Update 9/2 /14: Received replacement Belkin WeMo Insight as RMA and sold it right away because smartthings vibration sensor worked very well. Read on..
I first got Belkin WeMo Insight for $60 for the washer because it measures power and detects end of cycle when the power goes from normal level to standby level. As I wrote in a blog, it did work fine until I had to replace my router. New router is Asus RT-N66U which is very well rated and more RAM and CPU than the previous router and also had 3 external antennas to increase the range.
For the 220V electric dryer, Belkin does not have a solution. WeMo Insight is only for 110V. So, I tried smartthings multi-sensor which detects vibration of the dryer and so detects end of dryer cycle as the end of vibration. I decided to to try the same solution for the clothes washer it works just fine.
From this experience, I am convinced that Z-Wave and ZigBee are the way to go than Wifi. There is a big installed base of Z-Wave sensors. Smarthings is one of the few companies now part of Samsung to come out with ZigBee sensors but their hub supports both standards. Problem with WiFi is that they add too much to the interference at home or even enterprise. Also, they consume more power for the Radio and even need more expensive processor and software in the sensor. WiFi's main use case at home will continue to be the laptops, tablets and phones in addition to TVs or Bluray players or Chromecast like devices for watching or hearing media. No need to add to the clutter. Bluetooth low energy is a potential challenger to Z-Wave and ZigBee now that mesh networking (one device passes on the message to another) is coming to bluetooth.
Beauty of mesh networking with Bluetooth is that laptops, tablets and phones are going to have bluetooth in addition to WiFi. They are great for peer to peer communications even without connection to internet (example keyboard, mouse). Android touchscreens can be made really cheap and integrated into most appliances, home automation/security controllers, thermostats etc without causing congestion to the WiFi network. Main disadvantage of Bluetooth is the frequency band is too close to the 2.4GHz wifi band. That is where Z-Wave (single vendor) ZigBee (open standard multi-vendor) 900MHz radios shine.
There will be a war for the control of the Hub and cloud services. It is ridiculous to have so many hubs in the house. Router, Home Automation, Security, Cable/Sat master box and even game boxes, AppleTV. Too many players pulling in different directions and no motivation to inter-operate. I think Samsung is the common denominator at home with the acquisition of Smartthings. They are very much in TV, Bluray players, Home Appliances, smartphones, tablets. They do have some presence in laptop market. What they lack is router. With so many companies in that space, it is not hard for them to acquire a good enough router company. But then LG could enter the field by acquiring a player like iSmartAlarm.
It will be interesting to watch....
I first got Belkin WeMo Insight for $60 for the washer because it measures power and detects end of cycle when the power goes from normal level to standby level. As I wrote in a blog, it did work fine until I had to replace my router. New router is Asus RT-N66U which is very well rated and more RAM and CPU than the previous router and also had 3 external antennas to increase the range.
For the 220V electric dryer, Belkin does not have a solution. WeMo Insight is only for 110V. So, I tried smartthings multi-sensor which detects vibration of the dryer and so detects end of dryer cycle as the end of vibration. I decided to to try the same solution for the clothes washer it works just fine.
From this experience, I am convinced that Z-Wave and ZigBee are the way to go than Wifi. There is a big installed base of Z-Wave sensors. Smarthings is one of the few companies now part of Samsung to come out with ZigBee sensors but their hub supports both standards. Problem with WiFi is that they add too much to the interference at home or even enterprise. Also, they consume more power for the Radio and even need more expensive processor and software in the sensor. WiFi's main use case at home will continue to be the laptops, tablets and phones in addition to TVs or Bluray players or Chromecast like devices for watching or hearing media. No need to add to the clutter. Bluetooth low energy is a potential challenger to Z-Wave and ZigBee now that mesh networking (one device passes on the message to another) is coming to bluetooth.
Beauty of mesh networking with Bluetooth is that laptops, tablets and phones are going to have bluetooth in addition to WiFi. They are great for peer to peer communications even without connection to internet (example keyboard, mouse). Android touchscreens can be made really cheap and integrated into most appliances, home automation/security controllers, thermostats etc without causing congestion to the WiFi network. Main disadvantage of Bluetooth is the frequency band is too close to the 2.4GHz wifi band. That is where Z-Wave (single vendor) ZigBee (open standard multi-vendor) 900MHz radios shine.
There will be a war for the control of the Hub and cloud services. It is ridiculous to have so many hubs in the house. Router, Home Automation, Security, Cable/Sat master box and even game boxes, AppleTV. Too many players pulling in different directions and no motivation to inter-operate. I think Samsung is the common denominator at home with the acquisition of Smartthings. They are very much in TV, Bluray players, Home Appliances, smartphones, tablets. They do have some presence in laptop market. What they lack is router. With so many companies in that space, it is not hard for them to acquire a good enough router company. But then LG could enter the field by acquiring a player like iSmartAlarm.
It will be interesting to watch....
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