Do smart thermostats require wifi connection?
Smart thermostat
Smart thermostats are similar to programmable thermostats in the sense that they have a scheduling feature that allows users to set different temperatures for different times of the day. In addition to this feature, smart thermostats implement other technologies to reduce the amount of human error involved with using programmable thermostats. Smart thermostats incorporate the use of sensors that determine whether or not the home is occupied and can suspend heating or cooling until the occupant returns. Additionally, smart thermostats utilize Wi-Fi connectivity to give the user access to the thermostat at all times. These additional technologies have proven to make smart thermostats successful in saving users energy and money.
Humidistat
A humidistat is an electronic device analogous to a thermostat but which responds to relative humidity, not temperature. Humidistats are used in a number of devices including dehumidifiers, humidifiers, and microwave ovens. In humidifiers and dehumidifiers the humidistat is used where constant relative humidity conditions need to be maintained such as a refrigerator, greenhouse, or climate-controlled warehouse. When adjusting the controls in these applications the humidistat would be what is being set. In microwaves they are used in conjunction with "smart cooking" one-button features such as those for microwave popcorn. Humidistats employ hygrometers but are not the same. A humidistat has the functionality of a switch and is not just a measuring instrument like a hygrometer is.
Wireless network
For homeowners, wireless technology is an effective option compared to Ethernet for sharing printers, scanners, and high-speed Internet connections. WLANs help save the cost of installation of cable mediums, save time from physical installation, and also creates mobility for devices connected to the network.
Wireless networks are simple and require as few as one single wireless access point connected directly to the Internet via a router.
Daintree Networks
Daintree's ControlScope wireless control includes switches, sensors, LED drivers, programmable thermostats, and plug load controllers. Wireless communication is achieved either by wirelessly adapting traditional wired devices (such as sensors), or by building wireless communications capabilities directly into devices.
List of Bluetooth profiles
Bluetooth low energy (Bluetooth LE, BLE, marketed as Bluetooth Smart[1]) is a wireless personal area network technology designed and marketed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group aimed at novel applications in the healthcare, fitness, beacons,[2] security, and home entertainment industries.[3] Compared to Classic Bluetooth, Bluetooth Smart is intended to provide considerably reduced power consumption and cost while maintaining a similar communication range.
Smart thermostat
The most advanced smart thermostats combine both: they are able to learn when each room of a house is normally occupied and automatically schedule the heating for that room appropriately. Currently, the only such system available for home use is Heat Genius.
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
The Nintendo DS has an 802.11 wireless adapter built in allowing the DS to access the service via a compatible wireless network. Support for 802.11b clients must be offered by an access point for a DS to be able to connect to it. Public hotspots that use a captive portal can be accessed after login using the Nintendo DS Browser.
Perekrestok (supermarket chain)
In July 2017, Perekrestok launched Smart Wi-Fi, a project to create a free Wi-Fi network in 250 Perekrestok supermarkets in Moscow. The initiative enables the company to show ads and send push notifications to customers immediately after they get connected.
Hotspot (Wi-Fi)
Many Wi-Fi adapters built into or easily added to consumer computers and mobile devices include the functionality to operate as private or mobile hotspots, sometimes referred to as "mi-fi". The use of a private hotspot to enable other personal devices to access the WAN (usually but not always the Internet) is a form of bridging, and known as tethering. Manufacturers and firmware creators can enable this functionality in Wi-Fi devices on many Wi-Fi devices, depending upon the capabilities of the hardware, and most modern consumer operating systems, including Android, Apple OS X 10.6 and later, Windows mobile, and Linux include features to support this. Additionally wireless chipset manufacturers such as Atheros, Broadcom, Intel and others, may add the capability for certain Wi-Fi NICs, usually used in a client role, to also be used for hotspot purposes. However, some service providers, such as AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile charge users for this service or prohibit and disconnect user connections if tethering is detected.
Smart thermostat
A Connected thermostat is one that can be controlled through an internet connection, but will not provide analytic information. In recent years WI-FI thermostats have risen in popularity, they combine the technology of thermometers and WI-FI. So now you can have a thermometer in your home that is displayed on your phone that uses Wi-Fi technology. This technology is being developed right now so it will be available for thermostats in machinery and cars. Google are involved in this push towards technology since they acquired a Wi-Fi temperature company called Nest.The market of smart thermostats is expected to reach around 3.5 Billion USD by the end of the year 2022.
Embedded system
Consumer electronics include MP3 players, mobile phones, video game consoles, digital cameras, GPS receivers, and printers.
Household appliances, such as microwave ovens, washing machines and dishwashers, include embedded systems to provide flexibility, efficiency and features. Advanced HVAC systems use networked thermostats to more accurately and efficiently control temperature that can change by time of day and season. Home automation uses wired- and wireless-networking that can be used to control lights, climate, security, audio/visual, surveillance, etc., all of which use embedded devices for sensing and controlling.
Wireless light switch
There are more and more light switches can be controlled by smartphone. Usually user can control the light using mobile app. But for some products, extra corresponding hub is needed to connect those smart switches. 
In order to avoid the hub, wireless light switch and luminaire needs to share the same protocol, e.g. Bluetooth mesh Lighting model or Zigbee LightLink.
Centrica
In 2013 Centrica established Hive as part of its Connected Home offering, building on its Remote Heating Control service provided through its British Gas subsidiary. Hive is one of the largest connected home providers in the UK and provides smart home technologies including a smart thermostat that allows customers to control heating and hot water in their homes via the company's website or app.
Wi-Fi
Similarly, battery-powered routers may include a cellular Internet radio modem and Wi-Fi access point. When subscribed to a cellular data carrier, they allow nearby Wi-Fi stations to access the Internet over 2G, 3G, or 4G networks using the tethering technique. Many smartphones have a built-in capability of this sort, including those based on Android, BlackBerry, Bada, iOS (iPhone), Windows Phone and Symbian, though carriers often disable the feature, or charge a separate fee to enable it, especially for customers with unlimited data plans. "Internet packs" provide standalone facilities of this type as well, without use of a smartphone; examples include the MiFi- and WiBro-branded devices. Some laptops that have a cellular modem card can also act as mobile Internet Wi-Fi access points.
Google Wifi (router)
Google Wifi aims to provide enhanced Wi-Fi coverage through the setup of multiple Wifi devices in a home. Wifi automatically switches between access points depending on signal strength. Wifi can be purchased as a single unit or in a multi-pack. Wifi features 802.11ac connectivity with 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels, 2x2 antennas, and support for beamforming. It has two gigabit Ethernet ports, and contains a quad-core processor with 512 MB RAM and 4 GB flash memory. Wi-Fi access can be controlled through a companion mobile app.
Vivint
In 2017, Vivint announced a partnership with Airbnb. It also integrated its smart home suite with Google Home and Philips Hue smart lighting. In 2018, Vivint collaborated with Google to include two Google Home Mini devices in every starter kit. The company also integrated the Nest Thermostat E and Google Wifi to its smart-home suite.
IEEE 802.11af
IEEE 802.11af, also referred to as White-Fi and Super Wi-Fi, is a wireless computer networking standard in the 802.11 family, that allows wireless local area network (WLAN) operation in TV white space spectrum in the VHF and UHF bands between 54 and 790 MHz. The standard was approved in February 2014. Cognitive radio technology is used to transmit on unused portions of TV channel band allocations, with the standard taking measures to limit interference for primary users, such as analog TV, digital TV, and wireless microphones.
Air gap (networking)
Many of these systems have since added features that connect them to the public internet, and are no longer effectively air gapped, including thermostats with internet connections and automobiles, with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and cellular phone connectivity.
Nest Learning Thermostat
Nest is available for sale in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Spain. It is, however, compatible with many heating and cooling automation systems in other countries. Nest Labs have surveyed existing users known to be outside the areas where it is officially available. Use of the thermostat outside the United States and Canada is complicated by the software setting time and other functions based on the ZIP code. For international users this means they must either disable Wi‑Fi to set the time correctly or use the nearest U.S. zipcode which may result in erratic behavior as the thermostat makes faulty assumptions about inactivity corresponding with either sleep or the home's occupants being away.
WiFi Master Key
WiFi Master Key is a mobile Wi-Fi management tools app that work on iOS and Android operating systems. The application has a core function WiFi Key Search for users to find and connect to available nearby Wi-Fi hotspots in a tap. All available nearby Wi-Fi hotspots are listed with a Blue Key icon; users can connect to the hotspots listed with a Blue Key icon in a tap without typing login details.
Smart Grid Energy Research Center
The test beds for the current research will have a "network platform that enables appliances such as plug-in electric vehicles, washers, dryers and air conditioners to be wirelessly monitored, connected, and controlled through a wireless communications framework. These test bed arrangements will provide vital research on the demand-response systems."
BT Smart Hub
The BT Home Hub 3 incorporated WPS functionality, seen on other routers, which enables the user to connect to their encrypted network by the use of a "one touch" button, and also includes "smart wireless technology", which automatically chooses the wireless channel to give the strongest possible wireless signal. WPS has since been (temporarily) disabled by firmware updates due to security issues with the standard.
Wi-Fi
Increasingly in the last few years (particularly ), embedded Wi-Fi modules have become available that incorporate a real-time operating system and provide a simple means of wirelessly enabling any device which has and communicates via a serial port.
This allows the design of simple monitoring devices. An example is a portable ECG device monitoring a patient at home. This Wi-Fi-enabled device can communicate via the Internet.
Smartwatch
Software may include digital maps, schedulers and personal organizers, calculators, and various kinds of watch faces. The watch may communicate with external devices such as sensors, wireless headsets, or a heads-up display. Like other computers, a smartwatch may collect information from internal or external sensors and it may control, or retrieve data from, other instruments or computers. It may support wireless technologies like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS. For many purposes, a "watch computer" serves as a front end for a remote system such as a smartphone, communicating with the smartphone using various wireless technologies. Smartwatches are advancing, especially their design, battery capacity, and health-related applications.
Smart meter
In addition to communication with the head-end network, smart meters may need to be part of a home area network, which can include an in-premises display and a hub to interface one or more meters with the head end. Technologies for this network vary from country to country, but include power line communication, wireless ad hoc network, and ZigBee.
Smart device
A smart device is an electronic device, generally connected to other devices or networks via different wireless protocols such as Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi, LiFi, 3G, etc., that can operate to some extent interactively and autonomously. Several notable types of smart devices are smartphones, smart cars, smart thermostats, smart doorbells, smart locks, smart refrigerators, phablets and tablets, smartwatches, smart bands, smart key chains, smart speakers and others. The term can also refer to a device that exhibits some properties of ubiquitous computing, including—although not necessarily—artificial intelligence.
Misfit (company)
Misfit Home includes a mobile app for iOS and Android operating systems as well as additional smart-home capabilities such as wireless controls for lights, locks and thermostats.
Passive Wi-Fi
Applications include smart home devices such as smoke detectors, temperature sensors and security cameras that will no longer require a power source.
Hive Connected Home
Using the Hive app and website, customers can control a range of internet-connected devices, from a thermostat, to lights, smart plugs, motion sensors, and window and door sensors.
Linksys routers
In previous Tomato builds (a popular 3rd-party firmware for Linksys routers), only the 2.4 GHz radio was properly supported. However, simultaneous dual-band radio can now be achieved using Tomato RAF, Tomato Shibby and Tomato Toastman's builds.
A dual-band gigabit model. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
A dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
A dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
An 802.11ac dual-band model with USB storage link
An 802.11ac (advertised as AC900, actually AC1200) dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
An 802.11ac (AC1200) dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
An 802.11ac (AC1200) dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
An 802.11ac (AC1600) dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
An 802.11ac (AC1750) dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
An 802.11ac (AC1750) dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
An 802.11ac (AC1900) dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
An 802.11ac (AC2400) dual-band MU-MIMO gigabit router.
An 802.11ac (AC2600) dual-band MU-MIMO gigabit router.
An 802.11ac (AC3200) tri-band MU-MIMO gigabit router.
Smart meter
After receiving numerous complaints about health, hacking, and privacy concerns with the wireless digital devices, the Public Utility Commission of the US state of Maine voted to allow customers to opt out of the meter change at a cost of $12 a month. In Connecticut, another US state to consider smart metering, regulators declined a request by the state's largest utility, Connecticut Light & Power, to install 1.2 million of the devices, arguing that the potential savings in electric bills do not justify the cost. CL&P already offers its customers time-based rates. The state's Attorney General George Jepsen was quoted as saying the proposal would cause customers to spend upwards of $500 million on meters and get few benefits in return, a claim that Connecticut Light & Power disputed.
Automatic meter reading
Most of the automated utility meters installed in the Corpus Christi area are battery powered. Wi-Fi technology is unsuitable for long-term battery-powered operation.
Hive Connected Home
Energy efficiency targets set by UK energy industry regulator Ofgem aim to convert 53 million homes and small businesses to use smart gas and electricity meters by the end of 2020. Since this was announced, there has been an increase in partnerships between smart thermostat companies and utility companies.
Smart meter
These meters are fully electronic and smart, with integrated bi-directional communications, advanced power measurement and management capabilities, an integrated, software-controllable disconnect switch, and an all solid-state design. They communicate over low voltage power lines, without the need for WiFi, to data concentrators that communicate via IP to Enel's enterprise servers. Standards-based power line technology from Echelon Corporation is used.
Tony Fadell
While building his energy-efficient home near Lake Tahoe in California, Fadell went looking for a thermostat and was frustrated by the limited features of the devices available. Together with Matt Rogers, a former Apple colleague, he set out to redesign the traditional thermostat. In May 2010, Fadell and Rogers co-founded Nest Labs in Palo Alto, CA. Nest Labs, or Nest, is a company that designs and manufactures a sensor-driven, Wi-Fi-enabled, learning programmable thermostat, now in its third generation.
Smart meter
A smart meter is an electronic device that records consumption of electric energy and communicates the information to the electricity supplier for monitoring and billing. Smart meters typically record energy hourly or more frequently, and report at least daily. Smart meters enable two-way communication between the meter and the central system. Such an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) differs from automatic meter reading (AMR) in that it enables two-way communication between the meter and the supplier. Communications from the meter to the network may be wireless, or via fixed wired connections such as power line carrier (PLC). Wireless communication options in common use include cellular communications (which can be expensive), Wi-Fi (readily available), wireless ad hoc networks over Wi-Fi, wireless mesh networks, low power long range wireless (LORA), ZigBee (low power, low data rate wireless), and Wi-SUN (Smart Utility Networks).
Programmable thermostat
Some digital thermostats have the capability of being programmed using a touch-tone telephone or over the Internet, such as the Nest Learning Thermostat.
Smart Cell
Smart Cells are innovative ubiquitous radio access nodes that provide wireless connectivity across multiple spectrum ranges and technologies. As of January 2014, Macrocells, Small Cells, and Wi-Fi connections were the primary means of data connectivity. For these types of cells, the spectrum utilized is static and is based on the antenna installed. "A Smart Cell may transmit multiple frequencies and technologies which are controlled by the software and not the hardware" (antenna).
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi also allows communications directly from one computer to another without an access point intermediary. This is called "ad hoc" Wi-Fi transmission. This wireless ad hoc network mode has proven popular with multiplayer handheld game consoles, such as the Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, digital cameras, and other consumer electronics devices. Some devices can also share their Internet connection using ad hoc, becoming hotspots or "virtual routers".
National Broadband Plan (United States)
Goal 6 implies access to demand-side opportunities such as turning on devices (such as sump or cistern pumps or battery chargers) that can use intermittent or off-peak power when it is available (more cheaply than at peak). In October 2009, General Electric and Whirlpool announced a Smart Green Grid Initiative.
"Smart appliances" could schedule energy use at times when less energy was being used or when renewable energy such as wind was more available.
Smart gun
Joseph Steinberg writes that "biometrics take time to process and are often inaccurate – especially when a user is under duress – as is likely going to be the case in any situation in which he needs to brandish a gun... it is not ideal to add a requirement for power to devices utilized in cases of emergency that did not need electricity previously. How many fire codes allow fire extinguishers that require a battery to operate?" Steinberg further writes that "smartguns might be hackable" or "susceptible to government tracking or jamming...Firearms must be able to be disassembled in order to be cleaned and maintained. One of the principles of information security is that someone who has physical access to a machine can undermine its security." In a follow up piece published in January 2016, Steinberg noted that smartguns that utilize wireless communications to detect that the shooter is wearing a watch, bracelet, or other device may "allow criminals (and police) to identify who is carrying a weapon" undermining "one of the reasons that some states require people to carry their weapons concealed; if all civilian-carried guns are concealed criminals do not know who is carrying and who is not, so they have to fear mugging everyone, which protects the unarmed as well as the armed."
Smart thermostat
Although most studies show that smart thermostats show an energy savings, the amount of savings varies. A large discrepancy is seen between energy modeling savings and the savings found using actual data. The energy modeling compares the smart thermostat to a constant set point temperature of 72°F, but an online survey conducted by Nest showed that most users have a set point temperature that is 10% more efficient. Therefore, the savings predicted by the energy modeling are going to be higher than real savings.
Z-Wave
For smart-home wireless networking, there are numerous technologies competing to become the standard of choice. Wi-Fi consumes a lot of power, and Bluetooth is limited in signal range and number of devices. Other network standards competing with Z-Wave include Wi-Fi HaLow, Bluetooth 5, Insteon, Thread and ZigBee. Z-Wave has a long open-air operating range at 90 meter (outdoor) and 24+ meter(indoor). Insteon has a large number of maximum devices capability at 17.7 million (to ZigBee's 65,000 and Z-Wave's 232). Thread has a fast data transmission rate at 250 kbps. Z-Wave has better interoperability than ZigBee, but ZigBee has a faster data transmission rate. Thread operates on the busy Wi-Fi standard frequency of 2.4 GHz, while Z-Wave operates at 908 MHz in the US, which has reduced noise and a greater coverage area. ZigBee operates on both 915 MHz and 2.4 GHz frequencies. All three are mesh networks. The Z-Wave MAC/PHY is globally standardized by the International Telecommunications Union as ITU 9959 radio, and the Z-Wave Interoperability, Security (S2), Middleware and Z-Wave over IP specifications were all released into the public domain in 2016, making Z-Wave highly accessible to Internet of Things developers.
Wireless site survey
Passive and active surveys are performed using software and typically require only a compatible off-the-shelf Wi-Fi adapter; no additional specialized hardware is required. Predictive surveys require no hardware at all, as no wireless data collection is needed. Currently, professional-level site survey applications exist primarily for Microsoft Windows. Some site survey applications for other platforms, including iOS and Android, also exist, however they are limited in functionality due to the limitations of the underlying platform API. For example, signal level measurements cannot be obtained on iOS without jailbreaking. The feasibility of creating professional-level applications for non-Windows tablets is debated.
Wireless network
Products using the IEEE 802.11 WLAN standards are marketed under the Wi-Fi brand name .
Fixed wireless technology implements point-to-point links between computers or networks at two distant locations, often using dedicated microwave or modulated laser light beams over line of sight paths. It is often used in cities to connect networks in two or more buildings without installing a wired link.
To connect to Wi-Fi sometimes we use devices like a router or connecting HotSpot using mobile smartphones.
Thermostat
Newer digital thermostats have no moving parts to measure temperature and instead rely on thermistors or other semiconductor devices such as a resistance thermometer (resistance temperature detector). Typically one or more regular batteries must be installed to operate it, although some so-called "power stealing" digital thermostats use the common 24 volt AC circuits as a power source, but will not operate on thermopile powered "millivolt" circuits used in some furnaces. Each has an LCD screen showing the current temperature, and the current setting. Most also have a clock, and time-of-day and even day-of-week settings for the temperature, used for comfort and energy conservation. Some advanced models have touch screens, or the ability to work with home automation or building automation systems.
Smart thermostat
Motion detectors can determine if someone is home. One smart thermostat that uses motion detectors is the Ecobee4.
Home network
One of the most common ways of creating a home network is by using wireless radio signal technology; the 802.11 network as certified by the IEEE. Most wireless-capable residential devices operate at a frequency of 2.4 GHz under 802.11b and 802.11g or 5 GHz under 802.11a. Some home networking devices operate in both radio-band signals and fall within the 802.11n or 802.11ac standards. Wi-Fi is a marketing and compliance certification for IEEE 802.11 technologies. The Wi-Fi Alliance has tested compliant products, and certifies them for interoperability.
Nintendo Switch
The Switch offers dual-band 802.11ac wireless connectivity and is compliant with 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac modes. Up to eight Switch consoles can be connected in a wireless "ad hoc" network for local multiplayer games, and multiple players can play on each of the connected Switch consoles. In the case of at least one game, "Splatoon 2", ten Switch consoles can connect in the "ad hoc" network, though only eight can play directly while the other two can watch as spectators. The Switch uses Bluetooth 4.1 for wireless communication between the console and its controllers. Users can purchase a third-party USB LAN adapter for wired connectivity when the Console is docked for TV mode. Nintendo's Wii LAN adapter accessory is also compatible with the Switch via USB ports on the Switch dock.
Internet of things
Significant numbers of energy-consuming devices (e.g. switches, power outlets, bulbs, televisions, etc.) already integrate Internet connectivity, which can allow them to communicate with utilities to balance power generation and energy usage and optimize energy consumption as a whole. These devices allow for remote control by users, or central management via a cloud-based interface, and enable functions like scheduling (e.g., remotely powering on or off heating systems, controlling ovens, changing lighting conditions etc.). The smart grid is a utility-side IoT application; systems gather and act on energy and power-related information to improve the efficiency of the production and distribution of electricity. Using advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) Internet-connected devices, electric utilities not only collect data from end-users, but also manage distribution automation devices like transformers.
Smart thermostat
One of the issues with programmable thermostats that smart thermostats try to fix is the confusing user interface. Many owners of programmable thermostats found the controls and directions to be too confusing and opted out of using the scheduling feature completely. Others who used the feature used it incorrectly, due to the confusing directions, and saw an increase in energy usage. Developers of smart thermostats have attempted to fix this issue by creating simple to use thermostats and providing proper direction. While this is an improvement on programmable thermostats, studies have shown that users desire more intense training from the installer of the thermostat on how to use the technical features. Additionally, many smart thermostats use a web portal where users can adjust the thermostat settings and look at their energy usage history. Again, studies have shown that users want this feature to be improved. Some complain that the web portal is not user friendly and they desire more training on how to use the web features during installation.
Thermostat
To improve the comfort of the occupants of heated or air-conditioned spaces, bimetal sensor thermostats can include an "anticipator" system to slightly warm the temperature sensor while the heating equipment is operating, or to slightly warm the sensor when the cooling system is not operating. When correctly adjusted this reduces any excessive hysteresis in the system and reduces the magnitude of temperature variations. Electronic thermostats have an electronic equivalent.
Thermostat
Water and steam based central heating systems have traditionally had overall control by wall-mounted bi-metallic strip thermostats. These sense the air temperature using the differential expansion of two metals to actuate an on/off switch. Typically the central system would be switched on when the temperature drops below the setpoint on the thermostat, and switched off when it rises above, with a few degrees of hysteresis to prevent excessive switching. Bi-metallic sensing is now being superseded by electronic sensors. A principal use of the bi-metallic thermostat today is in individual electric convection heaters, where control is on/off, based on the local air temperature and the setpoint desired by the user. These are also used on air-conditioners, where local control is required.
Smart meter
Communication is a critical technological requirement for smart meters. Each meter must be able to reliably and securely communicate the information collected to some central location. Considering the varying environments and locations where meters are found, that problem can be daunting. Among the solutions proposed are: the use of cell and pager networks, satellite, licensed radio, combination licensed and unlicensed radio, and power line communication. Not only the medium used for communication purposes, but also the type of network used, is critical. As such, one would find: fixed wireless, wireless mesh network and wireless ad hoc networks, or a combination of the two. There are several other potential network configurations possible, including the use of Wi-Fi and other internet related networks. To date no one solution seems to be optimal for all applications. Rural utilities have very different communication problems from urban utilities or utilities located in difficult locations such as mountainous regions or areas ill-served by wireless and internet companies.
IEEE 802.11
IEEE 802.11af, also referred to as "White-Fi" and "Super Wi-Fi", is an amendment, approved in February 2014, that allows WLAN operation in TV white space spectrum in the VHF and UHF bands between 54 and 790 MHz. It uses cognitive radio technology to transmit on unused TV channels, with the standard taking measures to limit interference for primary users, such as analog TV, digital TV, and wireless microphones. Access points and stations determine their position using a satellite positioning system such as GPS, and use the Internet to query a geolocation database (GDB) provided by a regional regulatory agency to discover what frequency channels are available for use at a given time and position. The physical layer uses OFDM and is based on 802.11ac. The propagation path loss as well as the attenuation by materials such as brick and concrete is lower in the UHF and VHF bands than in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, which increases the possible range. The frequency channels are 6 to 8 MHz wide, depending on the regulatory domain. Up to four channels may be bonded in either one or two contiguous blocks. MIMO operation is possible with up to four streams used for either space–time block code (STBC) or multi-user (MU) operation. The achievable data rate per spatial stream is 26.7 Mbit/s for 6 and 7 MHz channels, and 35.6 Mbit/s for 8 MHz channels. With four spatial streams and four bonded channels, the maximum data rate is 426.7 Mbit/s for 6 and 7 MHz channels and 568.9 Mbit/s for 8 MHz channels.
Smart grid
Austin, Texas. In the US, the city of Austin, Texas has been working on building its smart grid since 2003, when its utility first replaced 1/3 of its manual meters with smart meters that communicate via a wireless mesh network. It currently manages 200,000 devices real-time (smart meters, smart thermostats, and sensors across its service area), and expects to be supporting 500,000 devices real-time in 2009 servicing 1 million consumers and 43,000 businesses.
Withings
Withings Thermo is a temporal artery thermometer which uses a 16-sensor array to deliver fast and accurate temperature readings. In a non-invasive manner, infrared sensors take 4,000 measurements within two seconds, while an algorithm corrects for biases, such as skin heat loss and the ambient temperature, to produce a reliable single temperature reading. The thermometer displays only the temperature, but additional data is stored, analyzed, and presented in the accompanying app. Its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity allows smartphone users to log readings, along with other information such as symptoms and medication. The app stores profiles of several people and lasts on two batteries for about two years. Thermo won two 2016 CES Innovation Awards (Best in Fitness, Sport and Biotech, and Tech for a Better World).
Machine to machine
Another application is to use wireless technology to monitor systems, such as utility meters. This would allow the owner of the meter to know if certain elements have been tampered with, which serves as a quality method to stop fraud. In Quebec, Rogers will connect Hydro Quebec's central system with up to 600 Smart Meter collectors, which aggregate data relayed from the province's 3.8-million Smart Meters. In the UK, Telefonica won on a €1.78 billion ($2.4 billion) smart-meter contract to provide connectivity services over a period of 15 years in the central and southern regions of the country. The contract is the industry’s biggest deal yet.
Wireless ad hoc network
Sensors are useful devices that collect information related to a specific parameter, such as noise, temperature, humidity, pressure, etc. Sensors are increasingly connected via wireless to allow large scale collection of sensor data. With a large sample of sensor data, analytics processing can be used to make sense out of these data. The connectivity of wireless sensor networks rely on the principles behind wireless ad hoc networks, since sensors can now be deploy without any fixed radio towers, and they can now form networks on-the-fly. "Smart Dust" was one of the early projects done at U C Berkeley, where tiny radios were used to interconnect smart dust. More recently, mobile wireless sensor networks (MWSNs) have also become an area of academic interest.
Sentroller
Many of the new things connected to the Internet will be Sentrollers. Sentrollers are either actuators, sensors, controllers, or combinations of these three things. One simple example is a home thermostat. A thermostat is a sentroller as it senses the temperature in the home, checks whether the home or room in which the thermostat is monitoring temperature is at the desired temperature, and if not, turns on the heater or the air conditioner. Therefore, a thermostat is a sensor and a controller – a sentroller. No human interaction with the thermostat or the cloud will be necessary for the thermostat to keep the heat in the home at the right level.
Kinsa
Kinsa Inc. is a health technology company headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States. The company manufactures smart thermometers, currently producing a smart stick thermometer (oral, rectal, underarm thermometer), smart ear thermometer and a Sesame Street branded smart ear thermometer. Its thermometers connect to a free app that tracks historic temperature, symptom and diagnostic data. The company's mission is to create the first real-time map of human health.
Weightless (wireless communications)
Weightless is a wireless communications protocol designed to connect Smart Machines to the Internet – so-called Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications – over distances ranging from a few metres to about 10 km.Other technologies which use the white space – the channels not used for terrestrial television broadcast in a particular area – are also being developed. One is Wi-Fi under the developing standard IEEE 802.11af.
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
If a compatible wireless network is not available, the Nintendo DS and Wii can also connect through the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector. Broadband Internet access is not required to make use of this connectivity, though it is recommended to reduce network latency. It was priced at the Nintendo Online Store, however it has since been discontinued due to legal issues. Its replacement, the Nintendo Wi-Fi Network Adapter, and many third party products, provide similar functionality.
LG G Watch R
The G Watch R has IP67 certification for dust and water resistance. It has a user-replaceable buckle-based strap. The watch consists of a 1.2 GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 4GB internal storage and 512MB RAM. It is encased in a brushed aluminum and stainless steel body, which holds on the P-OLED display. The smartwatch has Bluetooth LE connectivity, a barometer for several uses including atmospheric pressure and altitude, an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a heart rate monitor. Wi-Fi connectivity was enabled in an official patch.
While the watch does include a microphone, the lack of a speaker makes it impossible to make calls on it.
BT Smart Hub
The Home Hub 5 was followed on 20 June 2016 by the Smart Hub, a further development of the Home Hub sometimes referred to as "Home Hub 6". It has more WiFi antennas than its predecessor, and a USB 3.0 rather than USB 2.0 port. It supports Wave 2 802.11ac WiFi, found on review to be 50% faster than non-Wave 2.
Thermostat
Thermostats are used in any device or system that heats or cools to a setpoint temperature, examples include building heating, central heating, air conditioners, HVAC systems, water heaters, as well as kitchen equipment including ovens and refrigerators and medical and scientific incubators. In scientific literature, these devices are often broadly classified as thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs). Thermostatically controlled loads comprise roughly 50% of the overall electricity demand in the United States.
Tado°
In June 2015 tado° launched its second product, the Smart AC Control. It is not a thermostat. It turns any air conditioning unit into a smarter device. tado° Smart AC Control uses a smartphone's location to be able to determine if the resident is at home or not and automatically turns the AC on or off. The air conditioner can also be manually operated via the Smart AC Control using the tado° App.
Thermostat
Depending on what is being controlled, a forced-air air conditioning thermostat generally has an external switch for heat/off/cool, and another on/auto to turn the blower fan on constantly or only when heating and cooling are running. Four wires come to the centrally-located thermostat from the main heating/cooling unit (usually located in a closet, basement, or occasionally in the attic): One wire, usually red, supplies 24 volts AC power to the thermostat, while the other three supply control signals from the thermostat, usually white for heat, yellow for cooling, and green to turn on the blower fan. The power is supplied by a transformer, and when the thermostat makes contact between the 24 volt power and one or two of the other wires, a relay back at the heating/cooling unit activates the corresponding heat/fan/cool function of the unit(s).
Free (ISP)
Free deployed the IPv6 infrastructure in only 5 weeks, from 7 November to 11 December 2007, thanks to an innovative 6rd (IPv6 rapid deployment) proposal by Rémi Després.In May 2009 Free reconfigured the set-top boxes to act as Wifi hotspots by default. With over 3 million hotspots, it is thought to be the largest Wifi hotspot network in the world during that time. They require authentication which makes them only accessible to Free's ADSL and now mobile customers. Their main use is thus to let customers away from home continue accessing the Internet using the ADSL connection of other Free customer within Wifi range. For security reasons this access is isolated from the ADSL user's normal Wifi network, and is given lower priority.In 2003, Free introduced unlimited phone calls at no additional price, while other phone operators or ISPs charged per-minute fees for telephone calls. Competitors have then been forced to imitate these changes, but with fewer destinations included or at an additional price. Bundled Free subscribers enjoy same free calls as those unbundled since March 2004. Calls to United States and Canada have been free of charge since December 2005.
Smart thermostat
One study attempted to address this issue by adding more sensors throughout the house. Instead of using just one sensor in the thermostat, this team experimented with placing motion sensors and door sensors throughout the house to gain better understanding of the occupant's sleeping and occupancy patterns. These sensors communicated with each other and used an algorithm to quickly determine whether the occupants were active, sleeping, or away. The system used historical data to estimate when occupants would be returning and would begin “preheating” the home before they arrived. Additionally, the system would drift further from the set point when it was certain that no one was home. The study compared a standard ("reactive") smart thermostat and the multiple sensor system to a manual thermostat. The study concluded that a reactive smart thermostat with just on sensor saves, on average, 6.8% of energy consumption, while the multiple sensor system saved an average of 28% of energy consumption. This study again shows that, on average, smart thermostats achieve their goal of saving energy. It also shows that smart thermostats are not as well developed as they could be, and the addition of more sensors could result in better performance and energy savings.
California State University, Los Angeles
Students, faculty, and staff can get a wireless connection to the Internet by interconnected Wi-Fi hot spots throughout the campus. On September 18, 2014, Information Technology Services launched the new Gigabit Wi-Fi network, 802.11ac, the very latest standard in wireless technology. In addition to replacing 550 existing access points, 109 new access points were installed. Another 100 new access points were installed at the end of the fall 2014 quarter to further enhance both network coverage and capacity.
Ecobee
The ecobee4 is ecobee's flagship product which was originally launched May 3, 2017. It is a touchscreen thermostat that works with up to 32 remote temperature/motion sensors to adjust the thermostat based on where you are. It also has IFTTT integration. An updated version of the ecobee3 was released in 2015 that works with Apple HomeKit. The ecobee3 lite was released on October 17, 2016. The ecobee3 lite is a less expensive thermostat that resembles the ecobee3, but does not include any remote temperature sensors. Support for remote temperature sensors was added to the ecobee3 lite in March 2017.
Wireless
The technology is useful where physical connections are impractical due to high costs or other considerations. For example, free space optical links are used in cities between office buildings which are not wired for networking, where the cost of running cable through the building and under the street would be prohibitive. Another widely used example is consumer IR devices such as remote controls and IrDA (Infrared Data Association) networking, which is used as an alternative to WiFi networking to allow laptops, PDAs, printers, and digital cameras to exchange data.
Smart thermostat
Manual thermostats (also known as analog thermostats) are the oldest and simplest type of thermostats. These thermostats are set to one temperature and do not change until the user manually adjusts the temperature.
Programmable thermostats, first introduced in the 1970s, are a type of thermostat that allows the user to set a schedule for different temperatures at different times. Most programmable thermostats also have a hold feature which suspends the schedule and effectively turns the thermostat into a manual thermostat. The idea of the scheduling feature is that users will set a warmer or cooler temperature when the home is unoccupied to save energy and money. Due to this assumed energy savings, some building codes and government programs began requiring the use of programmable thermostats. Unfortunately, due to human error in using these devices, many programmable thermostats result in more energy use than the basic manual thermostat.
Xiaomi Smart Home
Xiaomi unveiled the Smart Home Kit for CNY 199 on 10 June 2015. The kit contains a set of smart sensors, including the multi-function gateway, the door/window sensor, the motion detector and the wireless switch, which can be combined to achieve over 30 different kinds of functions. For example, the motion detector can be paired with the gateway to perform functions such as switching on a light at night when it detects motion; the window sensors can start or stop a connected fan as windows are closed or opened; in another example, users can set the gateway into alert mode with their smartphones as they leave the house, and the gateway would then send push notifications and turn on the automatic recording of a Yi Smart Webcam when the door/window sensor or the motion detector detects abnormal activity.
Dexter Industries
Dexter Industries released the WiFi sensor called the dWIFI in November 2011. The dWifi release was accompanied by a week-long instructional blogging campaign aimed at walking novices through the process. The dWifi enables the NXT to transmit and receive information wirelessly between a computer and itself. The sensor operates with standard 802.11 b/g/n access and can be configured to run on the vast majority of home networks. The Dexter Industries dWIFIs sensor connects to the NXT via the high speed communications Port 4 and is powered by an external 9V battery. The sensor comes with security options and is able to connect with WPA2-PSK, WPA, and WEP security networks. Users of the dWifi can "tweet" information from the Mindstorms NXT to Twitter. In February 2012, a dWiFi user released instructions on how to expand the range of the dWifi by using a High Gain Ariel.
Kinsa
In 2014, Kinsa raised $9.6 million to be used for developing and testing its first medical thermometer, a thermometer that uses smartphone-connected sensors. The smart thermometer collects illness data which is analyzed and displayed by an app developed by the company. Users can track temperatures, symptoms, medication doses and diagnoses, as well as get real-time guidance on what to do if symptoms are cause for concern. The app also has a local groups feature for school communities with a health summary and message board. It tells members which illnesses are going around their school, such as the flu or strep throat.
SmartThings
SmartThings Labs was introduced in January 2014 as an area within the native app which allows users to access a series of projects that are being built by either the internal SmartThings team or a community of developers. These projects are still being worked on in production and are meant to give customers early access to upcoming product integrations. For example, SmartThings customers can access Labs to control their ecobee thermostats, Belkin WeMo switches, Quirky Pivot Power Genius, Sonos, Philips hue bulbs, and TCP light bulbs directly from the SmartThings app, and also to trigger these products to adjust when various actions take place.
Now TV (Sky)
In February 2018 Now TV launched the Now TV Smart Stick (based on the 2017 Roku Streaming Stick). It is quick and easy to plug it into any display with an HDMI port and offers plug and play portability. The Now TV "Smart Stick" is the first Now TV device to include a Wi-Fi Direct remote control with voice search allowing users to search movies and shows by name, or by favourite actors or directors, by talking into the "Smart Stick" remote. Apps can also be launched via voice search by users saying the name of the app they wish to launch. The Now TV "Smart Stick" has a feature called "Hotel connect" which allows users to connect to Wi-Fi networks that require signing in to the Wi-Fi network through a web browser.
Thermostat
Electromechanical thermostats use resistance elements as anticipators. Most electronic thermostats use either thermistor devices or integrated logic elements for the anticipation function. In some electronic thermostats, the thermistor anticipator may be located outdoors, providing a variable anticipation depending on the outdoor temperature. Thermostat enhancements include outdoor temperature display, programmability, and system fault indication. While such 24 volt thermostats are incapable of operating a furnace when the mains power fails, most such furnaces require mains power for heated air fans (and often also hot-surface or electronic spark ignition) rendering moot the functionality of the thermostat. In other circumstances such as piloted wall and "gravity" (fanless) floor and central heaters the low voltage system described previously may be capable of remaining functional when electrical power is unavailable.
Modem
Direct broadcast satellite, WiFi, and mobile phones all use modems to communicate, as do most other wireless services today. Modern telecommunications and data networks also make extensive use of radio modems where long distance data links are required. Such systems are an important part of the PSTN, and are also in common use for high-speed computer network links to outlying areas where fibre is not economical.
Google WiFi
As of 2009, Google used over 500 Tropos Networks MetroMesh routers acting as access points mounted primarily on utility poles providing usable signal and broadband internet access to over 95% of the city's area of . As of 2009, it serves over 16,000 unique users each month and handles over 500 gigabytes of data in 24 hours. There are three aggregation points (or base stations) that all traffic is forwarded to. The radios in the access points offer both GoogleWiFi (which has no encryption) and GoogleWiFiSecure (which uses WPA to encrypt the over-the-air traffic) service set identifiers (SSID). Google WiFi only requires its end users have a Google Account. Google offers a free virtual private network (VPN) software client called Google Secure Access (GSA) and maintains a list of other recommended third-party VPN software packages. Unlike a residential gateway, the network does not use network address translation (NAT): it provides a routable IP Address from a DHCP pool with a one-hour "DHCP lease" under the DNS domain wifi.google.com directly to the client PC. A mobile laptop user can roam through Mountain View and maintain the same IP address for at least the one-hour lease time.
Smart thermostat
The programmable schedule feature on the smart thermostat is similar to that on standard programmable thermostats. Users are given the option to program a custom schedule to reduce energy usage when they are away from the home. Studies have shown, though, that manually creating a schedule may lead to more energy usage than just keeping the thermostat at a set temperature. To avoid this problem, smart thermostats also provide an auto schedule feature. This feature requires the use of algorithms and pattern recognition to create a schedule that results in occupant comfort and energy savings. Upon creating a schedule, the thermostat will continue monitoring occupant behavior to make changes to the auto schedule. By taking the human error out of the scheduling, smart thermostats can create smart schedules that actually save energy.
Thermostat
Most digital thermostats in common residential use in North America and Europe are programmable thermostats, which will typically provide a 30% energy savings if left with their default programs; adjustments to these defaults may increase or reduce energy savings. The programmable thermostat article provides basic information on the operation, selection and installation of such a thermostat.With non-zoned (typical residential, one thermostat for the whole house) systems, when the thermostat's R (or Rh) and W terminals are connected, the furnace will go through its start-up procedure and produce heat.
Hive Connected Home
On August 11, 2016, the company announced a partnership with IFTTT (If This, Then That) to allow the smart thermostat to connect to 300 additional products and services through expanded recipe-based automation.
Thermostat
Some programmable thermostats - those that offer simple "millivolt" or "two-wire" modes - will control these systems.
BT Smart Hub
The BT Smart Hub (formerly BT Home Hub) is a family of wireless residential gateway router modems distributed by BT for use with their own products and services and those of wholesale resellers (i.e. LLUs) but not with other Internet services. Since v 5 Home/Smart Hubs support the faster Wi-Fi 802.11ac standard, in addition to the 802.11b/g/n standards. All models of the Home Hub prior to Home Hub 3 support VoIP Internet telephony via BT's Broadband Talk service, and are compatible with DECT telephone handsets. Since the Home Hub 4, all models have been dual band (i.e. both 2.4GHz and 5GHz).
Hotspot (Wi-Fi)
Hotspot 2.0 is based on the IEEE 802.11u standard, which is a set of protocols published in 2011 to enable cellular-like roaming. If the device supports 802.11u and is subscribed to a Hotspot 2.0 service it will automatically connect and roam.The "user-fairness model" is a dynamic billing model, which allows volume-based billing, charged only by the amount of payload (data, video, audio). Moreover, the tariff is classified by net traffic and user needs.
List of 2.4 GHz radio use
Wi-Fi () is technology for radio wireless local area networking of devices based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. "WiFi" is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance, which restricts the use of the term "Wi-Fi Certified" to products that successfully complete interoperability certification testing.
Nest Learning Thermostat
The Nest Thermostat is built around an operating system that allows interaction with the thermostat via spinning and clicking of its control wheel, which brings up option menus for switching from heating to cooling, access to device settings, energy history, and scheduling. Users can control Nest without a touch screen or other input device
. As the thermostat is connected to the Internet, the company can push updates to fix bugs, improve performance and add additional features. For updates to occur automatically, the thermostat must be connected to Wi‑Fi and the battery must have at least a 3.7 V charge to give enough power to complete the download and installation of the update.
Engineers for a Sustainable World
The idea of the AutoSwitch is to save electricity in a household setting without the users having to think about it every time. The device will be a power strip that is using a micro controller, in our case an arduino yun, to control a relay switch built into the strip. This micro controller will be connected to the homes wifi and will be able to tell when a pair device connects or disconnects to the same wifi. If the device is connected then the controller will flip the relay switch, turning on the power strip and everything plugged into it. And when the device is not in range of the wifi (disconnected) then the micro controller will turn off the power strip saving energy.
Transactive energy
Testing included SMART Shift, a time-of-day rate plan that helps customers save money by load shifting and SMART Cooling, an air-conditioning technology that helps reduce peak demand in the summer. During the project, eView was developed to assist customers in monitoring their electric use and costs as well as estimating current month usage to measure against their energy budget. eView< is an in-home device that communicates with the smart meter through wireless technology and informs the consumer of the price of electricity and how much was being used.
Smart thermostat
Upon installing a smart thermostat, there are additional programs that continue to promote sustainability and reduced energy consumption. The Nest Rush Hour Rewards program partners with utility companies across the United States to incentivize customers to set a higher or lower temperature during peak demand periods. Energy rush hours occur when everyone in a particular area turns on their heating or cooling at the same time, such as during a heat wave. This extra demand may require utility companies to run additional power plants, leading to more cost and carbon emissions. To avoid this, the Rush Hour Rewards program incentivizes customers to set a more efficient temperature that will reduce the amount of energy needed to be produced by the utility.
Smart thermostat
Another study conducted on the issue determined that the biggest problem for programmable thermostats was the human using it. The technology inside a programmable thermostat is no doubt one of the most important factors in determining whether or not the thermostat will be successful in saving energy. But an equally important factor is the human who is using the thermostat. Unfortunately, many people who own programmable thermostats do not know how to use the thermostat or are not using all of the features that are offered. One study conducted a number of interviews, surveys, and observations to determine that the vast majority of programmable thermostat owners are not using the thermostats for their intended purpose. An online survey showed that 89% of respondents do not use the schedule feature on their programmable thermostat. Other results from the interviews and surveys show that a large number of people have misconceptions about heating/cooling and the use of programmable thermostats. One misconceptions is people believing that heating all of the time is more efficient than scheduling the heat to turn off. Another misconception noted in the study is that turning down the thermostat does not substantially reduce energy consumption. These misconceptions reaffirm the idea that the programmable thermostat itself could have all of the necessary tools, but if the user does not use them or uses them incorrectly, then these thermostats will fail at saving energy.
Smart Grid Energy Research Center
The Edgeware: controlling and utilizing the wireless technology networks, and creation, management, setup of software and firmware. It connects with RFID tags, motion detectors, temperature monitors, or 10X controllers on refrigerators. Within the WINSmartGrid™ hub, a variety of monitors/sensors are supported that the Edgeware has connection with including humidity, current, voltage, power, shock, motion, chemicals, etc. This hub is capable of supporting wireless protocols (e.g. WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, GPRS, and RFID). The most efficient protocols seem to be the low-power protocols such as Zigbee.
IEEE 802.21
Crossing different administrative connectivity domains will require agreements among different network operators. Currently, such agreements are still not in place. In smart phones today, a user can manually select to use WiFi or cellular LTE, but the connections are not automatically maintained should a 
disconnection of one network occurs.
ISIGN Media
The Smart Antenna, rolled out in 2012, uses the same Bluetooth technology as the IMS but also has WiFi capabilities to connect with iPhone users, broadening mobile messaging capabilities. Smart Antennas have a 300-foot (100m) Bluetooth message broadcasting and WiFi accessible content transmission radius. iSIGN’s patent-pending platform collects and organizes metrics and delivers customizable analytics to merchants while protecting consumer privacy.
Wireless sensor network
Due to the high density of server racks in a data center, often cabling and IP addresses are an issue. To overcome that problem more and more racks are fitted out with wireless temperature sensors to monitor the intake and outtake temperatures of racks. As ASHRAE recommends up to six temperature sensors per rack, meshed wireless temperature technology gives an advantage compared to traditional cabled sensors.
Google Wifi (router)
Google Wifi can be purchased two ways: as a single unit or a multi-pack. One Wifi device is a little white cylinder. When combining multiple devices, it will automatically switch between access points. The router itself supports 802.11ac connectivity with 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels, 2x2 antennas, with support for beamforming. Wifi has two gigabit Ethernet ports, and contains a quad-core processor with 512 MB RAM and 4 GB flash memory. A companion mobile app provides the ability to selectively control Wi-Fi access.
Smart meter
It also is important for smart grid implementations that power line communication (PLC) technologies used within the home over a Home Area Network (HAN), are standardized and compatible. The HAN allows HVAC systems and other household appliances to communicate with the smart meter, and from there to the utility. Currently there are several broadband or narrowband standards in place, or being developed, that are not yet compatible. To address this issue, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) established the PAP15 group, which studies and recommends coexistence mechanisms with a focus on the harmonization of PLC standards for the HAN. The objective of the group is to ensure that all PLC technologies selected for the HAN coexist as a minimum. The two main broadband PLC technologies selected are the HomePlug AV / IEEE 1901 and ITU-T G.hn technologies. Technical working groups within these organizations are working to develop appropriate coexistence mechanisms. The HomePlug Powerline Alliance has developed a new standard for smart grid HAN communications called the HomePlug Green PHY specification. It is interoperable and coexistent with the widely deployed HomePlug AV technology and with the new IEEE 1901 global standard and is based on Broadband OFDM technology. ITU-T commissioned in 2010 a new project called G.hnem, to address the home networking aspects of energy management, built upon existing Low Frequency Narrowband OFDM technologies.
HomeRF
Initially called Shared Wireless Access Protocol (SWAP) and later just HomeRF, this open specification allowed PCs, peripherals, cordless phones and other consumer devices to share and communicate voice and data in and around the home without the complication and expense of running new wires. HomeRF combined several wireless technologies in the 2.4 GHz ISM band, including IEEE 802.11 FH (the frequency-hopping version of wireless data networking) and DECT (the most prevalent digital cordless telephony standard in the world) to meet the unique home networking requirements for security, quality of service (QoS) and interference immunity—issues that still plagued Wi-Fi (802.11b and g).