What is a smart health home? Devices, systems and smart health home products

[ad_1]

Definition: what is smart health home?

The term 'smart health home' encompasses various automation processes for networking technical devices of all kinds. Alternatively, the related terms smart living, smart health connected health home, health home automation or eHome are used in some cases. Automation solutions especially for seniors are also referred to as Ambient Assisted Living (AAL).

Do you want your own smart health home? Here's how to do it:

• Get basic information about the functions, components and radio standards available in this article.

• Select the components that fit your structural requirements and budget. Anyone who is unsure can find further information and help with planning in the section Smart health home Advice.

How does a smart health home work? Everything important in a nutshell

Products: These have to be compatible with each other or master the same radio standard (e.g. WLAN, Bluetooth or ZigBee) in order to be able to communicate with each other. This is the only way that automatic processes are possible.

Control: If you use a smart health home system and the associated control center, you can control all networked devices in your health home uniformly with the manufacturer app or (if compatible) with a voice assistant. Users who use individual smart health home products from many different manufacturers may have to operate each of them with their own app.

Automation: In the smart health home, household appliances interact by sensors recognizing certain environmental stimuli (e.g. movements) and informing a central control element. Depending on the manufacturer, this is alternatively referred to as a hub, bridge, base station, gateway or simply as a control center and triggers one or more actions as a result of the sensor measurement using actuators (e.g. an alarm siren). Which of these are can be determined individually.

System-linked lamps can be uniformly controlled with just one click

(LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS / Adobe Stock) 

The chaining of reaction commands, which are technically referred to as a scene or routine, can e.g. B. look like this: A smoke detector detects a fire and informs the control center. This knows through a previously created routine that it should automatically activate the lighting to secure the escape route, switch on additional fire detectors and send a notification to the smartphone of its owner. Therefore, all of these actions take place simultaneously and do not have to be controlled individually.

Simply put products together 

Configure Smart health home now 

Configure your personal smart health home quickly and easily. Choose from over 200 products to suit your living and living situation. Free and without obligation.

To the configurator 

What is the benefit of a smart health home? These are the advantages

A networked health home enables everyday life to be made easier by automating annoying everyday tasks through routines and thus generating more free time. The following overview explains the specific advantages of health home automation.

Advantage 1 – comfort

For example, household robots that vacuum and wipe, networked coffee machines or indoor climate devices such as fans with app provide more convenience. The light control by voice command also offers a lot of convenience. Up to 16 million color shades can be used with individual WLAN LED lamps. If you don't want to buy a new device, you can retrofit almost any household appliance with WiFi sockets or SwitchBot button pushers.

SwitchBot Smart toggle switch 

Smart toggle switch without wiring enables remote control of ordinary lights or household appliances

So that nobody has to toil in the rain or in the blazing heat in the garden, there are, by the way, weatherproof helpers such as: B. Pool or robotic lawnmowers and intelligent irrigation computers.

Advantage 2 – thanks to universal apps, health is better in view

Blood pressure monitors, scales or fitness trackers with an app help to manage important values ​​more easily and are sometimes even compatible with each other. The relationship between sports units and weighing results can be read in just one app.

But not only athletes benefit from intelligent evaluation, networked gadgets also create more living comfort for seniors. In our Alexa Senior Special we will reveal how Amazon's language assistant makes everyday life easier and ensures accessibility.

Advantage 3- Perfect entertainment like never before

health home automation creates a whole new dimension of entertainment. Because so z. B. a Smart TV with lamps, speakers, blinds and many other household appliances can be controlled centrally by voice assistant. The command "Alexa, activate the living room cinema" then provides z. B. that the shading is activated and at the same time the TV and sound system are switched on. This means that nobody has to get up to operate wall switches or lower roller shutters.

Of course, this also applies to a networked multiroom system. Users who want to access their own music collection centrally can save their files on a NAS server (Network Attached Storage) and thus make them accessible to all family members. The private NAS server is practically the “cloud for health home”, in which other files such as photos and videos can also be stored. Using a networked TV, these can be viewed directly from the couch.

If you do not want to invest in a Smart TV, but still want to get the latest films and series from the Internet, streaming sticks are a good alternative. For example, Apple TV or the Amazon FireTV Stick offer powerful packages. With the Amazon model, compatible household appliances can be controlled via Alexa, with Apple taking over Siri. However, users should keep in mind that the remote control via streaming stick only works when the television is on, which should focus more on entertainment functions.

Advantage 4 – the intelligent health home secures itself

When motion, smoke, broken glass and water sensors work together with sirens and surveillance cameras, you will not miss any danger. If you are wondering whether all windows and doors are closed, you can easily check this on your smartphone. Networked alarm systems therefore give your own four walls a high security standard and, as our Review showed, are now affordable for everyone.

This even applies to surveillance cameras that optionally notify their owner via SMS in the event of an alarm or send pictures in HD quality to their owner's smartphone.

Expert advice: Sometimes there is a monthly subscription fee for storing the ehealth recordings in the manufacturer cloud. Anyone who registers each camera individually often pays more than users who choose a combination offer or buy the devices directly as a set.

Advantage 5 – Less energy consumption

Especially with the smart lighting and heating control, the possibility of saving energy through intelligent networking is very appealing. Because wireless thermostats or underfloor heating react intelligently to environmental sensors such as brightness, movement or temperature, unnecessary heating is avoided. The manufacturer tado from Munich z. B. also relies on geofencing technology: the WLAN thermostat switches off automatically when nobody is at health home and heats up in an energy-saving manner as soon as a resident approaches the house. Competitive products such as the Netatmo radiator thermostat use a different strategy. They analyze the heating behavior based on the usage habits of the residents and adapt to it after a self-learning phase. By remote control of the heating via app, the temperatures can still be adjusted at any time in the event of spontaneous change requests.

The selection of intelligent components is currently growing rapidly

(E HEALTH / health home & smart) 

History of the Smart health home: “The House of the Present” shapes networking

The development of the intelligent health home gradually came about through various projects, with the 'contemporary house' being a particularly important milestone, according to Wikipedia. It was the result of an architecture competition launched by the Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin in 2001. All participants were asked to plan a house for four people, which could cost a maximum of 250,000 euros and should represent the social responsibility of the architecture. Originally it was only a theoretical competition, but the second-placed architecture firm Allmann Sattler Wappner was able to implement his concept at BUGA 05. The resulting "House of the Present" comprised various multifunctional rooms as well as a central control option for all electrical processes and was thus the first officially known smart health home.

Components: What can I control with a smart health home?

In the following overview, we will once again present the aforementioned smart health home components individually and explain their importance for health home automation.

The center is the brain of the system

Most intelligent systems are based on a control center (also called base station, hub, bridge or gateway). It connects all intelligent components with one another and can thus operate several household appliances simultaneously if required. In order for this to work, each control center masters at least one radio standard, some more. More on that later.

Sensors register what's going on

The control center, as the “brain” of the system, cannot react independently to environmental stimuli, but needs sensors to recognize them. Their task is to convert physical quantities such as brightness, movement, sound and moisture into electrical signals – so to speak as "ears" and "eyes" of the system.

The sensors include, for example, water, motion and smoke detectors as well as window and door contacts that detect opening and closing processes. Many window and door contacts register changes using either magnetic or infrared sensors. Magnets are particularly accurate, which is why they are also used in medicine.

Homematic IP window and door contact 

Actuators control household appliances on command from the control center

The counterpart to sensors are actuators. They enable the smart health home to react intelligently to the perceived impressions. Example: A smart heater is informed by a radio signal which target temperature is desired, the sensor senses the current temperature and reports this to the control center, whereupon it prompts an actuator to increase the heating output until the actual and target temperatures match.

Even conventional electrical devices and lamps can provide information about their condition with the help of a WLAN socket and can be controlled remotely. On the one hand, smart radio plugs are actuators because they transmit electrical impulses and e.g. B. start kitchen appliances, on the other hand also sensor, because they measure values ​​such as power consumption or room temperature. The information about the “felt” state is then made available to the control center or the app by radio.

Almost everything can be networked today, from the coffee machine to heating and television to the lawn mower in the garden

(Robert Kneschke / Adobe Stock) 

Gadgets extend the health home particularly easily

Intelligent gadgets are networkable devices that can be smart health connected directly to the smartphone via WLAN or Bluetooth. For this reason, they are also referred to as “plug-and-play” modules.

In contrast to the device components of a system, they do not have to be smart health connected to an external base station because they already speak the radio language of the smartphone or tablet, i.e. WLAN or Bluetooth. Some are even compatible with popular voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and respond to calls.

The most popular gadgets include a .:Bluetooth speakerFitness trackerDronesRobot vacuum

Operator devices spontaneously fulfill all wishes

A lot happens automatically with health home automation so that users don't have to worry about household chores. However, if a deviation from the routine becomes necessary, e.g. B. because a resident comes health home unexpectedly early, there are various ways to adapt intelligent functions. For example, by

• Smartphone, tablet

• Voice assistant or the associated loudspeaker

• Touch display for the wall

Radiator thermostats and electric door locks in particular often offer an emergency function so that they can intervene by hand at any time in the event of malfunctions. While this is usually done with a classic emergency key in networked locks, the thermostats are operated manually on the housing.

Smart health home devices and systems compared

Open alternatives to the system-bound solution

This is how communication works in the smart health home

Overview of radio networking

With health home automation, there are various options for connecting the individual devices using radio protocols. For example via Bluetooth, DECT ULE, EnOcean, WLAN, ZigBee or Z-Wave / Z-Wave Plus.

Many beginners ask themselves: Why don't all smart health home systems simply use the wireless standards WLAN and Bluetooth, which are available in every household anyway through computers and smartphones? There is a simple answer to this: Both radio standards were not developed for the Internet of Things (IoT).

Because WLAN is comparable to a constantly used freeway; it uses a lot of energy and is prone to failure. Bluetooth draws much less power, but range and data throughput are limited. Who z. B. inadvertently left the light on in the bedroom in the morning, it could therefore never be switched off via Bluetooth while on the move.

Radio standards that have been developed by manufacturers or alliance groups specifically for smart homes, on the other hand, are particularly energy-efficient and switch to a deep sleep mode when not in use. EnOcean was even designed in such a way that the required energy is fed by simply pressing a button on the device. For example, the remote control no longer needs batteries. The ZigBee and Z-Wave radio standards, in turn, are able to set up so-called mesh networks: ZigBee or Z-Wave devices smart health connected to the power supply form intermediate bridges, so that radio signals are routed directly to other components without having to go through the control center . This optimizes the communication between the devices.

In a smart health home, the devices optimize each other wirelessly without human help

(Siarhei / Adobe Stock) 

Wired networking via KNX and Co. – simply explained

• KNX

• Loxone

• LON

• LCN

• digital stream

• Powerline

Control by voice, app or routine

Smart health home costs: how much do I have to invest?

Inexpensive WLAN sockets for retrofitting classic household appliances or remote-controlled WLAN lamps are available from just 15 euros. Alexa-enabled smart speakers that can control hundreds of compatible devices remotely from the coffee machine to garden irrigation are available from 30 euros. However, if you want comprehensive networking for your smart health home, you cannot avoid a system with a control center.

In contrast to wired health home automation, the radio-controlled smart health home is associated with a significantly lower investment. Nevertheless, depending on the number of networked rooms, a large sum quickly comes together. The question "How much does a smart health home cost?" Can therefore not be answered easily, but the following guide values ​​help to estimate the costs involved.

Base stations cost between 50 and 150 euros, the individual components operate in a similar framework. Good WiFi radiator thermostats are available from just 15 euros, a surveillance camera from about 50 euros.

All the thermostats shown here can be controlled by Alexa (e.g. via Echo Dot 3 with clock)

(E HEALTH / health home & smart) 

It becomes much cheaper if you choose the theme packages or starter sets of the respective manufacturers. Of course, these must be supplemented with other components if the entire house is to be included. In general, open smart health home base stations can be used to build a "cheaper" ecosystem, since smart components from the discounter can also be integrated here. So z. For example, ALDI repeatedly uses Alexa-compatible lamps, robotic lawnmowers or security systems.

Compatibility is ensured with proprietary solutions, which in turn can save time in product search and installation. When it comes to the question of total costs, the following applies: Tests and experience reports are an important point of reference that provide an overview of current offers. Compatibility, functions and possible subscription costs should be the central checkpoints.

If you plan your health home automation early, you can even get money back. Because the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (short: KfW) promotes various renovation and renovation measures. So there are z. B. KfW grants for measures to protect against burglary or for energy-efficient renovation. A prerequisite for the payment of the funding is the execution of the construction work by a specialist. Important: The grant must be applied for before the construction work begins.

Smart health home market: trends and developments

When we got into health home automation before 2016, the term smart health home was hardly known in Germany. However, more and more people are now discovering the advantages of a networked health home. The trend is clearly moving from manual operation of an app to convenient voice control. And the possibilities are almost unlimited: Regardless of whether the seat of your own toilet or the underfloor heating is controlled by voice command, kitchen appliances are switched on or groceries are ordered online – one voice command is sufficient.

In our opinion, the extent to which intelligent technology will be accepted by private individuals and companies in the future depends above all on two factors: data protection for device manufacturers and interoperability. Because only if sensitive data is well protected and processed by perfectly coordinated components without annoying compatibility problems will the smart health home really live up to its claim of increasing comfort and security.

How satisfied users are with their networking solutions today PC world by the way, in cooperation with the publisher's own Institute for Technology (FiFt) in a study. To this end, 964 users were surveyed online in January 2020 regarding their experience. While Philips scored particularly well in terms of product quality and functionality, AVM impressed with the best customer service. Philips and the Magenta SmartHome did the best in terms of their product promises. The best overall rating was given to the Bosch Smart health home, which is also the winner of the security section.

Bosch Smart health home indoor climate starter set 

Temperature control in the networked health home for the perfect feel-good climate – depending on the time of day, preference and ambient conditions, control via app and Alexa

Certainly not all people will completely network house and yard in the future. But there are already areas in which the triumphant advance of intelligent technology can hardly be stopped. These include the regulation of heating elements or the automation of household chores. This is already evident today from the rapidly growing number of robotic and household robots.

Criticism and disadvantages of the smart health home: what's in it?

Beginners often have two main concerns. On the one hand, they are afraid of accidentally buying products that do not harmonize with each other due to the lack of compatibility. On the other hand, some users do not trust the manufacturer's data protection promise. We followed up on these criticisms and explain what the concerns are.

What about compatibility? Whether connection problems occur depends above all on how carefully consumers inform themselves before buying. Because only those who check beforehand whether the desired components fit together or not will also enjoy it permanently. If existing devices are to be retrofitted, this is possible e.g. B. via a radio-controlled socket.

How well does data protection work?Especially with voice assistants like Alexa, many consumers are afraid of espionage due to the apparently constantly active assistant. The fact that their manufacturers have proven to sometimes evaluate customer inquiries about device optimization, unless users have explicitly contradicted this, also unsettles many.

In addition, there is often the concern that hackers could penetrate their own health home network and manipulate the residents or even lock them up in their own homes.

In fact, however, such dangers are not too great a threat if some important safety rules are observed during installation and use. Because data leaks usually do not arise from the smart product itself, but because of the careless handling of your own data.

In our data protection special, we therefore show how potential security gaps can be effectively closed in just four steps.

Smart health home planning and advice

Anyone who wants to make entry into health home automation more affordable will find lots of tips and tricks in our € 200 instructions. If you have little time, you can get inspiration from our DIY weekly project.

Users who, on the other hand, know more about professional automation from professionals, or would like to become one themselves, can get help from our experts in the following special topics:Smart health home planning in 5 steps – how it worksWhich is better: professional smart health home or DIY solution?Book overview: specialist literature on health home automation

That distinguishes us as experts

Our team has been active in the field of health home automation since 2016 and has set itself the goal of providing beginners and advanced users with comprehensive information about the topic of smart homes. You will find news about current trends as well as event and trade fair announcements. In addition, we let experts speak on our artbzen.com portal and present relevant blogs as well as exciting start-ups and studies.

In addition to reporting on current developments through Smart health home News, we personally Review selected Smart health home products for their practical suitability.

Here are some of the vacuum robot models that we have already tested

(E HEALTH / health home & smart) 

Sources, downloads and further information

Our advice is not only based on our own tests and personal experience, but also results from the collaboration with other experts. The overview presented here included a. based on the following sources:

health home and apartment securityK slump: Here, the police, in cooperation with the insurance industry, industrial associations and other partners, list numerous tips on how everyone can make their health home safer.

The safe house e. V.: This website offers brochures that help all ages to make their living space safe. The campaign is funded by the Bavarian State Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection, the Hessian Ministry for Environment and Social Affairs and the German Statutory Accident Insurance e. V.

Checklist health home security: This questionnaire from Axa Insurance offers support in identifying weaknesses and suitable security solutions.

AccessibilityAdvises on Active Assisted Living (AAL) the GED Society for Energy Services on their website elektro-plus.com.

Save energyEnergy saving plan in the household. Proven guide with basic tips from the Federal Environment Agency for people and the environment. (Stand 2013)

Smart health home studiesTrust and IT security 2020 summarizes the current Bitkom study.

The Development of digital technologies shows the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) in its brochure. (Status: 2017)

Electrical installationsSmartly networked residential buildings: From the small application to the high-price segment, this brochure by the Saxon Energy Agency saena deals with all important questions about health home automation.

Basics of electrical installation. Important technical terms and application notes, compiled by the editors of the Haus & Garten Review magazine. (Status: 2018)

AssociationsThe Smart health home Initiative Germany promotes networking between industry, retail and other service providers in the smart health home sector.

The smart health connected living network helps its members to develop new, intuitive technologies and solutions.

[content-egg module=Amazon template=custom/bigcart]

AB SMART HEALTH health home & BUILDING REVIEW