Facilities improve, but integration is lacking

Home automation has been exhibiting a behavior similar to what was described above, and in the opinion of experts the penetration of this technological modality in territories that were previously considered underdeveloped such as Latin America is increasing. Eye, what the last sentence raises is that there have been significant growths, but there is still a long way to go before the technical consumption numbers of the first economies such as the American and the European economies are reached in that region. To talk about the consumption of home automation in Latin America, as well as to review some recommendations for the implementation of this type of systems, this media spoke with two experts in the field: Danny Abril, president of Thunder Electrical, a distributor and installer of these technologies, based in Miami, and Jorge Giovanetti, application engineer at Bticino, a renowned manufacturer of home and commercial automation systems.   However, it is necessary to re-clarify what the term home automation implies or includes as such, since it is possible that there are different meanings, depending on the country where it is being handled. Technically, home automation is the set of services or systems designed to automate a home to offer its occupants energy management, security, welfare and communication services, and that can be integrated through indoor and outdoor networks, wired or wireless. The invited professionals referred to this discipline as follows. For April, home automation is the conjunction of control and systems. "This means that we are applying control to systems that have been used since the past but have not been integrated; this term is new today and refers to the possibility of being able to jointly control all these elements from the same house". For his part, Giovanetti defined home automation as the application of technology to the home, which makes it easier to use terms such as smart home and automatic home, among others. A consumption that is reflected in large works When it is stated that Latin countries are consuming increasing amounts of home automation, it is clear from the comments of the experts consulted for this note; According to them, the interest is growing and the same builders are promoting the adaptation of the new homes with the latest technology. In the last two years, the consumption of home automation technologies has grown significantly in Latin America. The reason seems to be, in addition to the maintenance of the construction boom in the region, in that end users have been adopting a greater virtual culture every day, where they have been able to learn about the new technologies available for housing. "On the Internet there is a great diffusion of information on home automation and automation, which has reached end users making Latin America currently one of the most important regions for the dispatch of these solutions," said Danny Abril. More specifically, in relation to Colombia, Jorge Giovanetti said that more and more projects are being developed in which the same builders take the initiative to use home automation systems, which has generated sustained growth during the last three years. "In Latin America, the presence of  several  brands, both European and American, is evident, some with support others not. Being concrete, the boom is evident," he explained. Consumption map The consumption of technology is directly linked to the economic development of nations. Taking into account the above, it is not surprising that in Latin America home automation consumption has stood out in three nations with good financial moments, such as Mexico, Colombia and Chile. Mexico has traditionally been a nation with high receptivity to automation, which has placed it in a head-to-head with Brazil in terms of technological consumption within Latin countries. Proof of this is the construction of the Bicentennial Tower, which will be inaugurated on September 16, 2020, when 200 years of Mexican independence are celebrated. This construction will be 300 meters high, which will be higher than the Torre Mayor; It stands out because it will have the most modern systems for controlling energy consumption and will have a remarkable use of natural light. Colombia, on the other hand, comes with a real estate development in full consolidation, in which new constructions, in a large percentage, come equipped with the most modern entertainment systems, and in Chile, from 2005, several companies such as TecHome, BTicino, Entel PCS, Home Control and Secant entered this market, diversifying the incipient offer that existed in southern soil since 1990, the year in which the first applications of this type appeared. In a global context, home automation consumption continues to be led by countries that have traditionally presented developments in this field, such as the United States, Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Belgium. It is important to note that for April, there are great differences between what is consumed in Europe and Latin America, since each region has its particular needs. However, Latin America is mainly demanding systems for the control of energy consumption and for the synchronization of multimedia activities, according to Giovanetti.   Integration, a novelty for the residential world In the different segments in which air conditioning, security and entertainment technologies are involved, the integration of variables has been the paradigm that both integrators and manufacturers want to reach, and they have tried to sell this idea to end users. The results have not always been the best, in some cases because the "integrators" do not completely master the concept of integration, and in other cases because the processes are expensive and not all users can assume such an investment. As such, the concept is still very new in Latin America, especially when talking about home automation. This was pointed out by Danny Abril who stated that: "this is a concept still very new for the region, however many builders have accepted the term well. What I see is that there is a large swath of the market that has not jumped on the technology bandwagon; what could be decisive is that many builders are accepting structured cabling and this would be the first step to reach home automation, since the constructions are being pre-wired so that they can evolve in the future". Giovanetti agreed with the above, but he went further and said that at least in Colombia most of the orders are inclined towards lighting and automation and that only 2% of the projects link all the variables. It is worth saying that the integration in a home automation system is identical to that carried out in the segment of its older brother, building automation; it is equally similar to that produced in sectors such as electronic security and the entertainment industry, where audio, video, lighting and multimedia systems are integrated. Everything starts from an architecture, which can be centralized, decentralized, distributed or mixed (in the first a controller receives the signals from a sensor and sends the instructions to an actuator; in the second there are several controllers connected to each other by means of a bus and send the information to the actuators; in the third each sensor or actuator is at the same time a capable controller to receive and send information to the system. In the mixed modality, the three architectures mentioned are combined); the controllers are responsible for receiving information from the sensors (light, rain, temperature, among others) and then send instructions to the actuators (control of blinds, lighting and air conditioning regulators, among others). According to Giovanetti, the platforms that are most used today are wired, although in recent years wireless platforms have been growing, which without being the most complete stand out for their versatility. "Home   automation   can   work   in a similar way  (to automation and security systems).  In  some  cases, depending on the brand, all devices can be centralized in a  single control point, usually a cabinet or a "rack"; however, there are  other technologies  (the  most  advanced) that allow the management of automation  without  the need to install  a central device. In these cases,  each   of the devices  of  the   system  has its 'intelligent' component that allows it to be integrated into the rest of the devices in the house, either by means of wiring or wirelessly, "he said. Regarding the platforms, Abril commented: "There are many platforms based on Linux and others on Windows developed by expert personnel or by private companies; the concept of how to create an X platform that integrates and talks to all devices is the success of home automation, so it would not be easy to select one of them as the best of all. The most important thing is to know how to choose the platform." Tips for the integrator Taking into account the boom that home automation is having these days, it is possible that many integrators are attracted to enter this commercial segment, but nevertheless there are elements that must be taken into account so that users are satisfied, and contractors have the certainty that they are doing a job as mandated by orthodoxy. The experts allowed themselves to give some recommendations. For April, the most important thing about all this is to maintain a permanent accompaniment with the user so that the type of installation that will be done can be selected in the best way; this is mainly due to the fact that there are different types of integration and that current technology allows many devices to be retroinstalled in a house, when it is already built, or that they can be implemented on the same construction plans. "The first thing that must be taken into account is the type of installation that is going to be done, whether it is new or old, and then determine with the customer the type of service they want to choose the system to be installed and whether it will be wired or wireless; the conversation with the user is fundamental," he said. Finally, Giovanetti said that one aspect to pay close attention to is the special wiring that must be had within the electrical structure of the house. He added that: "the critical point for the installation of home automation is the black work,  a phase  of  the construction of the house during which it is possible to make  changes  of  pipes  and  wiring.  There are also  wireless  solutions that  would allow  the  installation    a home automation system in homes  already  built; however, the scope of these  solutions is more limited and less reliable." Perhaps the element that most worries users and integrators are the costs of technology; there is a positive element and that is that today systems can be developed at much lower prices than in the past and we can be sure that in two or three years technology will be available to everyone, with which we will be taking a definitive step towards social and cultural modernity.