Introduction to Wireless Home Automation

• Wireless Avoids Electrical Wiring Issues:

  
  Homeowners with large homes or powerline wiring issues have found wireless to be a new solution for building and expanding their home automation systems. With the use of wireless devices, electrical wiring issues become a problem of the past.
  
  When using radio frequency (RF) wireless systems, wiring differences do not apply.
  With using hybrid systems (involving RF and powerline wiring), plugging a “dual device” RF and powerline interface into each circuit bridges the different systems together effortlessly. Installation is as easy as simply plugging the right device into the right outlet.
  
  How Wireless Home Automation Increases Network Reach:

  
  Wireless also overcomes distance barriers. Powerline systems like X10 have been notoriously susceptible to signal loss and outside interference. Simply put, the farther the signal travels, the more likely it is to degrade.
  Engineers recognized as they designed the new wireless specifications that by making each active device a repeater, the distance barrier was broken.Every active wireless home automation device repeats every signal it hears. While the methods to accomplish this vary with each manufacturer (INSTEON, ZigBee, or Z-Wave), the result is longer distances the signal can travel. (Note, however, that the reach is not infinite; wireless devices are designed to only repeat signals across a maximum of three devices before the signal dies.
  
  Wireless Technology Beyond The Home:

  
  Because of their physical size, most commercial buildings have been unable to take advantage of automation technologies until wireless came onto the scene. With wireless, new uses in retail stores, assisted living facilities, hotels, and office environments have become a reality. Just as in the home, using active wireless devices bridges electrical wiring differences in commercial buildings easily, and with built-in repeater capability, wireless automation devices increase system reliability over longer distances.