Smart home automation in the IoT era: A communication technologies review

The rapid evolution in internet communication technologies resulted in an increased interest for Home Automation Systems (HAS) providing unprecedented levels of interaction for the consumers and the professionals in the industry/business sectors. With the wide adoption of IoT (Internet of Things) technologies, critical sensing and actuation components have become affordable and interconnected. This enables Machine-to-Machine (M2M) scenarios and the implementation of standardized Home Automation Systems, utilizing interoperable components and not proprietary along with lock-up solutions. As a result, in the last ten years, a plethora of HAS is presented in the market, causing consumers confused about the pros and cons of the selection on which is the optimal solution. In this paper, the important metrics concerning the communication technologies used are presented by providing a more consolidated view of the most known technologies including open-source, proprietary, and standardized implementations. In the first part of the paper, a short review of the available technologies is presented followed by a more detailed comparison after the classification in four basic categories concerning: User interface, technical characteristics, security/quality, and cost, for wired and wireless technologies. Finally, appropriate metrics for the optimal selection are introduced.