Case studies

Total Home Automation Showhouse in Al Mizhar, Dubai (1/4/2009)

By e-Home AUTOMATION

Although there are many home automation companies in the United Arab Emirates, the technology is still largely unknown by the general public. The e-Home showhouse in Dubai was therefore designed to educate the public and give them ideas as to the automation possibilities for their own developments.

External shot of the e-Home showhouse at night.

The showhouse is a fully-automated property where clients can view the automation and integration potential of the e-Home range of systems. The project was designed and commissioned in-house, with the aim of creating a system that used as much useful integration as possible. Combining smart home systems, digital home applications and unique solutions for the local market, including Islamic content, the installed system gives a high-end feel, despite using components in the mid-range price spectrum.

The living room installation integrates the digital home with home theatre and home automation.

Planning

Designed by e-Home personnel, the project benefitted from the experience of architects, engineers and draughtsmen. As the villa was renovated from scratch for the installation, the project was a huge undertaking, also employing builders, carpenters, interior designers, electricians and decorators.

This bed has two motorised mattress supports which can be controlled independently by the e-Home HDL automation system.

As the system is hardwired, it had to be retrofitted - no easy task when the walls are solid concrete! However, the end result was worth the extra effort. The installed systems include the e-Home High Definition Living (HDL) system, which provides full control of lighting, various appliances and integrated HVAC control - essential in the Middle East! In addition, motorised curtain rails, security, digital surveillance, multiroom audio/video, digital media and home theatre are all integrated together.

The energy control hardware is housed in an enclosure in a dedicated room adjacent to the distribution board. It contains din rail mounted dimmers and relays for light and appliance control. As per local electricity board rules, there are three phases per distribution board, making good design essential for a working system.

Control is provided by an in-wall touchscreen, LCD switches, the Media Center interface, remote control, SMS and even voice recognition. All of this is achieved through the e-Home CONTROLS software platform.

The cost of the project was very high, with the professional fees, decoration costs and equipment all impacting on the budget. All in all, it took around five months for the project to be completed, including the time taken to program the system.

The biggest challenges were retrofitting the cables and conduit into the solid concrete construction. Additional obstacles included the type of integration that many of the manufacturers had never seen before. This included interfacing the access control, paging and multiroom audio/video system to the centralised e-Home HDL automation system. This allows the triggering of various components such as text or picture pop-ups on the LCD screens via Media Center, audible notifications and alerts through the speakers, and sending messages to pager handsets and mobile phones.

There are several useful applications for this. For example, when the owner enters his/her access code to enter the villa, or when a guest presses the security button at the front gate, the presence of someone at the door will be announced by the system through the speakers.

Another integration challenge was synchronising all of the motorised doors, gates, curtains, projector lift and projector screen with the automation system in order to know the exact open or closed status of the devices. Further, a standard Jacuzzi was integrated into the automation system with full control over incoming water flow and drainage. This also allows switching the hot and cold water supplies for summer and winter periods. It also means you can run a bath on the way back from work by SMS, PDA, iPhone or PC!

The dining room features lighting and curtain control and has multi-room audio for entertaining.

Experience from the project

Implementing the project was a great experience, both for e-Home and our manufacturers. As noted above, there were many integration features which had never been used before, often making maximum use of many systems' capabilities.

For example, using certain outputs from the e-Home security system will trigger the e-Home HDL automation system and the Opus multiroom system to flash the outdoor boundary lights and produce a siren from the in-ceiling speakers whenever a security or other alarm signal occurs.

An interface was provided that allowed integration of the security, automation and irrigation system so that if the system detects movement in the garden, for example when guests arrive, it will automatically turn the irrigation system off to prevent an embarrassing dousing of the guests.

e-Home Managing Director Khalifa AlJaziri demonstrates the system to some clients.

Being a state-of-the-art facility, the showhouse has been continuously upgraded and improved, especially the interfaces for the e-Home CONTROLS software. New features include full control of the Opus 500 system, iPhone and iPod Touch control, energy monitoring and saving, a unique integrated pager system designed for the local market to contact servants and drivers, and full control of the Media Center by touchscreen and voice.

The system has proved to be steady and reliable, with virtually 100% uptime. The biggest issue was getting the projector back from the manufacturer after it was sent back for the filter to be replaced!

Conclusion

The demonstration facility has been universally well received by journalists, retail clients, property developers and industry professionals. Many people who visit are amazed that such technology exists today, believing that it is something that only happens in movies. The facility has been seen by many VIPs in Dubai, and has been filmed for local television on a number of occasions.

Equipment List

e-Home High Definition Living dimmers (halogen lights).
e-Home High Definition Living dimmers (LED lights).
e-Home High Definition Living dimmers (fluorescent lights).
e-Home High Definition Living DMX control (RGB lights).
e-Home High Definition Living AC controllers (for fan coil unit control).
e-Home High Definition Living LCD wall panels.
e-Home motorized curtain tracks.

e-Home Lifestyle 15" wallmount touchscreen.
e-Home iTouch 12" wireless touchscreen.
e-Home Lifestyle microphone-enabled IR remote control for voice control.
e-Home CONTROLS software.

e-Home (powered by Cytech) security panel with full power backup.
e-Home security keypad.
e-Home security door intercom.
e-Home security GSM module.

Impro access controller with full Ethernet connection and door controllers.
Impro harsh environment access control keypads with reader.
Impro hidden-away access control reader.
Impro indoor slimline access control keypad with reader.

Opus 500 multiroom master controller with 4 zones activated.
Opus touchscreen wall controller.
Opus digital amplifiers.
Opus in-ceiling speakers.

42" LCD high-definition screen.
Drop-down HD DLP projector.
Drop-down projector screen.

Amina in-wall architectural speakers for surround sound.

Vivotek PTZ IP cameras with harsh environment enclosures.

e-Home AUTOMATION LLC is a leading smart home solutions provider in the Middle East. Its systems are designed to allow seamless control of all aspects of a property, including lighting, appliances, curtains and blinds, multiroom audio/video, security, digital surveillance and entertainment.

www.e-homeautomation.com