The Yin and Yang of IoT Standards   (read full paper)

There is often a significant difference between public statements embracing standards and private actions opposing them. On first blush most companies express support for developing and complying with standards. However, when actually planning a strategy for creating a new product line, managers often ignore standards or view them as threats. This article explores this love/hate relationship with standards, explains the source of conflicts, and focuses on the importance of standards for successful IoT (Internet of Things) home and building automation industries.

Privacy in an IoT World   (read full paper)

There is an enduring myth that my home is my castle. I can close the door against unwanted intruders. The founders of the United States enshrined this in the fourth amendment to the U.S. Constitution limiting government power to search a person's home. This paper examines the reality, benefits, challenges, and possible technical solutions for excessive collection of private customer data. Technology is emerging in the form of communication gateways and premises equipment specifically programmed to guard and limit access to private data.

Organizing an Internet of Things   (read full paper)

Home and building systems have generally been organized around applications (lighting, entertainment, comfort, safety, etc.) with a controller to manage the devices, user inputs, and remote access. It is possible to deliver new services facilitated by IoT while maintaining the benefits of application control. IoT does not replace an organized and well-structured system design. For IoT to become a useful adjunct to homes and buildings, engineers should adhere to the basic principles of disciplined and organized system design.

Cybersecurity Provided by the HES Gateway   (read full paper)

The primary function of the HES Gateway is to provide translation between different communications protocols outside and inside the house. This translation function is performed within the gateway by constituents called HES service modules. The cybersecurity services of the HES Gateway constitute a home and building sentry to protect occupants’ data, privacy, and safety.

What is the Internet of Things?   (read full paper)

Home and building systems consist of interconnected sensors, actuators, controllers, and user interfaces to support applications such as lighting and energy management. These system components constitute a network of communicating things. The new buzzword in the industry for these connected devices is an “Internet of Things” even if the Internet is not used for communications. So the Internet of Things should more accurately be called the “Network of Things.” Regardless of whether the Internet of Things is technically correct terminology, we should welcome new entrants to the home automation industry.

Lights, Camera, Action!   (read full paper)

The 2020 pandemic has necessitated that business, conferences, and trade shows be conducted remotely. Therefore, we now need to augment our high tech expertise with skills in video production. Conference calls have migrated to teleconferences with video that allows sharing of documents so we can view slides or jointly edit a document. We all learned effective audio communications using a telephone, but very few of us have produced TV programs or movies. This paper examines some of the basics for effective video communications.

Digital Audio and Video Fidelity   (read full paper)

A fundamental tenet of communications is that perfect signal transmission is nearly impossible. Electrical noise in wires or radio signals is fundamental to the physics of materials because of the random vibrations of molecules. The universe is filled with radio signals from stars (especially the sun). Communication signals compete with this background noise to be detected. Much research in communications has focused on the signal-to-noise problem: how to overcome electrical or radio noise so a communications signal can be received over a long distance. This paper explores methods that come close to achieving perfect communications.

Optimizing the HDTV Experience   (read full paper)

The analog-to-digital transition has had a profound impact on broadcast television picture quality in terms of resolution and shape. The results can be stunning compared to a mediocre analog show, or can be annoying with artifacts and a distorted image. The optimal viewing experience with a high-definition television (HDTV) depends on the source material, the broadcaster, the broadcast channel, the TV connection, and the television setup. The result is that HD is not always as good as it could be or as good as the program director created in the studio.

Impressive Audio Quality in Les Miserables   (read full paper)

Most movie sets have poor acoustics. Singers usually record their movie vocals with accompanying music before filming. During filming, the recording is played back while the performer acts and sings. The actor must lip-sync precisely for a believable performance. In Les Miserables the director wanted to capture more of the actors' emotions during both dialog and vocals. Therefore, he had the actors sing on set and recorded their vocals for the soundtrack. The sound quality of the singers and the orchestra were captured with exceptional fidelity.

TV Anytime, Anywhere, Any Program   (read full paper)

Television delivered via the Internet has begun, and the changes will be profound. For many years we have been able to listen to radio broadcasts from around the world via the Internet. Why not watch TV programs via the Internet? The term OTT (Over-The-Top) video refers to video delivered outside the package of channel lineups offered by the cable or fiber operator. This has serious implications for the business model of these operators. This article explains the new choices being offered to consumers for accessing video.

Saving Lives with Standards   (read full paper)

This article highlights the pivotal role of international energy management standards in revolutionizing the power grid to incorporate distributed energy resources such as local solar and wind energy. Developed by ISO and IEC, these standards aim to open global markets by specifying functions, architectures, and communication protocols for interconnected consumer electronics in homes and buildings. Highlighting practical applications, this article details how Horizon Technologies utilized the Energy Management Agent (EMA) and Home Electronic System (HES) gateway based on these ISO/IEC standards to tackle extreme hot weather issues in a Vancouver apartment building, underscoring the necessity of climate adaptation and effective energy management.

IoT Risks for Building Automation Systems   (read full paper)

The term IoT fosters the idea that clever things linked to a network result in desirable applications such as entertainment, lighting, environmental control, energy management, health, and safety. Well-designed applications for homes and buildings depend on more than clever things; they require careful systems engineering and attention to the user-experience. Furthermore, an integrated smart home with cooperation among applications is facilitated by designs that conform to standards for interoperability. Building Automation Systems (BAS) for commercial buildings have been evolving about two orders of magnitude slower than home systems. This paper examines the elements of building automation systems with a focus on the benefits and risks of adopting IoT for these buildings.

IoT Standards for Homes and Buildings   (read full paper)

This paper explores alternative approaches for companies to develop IoT engineering specifications for use in the home systems and building automation industries. A single company might publish specifications hoping to dominate a market as the first with a conforming product. Companies might collaborate in a consortium formed to foster market expansion. The well-established route is to propose an official standard, produced by a Standards Developing Organization (SDO) where participation is open to the public and formal maintenance procedures have been published. Some SDOs were established more than a century ago with broad support worldwide.

Multimedia Networks in Buildings   (read full paper)

Multimedia is being integrated into a diversity of commercial settings. These applications require an integrated infrastructure for distributing audio, video, and control from sources such as videodiscs, media servers, broadcasts, and Internet streams to displays. This paper describes HDBaseT, a technology for distributing high-quality multimedia in commercial buildings that is cost-effective and easily installed without special cables, connectors, or additional training.

Apples and Oranges In Building Automation   (read full paper)

Building control systems have been evolving slowly since the introduction of the thermostat in the 1880s. A diversity of applications has been developed independently for building services such as comfort control, energy management, lighting, public address, signage, security, elevators and escalators, and power management. Many of these use different communications resulting in attempts at interconnecting building automation systems like mixing apples and oranges. This paper examines how the building automation industry is attempting to achieve interoperability.

The Home Electronic System (HES) Family of Standards   (read full paper)

The HES standards family, developed by ISO/IEC, defines a framework for interconnecting home electronics and automation systems. This article explains the layered model of HES, communication mechanisms, data formats, and application services. It highlights benefits for interoperability, system integration, and future-proof designs.

Gateway Enhancements for IoT Privacy   (read full paper)

Data privacy issues have not been fully addressed by standards developers or vendors. This paper describes the results of a working group organized by the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel, a public-private partnership initiated by NIST. The group examined how communication gateways could be designed to limit access to private data collected from devices at customer premises. The paper explains the architectural features and operating characteristics needed in a communication gateway to improve data privacy and customer control.

The MCI Standard for Energy Management   (read full paper)

The Management and Control Interface (MCI) is an international standard for the design of residential and commercial energy management systems. This article summarizes the purpose, architecture, and operating principles of MCI and compares its structure with other approaches. Applications include optimizing usage of electricity, heating, cooling, water, and natural gas while integrating information about pricing, external control signals, and consumer preferences. MCI specifies common messages that ensure interoperability among energy-related systems and devices.

A Cornucopia of Home Networking Protocols   (read full paper)

This article is based on an interview by Utilimetrics News. Dr. Wacks was asked to comment on the progress toward developing home area networks that will enable consumers to participate in electricity demand-management programs. He has seen interest in such programs come and go since the 1980s. This time, the interest might be more permanent.

Structured Cabling: Technology that Sells Houses   (read full paper)

Structured cabling provides a universal infrastructure for connecting communication, entertainment, and control systems in buildings. This paper discusses design principles for structured cabling, wiring topologies, cable types, installation practices, and applicable standards. Examples show how structured cabling supports flexibility, scalability, and ease of maintenance for homes and commercial properties.

The Business Case for Energy Management   (read full paper)

The electric power industry is transforming shift from utility-centric to consumer-centric energy management. The Home Electronic System (HES) family of ISO/IEC standards specifies methods for interconnecting consumer electronics including the Energy Management Agent (EMA). The EMA employs artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to optimize energy consumption from local and grid sources. The article explains the business opportunities for consumer electronics companies to enhance existing products and leverage their marketing expertise to facilitate distributed energy resources with automated energy management.

Energy Management in Homes and Buildings   (read full paper)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a selling feature for consumer products. AI is being portrayed as endowing devices with lots of smarts that provide the user with a personalized experience. Now that AI is starting to be incorporated into controller software, an international standards committee was formed called Ethics in Autonomous and Artificial Intelligence Applications to develop guidelines for standards development on ethical aspects related to autonomous and/or AI applications. This article introduces AI and probes the recent concerns about ethical issues in developing AI algorithms.

Ethical Challenges of Artificial Intelligence (AI)   (read full paper)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a selling feature for consumer products. AI is being portrayed as endowing devices with lots of smarts that provide the user with a personalized experience. Now that AI is starting to be incorporated into controller software, an international standards committee was formed called Ethics in Autonomous and Artificial Intelligence Applications to develop guidelines for standards development on ethical aspects related to autonomous and/or AI applications. This article introduces AI and probes the recent concerns about ethical issues in developing AI algorithms.

AI for Energy Management   (read full paper)

This article focuses on the state-of-the art for customer-controlled energy management based on an international standard designated ISO/IEC 15067-3. This standard specifies automation equipment called the Energy Management Agent (EMA) at the customer’s home or building programmed with features based on artificial intelligence (AI). The AI engine determines power available from local sources (such as solar or wind), storage, or the public grid, the power needed to operate appliances the customer chooses to use, and optimizes power allocation based on the customer’s preferences and budget. The goal is to shift energy management from helping the public utility manage supply to helping the customer maximize the benefit of electricity at an affordable cost.

The Evolution of Demand Response   (read full paper)

Thomas Edison developed the light bulb and built generators so his Wall-Street investors could work after sunset to raise money for his company. Appliances were invented to create a demand for electricity during the daytime when lights were not needed. Throughout most of the twentieth century public policy, regulations, and tax laws encouraged utilities to expand the supply of power. It was not until the late 1980s that policy makers started to worry about whether the supply of electricity could be increased to meet the anticipated demand primarily from industrial growth. This paper reviews programs developed to manage customer demand for power. The introduction of local power generation from wind and solar is adding impetus to energy management because these supplies can fluctuate quickly with changing weather.

Integrating Renewables into Smart Grids   (read full paper)

The traditional electric utility consists of a few generating stations supplying power to millions of customers through a radial (tree-like) grid of long-distance transmission and local distribution lines. The introduction of renewables (such as wind and solar) and storage may result in a very different energy system. Consumers may become prosumers as they produce energy and sell the excess to their neighbors and to a community microgrid. The tools for this sales process and for moving power locally will be based on Transactive Energy. Ascertaining costs in a distributed grid is a prerequisite for creating a market for distributed energy resources (DER).

The Impact of Transactive Energy on Appliances   (read full paper)

Renewable energy resources such as wind and solar produce power that varies with the weather and time of day. Sometimes more power is produced than can be used locally, so some utilities buy the excess power and allow it to be fed onto the electric grid. As renewable production reaches about 30% of total power needs in a region, renewable sources could impact the business of utility power production and the technology of power distribution via the grid. The GridWise Architecture Council, a committee of 13 smart grid experts appointed by the United States Department of Energy, is proposing Transactive Energy as a new business and technology approach to managing the proliferation of renewable power generation by customers, while maintaining grid stability.

Transactive Energy for Balancing Smart Grids   (read full paper)

Renewable energy resources such as wind and solar produce power that varies with the weather and time-of-day. Sometimes more power is produced than can be used locally, so some utilities buy the excess power and allow it to be fed onto the electric grid. As renewable production reaches about 30% of total power needs in a region, renewable sources could impact the business of utility power production and the technology of power distribution via the grid. The GridWise Architecture Council, a committee of 13 smart grid experts appointed by the United States Department of Energy, is proposing Transactive Energy as a new business and technology approach to managing the proliferation of renewable power generation by customers, while maintaining grid stability.

The GridWise Vision to a Smart Electric Grid   (read full paper)

The GridWise Architecture Council view expands the domain of the electricity system to include end-devices and incorporates information technology (IT). IT is expected to revolutionize planning and operation of the power grid just as it has changed business, education, and entertainment. Dr. Wacks was asked by the GridWise Architecture Council to lead a working group at NIST to write a report about the goals and structure of a demand response system for residential customers. An overview of demand response is included in this paper.

The U.S. Government Approach to Smart Grids   (read full paper)

The development of a smart grid has been an evolving process of enhancing the existing electric grid. In the early 1990s, there was a realization that there might be limits to growth in the supply of electricity. Among the public concerns were siting of generator plants and transmission lines, nuclear power risks, and an emerging green movement. Public regulators urged utilities to consider integrated resource planning that included both supply and demand. Smart grid activities of the Departments of Energy and Commerce are highlighted, including the establishment of the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel.