Automation Ideas for Beginners and Advanced Users

If you don’t yet have experience with smart homes, we will present several possible use cases through a few practical examples. The list is not exhaustive; it is intended only to illustrate possible ways of using a smart home system.

Lighting

• Switching control from smart devices (phone, tablet),
• Scheduled on/off switching
  • Based on a specific time,
  • Aligned with the sun’s cycle (sunrise, sunset),
  • Aligned with the time elapsed since switching on or off
• Automated switching on and off
  • Based on weather conditions (temperature, humidity, brightness)
  • Based on presence (leaving, arriving)
  • Depending on the status of other devices
• Programmable switch functions (e.g., different functions can be triggered for a single press, double press, etc.)

Power supply

• Remote control of “non-smart” electrical appliances via their power supply
• Monitoring runtime and electricity consumption

Heating/cooling control and ventilation

• Devices controlling heating and cooling
  • Remote or scheduled on/off control
  • Control of specific modes and operating parameters (also depends on what the heating/cooling system supports)
• Ability to set the desired indoor temperature remotely
• Additional protection functions beyond factory settings (e.g., anti-freewheeling protection, protection against repeated on/off cycling)
• Ventilation that can be controlled based on air composition

Shutters (and/or curtains)

• Remote or scheduled raising and lowering (based on time or the sun’s cycle)
• Weather-dependent raising and lowering
• Raising and lowering depending on whether you are away

Garage door and automatic gate

• Remote control
• Automatic opening and re-closing rules (beyond the factory options)

Garden

• Scheduled irrigation
• Remotely controlled irrigation
• Irrigation based on soil moisture level

An example of the web-based control interface of a PLC-based garden control system. As you can see, only the most essential information is displayed, in a way that avoids having to page through different settings; on a single interface you can open each valve individually, enable automatic irrigation, or start all zones in the programmed irrigation sequence. Detailed settings are available on separate screens, but there is almost never a need to use them.