Issue link: https://te.mouser.com/i/1394684
CONNECTED HOMES & INTELLIGENT BUILDINGS Place hero product image here portrait image space available CONNECTED HOMES AND INTELLIGENT BUILDINGS: Solving for Reliability, Convergence, Connectivity From Popular Culture to Reality The concept of an automated home is not a new one: the idea has been floated since the 1930s at World's Fair venues, and in popular culture as TV shows and movies imagine home life of the future – solidifying the public's view of the benefits of home automation. In the 1980s, modern versions of the automated home began to turn up in the marketplace. The concept of the "connected house" was first introduced by the American Association of Homebuilders, and formed the basis of what we now consider to be "home automation." The connected house presented a new way to wire, connect, and control all of the devices in the modern home. However, it proved to be too expensive, cumbersome, and difficult to construct, and became limited to the luxury homebuilder market. Throughout the 1990s, automated home technologies stagnated – for the most part, proprietary (and costly) systems were available only for luxury homes. These proprietary technologies were often system-specific, controlling only the home's lighting or entertainment systems. Marrying these systems into a single, cohesive, easily controlled whole was a challenge tackled only by the most technologically astute systems integrators. At the same time, a do-it-yourself ("DIY") market developed around powerline communication systems, and some early market entrants introduced wireless products for home automation. Innovators started to develop self-assembling, ad hoc wireless network protocols from which the now-prevalent ZigBee standard would emerge around the turn of the century. In the first decade after 2000, technology innovators developed a wide variety of proprietary, open wireless and radio protocols for home automation. ZigBee, ZWave, EnOCean, C-Bus, and KNX are some of protocols that helped bring about the development of home automation applications during this period. These protocols are the "languages" of home automation, and allow devices to speak to each other. As these protocols were developed, the reality of connected equipment became apparent, as well as a demonstrated need for sensors and actuators for closed loop, learning home automation solutions. Convergence With technology costs decreasing, consumers becoming more interested in connected home solutions, and greater reliance on the efficiency of the cloud, solutions for home automation have free reign to become more sophisticated and accessible. The Power of TE: TE is uniquely positioned to help customers succeed in the connected home market. From material components such as relays and connectors, to smart components such as sensors and connectivity components such as antennas, TE offers all of the internal elements that make end products smart and connected.