ITEE Innovation Expo 2008 : Project Details

Smart Appliances

The concept of home automation (or domotics) is not a new one, but one that has seen substantial growth in demand and sophistication in recent years. For a smart home to truly live up to its name, it should be aware of its environmental footprint and provide the ability to minimise it. This thesis utilises the reliable, cost-effective, low-power affordances of the Zigbee wireless communications protocol to enable a home sensor network with the capability to monitor the power usage of connected appliances throughout the home, and to intelligently manage their power requirements.

In the case of resource management, it may not always be obvious to the resident exactly how much impact their lifestyle imposes. By gathering this information and making it easily accessible and understandable to the home’s occupants, we empower them to make informed decisions regarding system preference parameters and lifestyle adjustments that can result in economic and environmental benefits.

The project involved developing the hardware and software components of the embedded sensor nodes, the PC software used in managing the wireless sensor network, and the web interface that enables user interaction. Although currently specific to electrical power monitoring, management and control, the system could be extended to encompass other relevant household resources, including water usage and rainwater reserve levels. The end result is a system that upgrades ordinary household appliances to smart appliances, successfully informs the household of its power usage, and provides means for automatic or manual power control from any web-enabled terminal, worldwide.