Todays Show:

Quartics

Quartics Inc. is a semiconductor company based in Irvine, CA, with offices in India, China and Taiwan. Quartics was formed in 2003 to focus on semiconductor architecture for video-based media, aiming to overcome a raft of modern digital challenges. To date, the company has been granted 10 patents, with 40 pending, in media processing architecture, video and graphics processing and QoS algorithms.

Insteon, X10, ZigBee and Z-Wave

Weve started to talk quite a bit lately about home automation. Granted it isnt exactly an HDTV or Home Theater topic, but we think it fits quite well. After all, most home theater installers also offer some form lighting control. If you can add your own lighting, window covering and screen control to your home theater, it makes perfect sense.

Both of us are using devices based on Insteon technology in our homes. As much as we talk about Insteon, you may think its the only choice out there. It turns out that there is actually a handful of options for those interested in do-it-yourself home automation. In addition to Insteon, theres X10, ZigBee and Z-Wave.

X10

The X10 protocol has been around for quite a while. It was developed in 1975 by Scottish firm Pico Electronics. It primarily uses powerline communication between devices to automate home control of lighting and other devices. Because it has been around for so long, it has a significant install base and a lot of devoted fans.

Unfortunately, reliability has always been an issue with X10, earning it the nickname X8 out of 10. Lights may randomly turn on or off, various wireless products can interfere with proper operation and control commands tend to be very slow. Despite its shortcomings, it remains very popular due to the availability of devices and their relatively low cost.

Insteon

Insteon seeks to solve the shortcomings of X10 by providing a more reliable experience while maintaining full backward compatibility with the X10 standard. Insteon employs a dual-mesh topology using powerline and RF communication for redundancy. All devices act as repeaters as well, to make sure control messages get to the correct destination. Owners of X10 devices have a very direct upgrade path to Insteon.

Insteon was created and is primarily supported by SmartHome. There are literally hundreds of device options available at SmartHome.com, from light switches to motion sensors, garage door openers to thermostats. Most devices are very reasonably priced, making it a natural fit for the do it yourselfer.

ZigBee

ZigBee is an open control protocol supported by hundreds of manufacturers. Unlike X10 and Insteon, it is a wireless (RF) only protocol. It was designed for low bandwidth, low power devices and is ideally suited for home automation applications. However, significant delays in ratifying a standard have hindered product availability.

Doing a Google search for ZigBee light switches will leave you scratching your head. Perhaps the biggest supporter of ZigBee actually producing usable hardware is Control4. They have limited options and, because they are from Control4, require an authorized dealer sell and typically install them. From what we can tell, ZigBee is not a good option for the do-it-yourself audience.

Z-Wave

Z-Wave is very similar in concept to ZigBee. It is a wireless (RF) mesh network designed for low bandwidth, low power communication between devices. The technology uses a low-power RF radio that can be built into any home electronics device, including lighting, home access control, entertainment systems and household appliances.

Perhaps the most notable Z-Wave supporters for the do-it-yourselfer are GE, Leviton and Monster. All three are big names in consumer devices and offer a wide variety of products for the do-it-yourself project. Much like Insteon, there are also software packages you can install on a computer to control all the Z-Wave devices in your home.

Conclusion

For those like us who want to automate their homes and their theaters, there are plenty of options, to be sure. Wed dismiss ZigBee right off the bat. Also, X10 has had its time in the sun, but doesnt quite stack up to the other choices. That leaves it to personal preference between Insteon and Z-Wave. Were sure youll be more than happy with either.

Download Episode #431