (it exists!) immediately. Amazon, SmartThings and Logitech already having their products on sale therefore have a card to play. And it wouldn't surprise me if the summer is a good time to launch these offers outside the US to gain market share before the launch of iOS 10 in the fall and Google Home before the end of the year.

So what do these actors offer?

We no longer present the Samsung SmartThings offer (which I have also described in detail on the Domadoo blog), but if you are lazy, I will still give you a little summary.

Samsung SmartThings offers a home automation box equipped with 3 protocols: Z-wave, Zigbee and Bluetooth. The platform is intended to be open-source and therefore has a large community of developers who are very available to allow the rapid integration of any new connected object with an API. Thus, we find on this page all the compatible products, and you can see for yourself, it's pretty good! Available on Android, iOS (Apple Watch), Pebble… and even Windows Phone (!), SmartThings therefore has all the arguments to integrate into a multi-operating system home! Its management of scenarios must have inspired that of Apple as well as the possibility of personalizing its environment.

The other strength of Samsung SmartThings is that there is Samsung in its name. Thus, Samsung being also a large manufacturer of household appliances, everything has been thought out so that they integrate perfectly into their system. By the way, you should know that in all the brand's new SMART televisions, SmartThings is present, and all it will take is an update to activate it and a Z-wave/Zigbee dongle, if you opt for modules communicating via this protocol. Even if the hub is expected for 99€, the many owners of Samsung connected TVs will be delighted not to have to pay this sum to enjoy their connected home.

SmartThings is the first to have played the game of integration into the Amazon Echo, and that is why it is fully functional “out of the box”. All you have to do is go to the Alexa app and then to the smarthome area to find a "connect to SmartThings" button. The Amazon Echo therefore immediately becomes the voice controller of your installation and all you have to do is formulate your requests so that they pass from one platform to another, instantly. On retrouve donc un fonctionnement similaire à Siri avec les divers objets : “allume la lampe du salon”, “change la température pour 25°C”, “lance la scène bonne nuit”…

La solution Amazon Echo + SmartThings est donc très séduisante. Sortons maintenant notre calculatrice pour savoir combien cela coûterait d'opter pour une maison connectée personnalisée à la sauce Amazon/SmartThings :

Le cas Logitech est plutôt intéressant. En effet, nous savons que chez eux, ils pensent depuis un moment à la smarthome mais on avait jusqu'à présent des difficultés à les positionner sur la carte des acteurs du logement connecté. En effet, à chaque gros évènement (CES, IFA…), nous avons le droit à une nouvelle solution, parfois même remplaçant des solutions qui étaient annoncées à des évènements précédents, mais qui n'ont jamais été commercialisées. Vous trouvez ça complexe ? U.S. too !

En effet, rien que dans la gestion des noms de chacun de leurs hubs et télécommandes, cela est “barbifiant” ! Entre le “harmony hub”, le “ultimate harmony hub”, la “harmony living home”, la “harmony elite”, la “harmony pro”, la “harmony ultimate one”, le “harmony home hub extender”…Même dans le “milieu”, quand je demande à un pote :

C'est véridique ! Allez voir leur page produits France et US ! Sans déconner les gars ? Vous ne pouviez pas simplifier un peu la chose ? J'imagine que même vous, dès que vous recevez un nouveau produit, les mecs de l'équipe marketing se disent :

Bon, passez ces moments hilarants, on cherche vraiment à comprendre où ils souhaitent en venir et je vais tenter de vous apporter une réponse :

Tout d'abord, je trouve ESSENTIEL d'avoir une télécommande universelle chez soi ! Dès que vous avez plus de 2 objets multimédias, cela vous évite de jouer entre les télécommandes, les piles et les “mais la Freebox est sur quelle source HDMI ?”. Mais surtout, une télécommande, ça parle à tout le monde, si une personne vient chez vous et qu'elle souhaite regarder la télévision, écouter de la musique, allumer les lumières Philips Hue et que vous n'avais pas laissé une tablette sur la table avec une application ouverte simple et claire (oh les loosers !), vous allez vous retrouver à expliquer que pour regarder la Free, il faut : allumer la TV, mettre sur EXT2, allumer l'ampli, mettre sur la source HDMI 1 et ensuite vous faites tout avec la télécommande de la Free (si Xavier Niel passe par là : Pleeeeeeeease, on sait que la prochaine Freebox se voudra domotique, mais SVP, permettait déjà le contrôle de celle-ci via une autre télécommande ! Ne nous obligez pas à acheter un dongle infrarouge ! Surtout, qu'une fois sur 5 votre box ne veut pas démarrer si on n'utilise pas la télécommande originale, même via votre app ! Voilà, c'est dit !). Donc chiant non ? Alors que si vous laissez votre télécommande Harmony Ultimate sur la table, la personne qui l'a prendra verra les différentes scènes et n'aura qu'à appuyer sur “Regarder la Free”, “Changer l'ambiance lumineuse” ou “lancer la playlist” et tout ira tout seul ! En même temps, après avoir mis 349€ dans une télécommande, c'est le MINIMUM que l'on peut attendre d'elle ! Personnellement j'attends avec impatience de voir ce que propose Neeo, mais revenons à nos moutons.

Valentin nous a annoncé que Amazon Alexa arrive sur les appareils domotiques de Logitech, qu'est-ce que cela nous apprend ? Et bien que tout comme Alexa et SmartThings, nous allons bientôt pouvoir contrôler les objets ou les scènes créées grâce à la solution Logitech Harmony via l'Amazon Echo “out of the box”. En effet, tout comme SmartThings, l'application Logitech possède un “moteur de scénarios” appelé “activités”, ainsi, le partenariat vient combler, encore une fois, le manque de l'Amazon Echo. Vous allez donc pouvoir créer des “activités” à partir des objets compatibles avec la télécommande et les lancer simplement via une commande vocale. Logitech s'empresse donc de faire grossir cette liste de produits compatibles et propose même avec son Harmony Home Hub Extender de venir contrôler en direct des modules ZigBee et Z-wave. Mais les fréquences étant différentes entre les US et l'Europe, nous ne savons pas quand celui-ci sera disponible dans nos contrées.

Pourquoi opter pour Logitech alors ?

Parce que si vous avez l'intention d'acquérir une télécommande universelle et que vous possédez des objets connectés que vous désirez déclencher manuellement (Philips Hue, Sonos, Nest, appareils multimédias…) et pas via des automatisations : “dès que je pars, étendre tous les appareils multimédias, activer l'alarme”, et bien la solution de Logitech peut parfaitement convenir ! Car pour le reste, la gestion des conditions et des objets connectés autres que ceux dédiés à la partie “confort” n'est pas encore super bien intégrée.

Ok donc, je comprends que ce n'est pas LA solution domotique à plébisciter, mais si je souhaite avoir une télécommande universelle ?

Alors, soit vous faites comme moi et vous attendez patiemment que Neeo ou Senic sortent leurs produits. Soit vous pouvez utiliser la solution Harmony en passerelle. Kesako ? Tout comme Alexa peut déclencher, par des actions vocales, des “activités” de Logitech et bien vous pouvez faire la même chose en combinant Alexa avec SmartThings avec Logitech “out of the box” !

Du coup, vous dites à l'Amazon Echo : “lance la scène Je m'en vais”, cela va déclencher le scénario de la SmartThings qui va aller enclencher votre alarme, baisser vos volets roulants, mettre le thermostat connecté en “départ” et ensuite elle va aller déclencher la scène “départ” de Logitech qui va donc éteindre tous vos appareils multimédias ! Pas simple, cher, mais fonctionnel ! (il existe peu de solutions de contrôle infrarouge faciles à mettre en place et pas chères…)

La solution Amazon Echo + Logitech Harmony Home Living n'est pour moi pas la plus complète, mais posséder une télécommande universelle simple donnant la possibilité de gérer vos appareils multimédias et vos “ambiances” lumineuses et sonores est essentielle. Sortons maintenant notre calculatrice pour savoir combien cela coûterait d'opter pour une maison connectée personnalisée à la sauce Amazon/Logitech :

On vient de parler de télécommande, de contrôle vocal, mais si je me retrouve dans la chambre en pleine nuit, avec ma conjointe qui dort paisiblement et que je souhaite déclencher une action sans avoir à sortir mon téléphone, utiliser ma smartwatch, parler ou prendre dans mon lit une télécommande universelle ? Et bien c'est là que les boutons interviennent (pas l'acné hein!) !

On voit apparaître depuis peu des boutons ultras simples, car ayant un usage unique : être pressé, mais pouvant faire beaucoup plus avec un peu de jugeote (je ne connaissais pas l'orthographe de ce mot non plus !) !

Avant de rentrer dans le détail voici une petite vidéo de présentation du Niu de NodON :

Dans le même esprit, vous pourrez retrouver le Flic ayant réalisé une campagne Indiegogo à 957 144$ (rien que ça !). Quelles sont les particularités de ces boutons ?

Tout d'abord ils fonctionnent en Bluetooth ! Donc très facilement connectable à votre smartdevice ou à des solutions que nous avons évoqué plus haut. De plus, l'arrivée du Bluetooth 5.0 va apporter son lot de nouveautés : plus rapide, plus longue portée, et peut de personnes en ont parlé mais… maillé ! (cf Protocoles domotique : comment s'y retrouver ? pour comprendre ;)). Ils sont positionnable partout, mais vraiment PARTOUT ! Le Nui étant étanche, vous allez pouvoir le mettre sous la douche et ainsi déclencher ce que vous voulez, l'interrupteur 2.0 en somme !

Mais revenons à mon entrée dans la chambre alors que ma copine dort. Je souhaite passer en “mode nuit”, qui correspond à l'extinction de tous mes appareils multimédia, la fermeture des volets du salon et du passage de l'éclairage automatisé à 30%. Et bien en cliquant sur le Nui, qui est un déclencheur enregistré dans mon système, cela lance le scénario. Bon cool, mais ton bouton, il est utile qu'une fois : UN bouton = 1 fonction…

Et bien c'est là où la jugeote intervient ! Je veux que ce scénario se déclenche uniquement lorsque j'appuie sur le bouton et qu'il est entre 20h et 6h du matin ! S'il est entre 6h et 12h, je souhaite que lorsque j'appuie, il lance le scénario “réveil” ! Qui lui, ouvre les volets, remet l'éclairage à 100%, lance ma petite playlist matinale, réactive mes prises connectées. UN bouton = 2 fonctions !

But that's not all ! Je peux également mettre un scénario “Power nap” (c'est une sieste de 15 à 20min, nécessaire quand on travaille plus de 13h par jour…MELOOOOON !) se déclenchant si j'appuie sur le bouton entre 12h et 20h ! Du coup, cela vient juste fermer le volet de la chambre et peut même enclencher une minuterie qui, au bout du timing défini, va rouvrir le volet et lancer une musique. UN bouton = 3 fonctions ! Et si le bouton supporte les doubles appuis et les appuis longs, vous multipliez les fonctionnalités par 3 !

Reprenons maintenant l'exemple de ma copine qui s'est couchée avant moi. En positionnant un bouton de chaque côté du lit (les deux étant configurés de la même façon) on peut donc faire les scénarios suivants :

Le premier qui se couche appuie une fois sur son bouton et met donc la maison en mode “se coucher”, ce qui signifie qu'elle n'éteint pas les appareils multimédias du salon (si je continue à regarder la télévision), que les lumières automatisées continuent de s'allumer à 100% (si je dois ranger tout ce qui traîne dans la cuisine…. bon, c'est elle qui le fait, j'avoue !), que les volets du salon restent ouverts (on a une vue sympa la nuit) mais par contre, ça vient fermer le volet de la chambre et désactiver l'automatisation de l'éclairage dans la chambre aussi.

Lorsque c'est mon tour d'aller me coucher, et bien si je fais un appui court sur mon bouton, cela va relancer le mode “se coucher”, c'est inutile car il est déjà en cours. Par contre, si j'effectue un appui long, et bien là je vais déclencher le mode “nuit”, qu'on a vu précédemment !

On peut faire exactement la même chose le matin ! Le premier qui se lève appuie une fois sur son bouton et va donc remettre l'éclairage à 100% et ouvrir les volets du salon, mais tout en laissant celui de la chambre fermée et l'automatisation de la chambre désactivée. Elle n'a plus qu'à se préparer (comptez environ 1h… Ahah c'est faux ! c'est moi qui met 1h xD) et à partir ! Quand c'est à mon tour de me lever, je n'ai qu'à faire un appui long pour que je déclenche le mode “réveil” cité au-dessus. Et l'inverse fonctionne exactement de la même manière (c'est moi qui me lève en premier, j'appuie une fois sur le bouton etc etc, puis elle se lève ensuite, fait un appui long sur le siens et ça enclenche le mode “réveil”) Génial non ? Simple, pas cher et peut couvrir ENORMEMENT de cas, avec un peu de “jugeote” bien entendu 🙂

Vous venez d'avoir une formation accélérée de ce que va devenir la maison connectée dans les prochains mois ! Et ce qui est vraiment cool, c'est qu'elle est pensée pour être le plus accessible possible, que ce soit financièrement ou techniquement ! A delight !

Gardez bien en tête également la différence entre la domotique dite immobilière et la domotique dite mobilière. En effet, tout ce qui va nécessiter un investissement de votre part pour faire des travaux sur les circuits électriques doit se voir affecter à de l'immobilier, exemple : rajout du contrôle du garage ou portail (pour que ça reste un investissement et non pas une dépense). Dans les solutions présentées en mobilier (SmartThings, Harmony Hub Extender), vous constatez qu'ils ont la capacité de contrôler de l'immobilier, via le protocole Z-wave notamment. Donc pourquoi avoir une passerelle pour l'immobilier dans ce cas là ? Et bien parce que ces solutions ont pour vocation à vous suivre, et dans le cas contraire, vous ne pourrez peut-être pas les imposer aux vacataires suivants. Ce qui signifie que tout le travail d'appairage et de configuration que vous avez effectué ou fait effectué se retrouve être totalement caduc. Le vacataire suivant va devoir de nouveau accéder aux différents modules (donc enlever les interrupteurs, retirer les convecteurs…), un à un, afin de pouvoir les désappairer de VOTRE système mobilier, pour de nouveau le réappairer avec SON système, si son système est compatible avec ce même protocole évidemment ! Ce qui ne sera pas forcément le cas…Vous ne pourrez donc pas valoriser cette installation.

Ainsi il faut donc bien conserver une partie indépendante, intemporelle et qui peut se transmettre entre les “vacataires” du logement, tout en garantissant une valorisation du bien. Tandis que l'autre vous permet de personnaliser votre logement selon vos envies, votre budget et avec ce que vous possédez déjà ! Bienvenue dans la SmartHome 3.0 !

par Angelo