Can Control4 Lead the Way to Wireless HAN Access?

Date of Tech Take: May 6, 2008

 

In SGN's Tech Take articles, power engineer and architect Erich W. Gunther evaluates actual products and services against the SGN Smart Grid Scorecard. Unless disclosed explicitly at the beginning of the article, neither SGN nor Erich Gunther has received any compensation from the vendor nor do they own stock in the company.

 

Today’s article looks at a ZigBee-based home automation controller, the Control4 Home Controller HC-300, with an eye on its future capabilities to support utility need.  Home automation is not a new concept; homes can already be automated to save energy.  However, linking home automation to the Smart Grid to support demand-side management is one of the promises of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI).  Control4 looks promising for future integration with a range of utility Energy Management Systems (EMS) and demand-side management products.  Therefore, Control4 may be defining the future of retail-based utility deployment of wireless demand response components.

 

To understand my evaluation, you need to grasp three essential elements:

·         The role of the SGN Scorecard

·         The purpose and components of a home area network (HAN)

·         How the Control4 solution measures up

 

The role and importance of the SGN Scorecard

The SGN Scorecard was developed for a very important reason: most of today's products do not adhere to Smart Grid principles. They do not support the requirements envisioned by Smart Grid researchers such as EPRI, the California Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research program, the Modern Grid Initiative and DOE's GridWise program. Nor do they adhere to the mandates in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. 

 

In particular, several elements of the EPRI IntelliGrid Architecture are critical to implementing a Smart Grid:

·         Proven, Internet-derived communication technologies

·         Service-based architecture at the enterprise level

·         Self-healing technology

·         Well defined interfaces and points of interoperability

·         Application of industry and international standards

·         Built-in security and network management

 

As a result of their failure to meet the basic principles, most of today's communication networks -- whether for automatic meter reading (AMR) or for advanced meter infrastructure (AMI) -- are inadequate. They may support "least common denominator" Smart Grid applications such as meter reading. But they are not adequate for distribution automation, plug in hybrid electric vehicle management, microgrids, demand response and many other future applications.

 

SGN Warning: To avoid buying dead-end products, utilities must provide their vendors with a comprehensive and prioritized list of requirements covering current and future functionality. And then they must get written assurances from vendors that their products meet those requirements.

 

The SGN Scorecard is a checklist that measures whether products meet minimum standards for a Smart Grid. We will use it as the benchmark for all Tech Take reviews. We invite you to use it free of charge for your own evaluations. For a further explanation and a blank version you can copy freely, download the PDF version of the Scorecard (see link below).

 

The purpose of a HAN

Home automation concepts and smart energy concepts require that a HAN be installed and provide access to points of monitoring and control.  Control4 deploys the HC-300 with many HAN technology extensions from the same central device, including Ethernet, IRDA, serial and USB.  Each of these legacy technologies assumes that wiring exists or can be pulled to the points of automation.  Control4 doesn’t let that stop them.  They have integrated ZigBee mesh networking as a unifying control network for nearly all of their latest products, and Wi-Fi in cases where higher bandwidth is required.

 

The HAN is where the rubber hits the road in terms of enabling Smart Grid applications for the consumer.  It allows multiple devices to cooperate with each other to fulfill complex functionality such as whole house energy management.  In addition, it can provide a means to deliver utility prices to home devices so they use energy when it is least expensive.

 

The components of a HAN

In a HAN, multiple components interact to provide a wide range of capability.  The basic components of a HAN are:

·         The network portal or gateway that connects one or more outside information services to the HAN

·         The access point or network nodes that form the wired or wireless network itself

·         The network operating system and network management software such as ZigBee and the Tendril Network Operating Platform (TNOP)

·         The end points such as thermostats, meters, in-home display devices, and appliances

 

With the advent of the ZigBee PRO Smart Energy Profile and strong vendor support for that application profile, utilities are seriously considering the use of wireless to enable demand response components placed within the home.  Many utilities deploying two-way communications to their AMI meters hope to bridge the last 50m or so into the home using wireless means.  Typical home automation wireless solutions do not offer a secure or low power means to enable demand response.  ZigBee is a low-power wireless architecture deploying to the 2.4 GHz, 915 MHz, and 868 MHz bands.  The Smart Energy Profile is the first example of a utility-shaped open industry standard for wireless that offers direct, secure support for utility demand response and other demand-side management applications.

 

Control4’s Current HAN Lineup

Control4 currently offers a wide range of media-centric home automation products linked and remotely controllable. Control4 products are currently targeted at high end customers, requiring use of a professional dealer network to buy components.  At the center of any Control4-based system is a coordination and control unit that is the brains of the operation.  Various controls and sensors are linked to the brain by a range of HAN options.  We want to find out if the brain, its nervous system, sensors, and effectors are smart enough to support smart energy applications.

 

Control4 Home Controller

Three versions of the Home Controller exist:  the HC-300, HC-500 and HC-1000. Each adds an increasing degree of automation. The HC-300 is quite powerful, with the ability to enable monitoring and control right from the customer TV screen and remote.  The Controller offers standard media IR port control, audio, video, Ethernet, USB, ZigBee and serial output.  In higher end models, a hard drive is integrated to act as a home media storage device.

 

Climate Controls

Those deploying demand response applications will be interested to know that Control4 offers a ZigBee-enabled thermostat that links right in to the Home Controller.  Affiliated vendor CardAccess also provides a Control4 interoperable remote temperature sensor that plugs and plays to get the temperature right.  Additional load controls are imminent.

 

Touch Screens, Keypads, and Remotes

Points of control require remote control interfaces that are easy to use and understand. Control4 nails this.  The thermostat can become interactive at the customer’s TV via the Control4 ZigBee remote.  Various touch screens and keypads are available.

 

Lighting Controls

Control4 offers ZigBee-enabled switch and dimmer plates for conventional style controls. For retrofit and lamps, plug switches and dimmers are available.  For unconventional control, lighting may be dimmed or switched over ZigBee from any of the control interfaces available.

 

Audio / Video

Utilities might ask, “What does in-home media automation have to do with the Smart Grid?”  The answer is two-fold:  (i) media devices consume energy, and (ii) they can provide a user interface for demand response programs if coordinated properly.

 

Control4 Smart Grid Scorecard: 83 out of 100

Metric	Score (10 is best)	Comments
Impact	6	Control4 currently leads the way towards a whole-home solution that will give utilities the access they need for Smart Grid applications that engage the customer and their home.  The only reason this score is low now is because of the maturity level of the product with respect to supporting utility demand response signals and programs.  Expect a score of 10 when they release their Smart Energy (SE) Profile compliant products.
Openness	6	Currently proprietary or unpublished application protocols; only network and transport use open communications standards (ZigBee, 802.11, Ethernet). The future looks bright, however, as adoption of the ZigBee SE Profile will mean a range of Smart Grid components may become interoperable.
Standardization	9	Although the application protocols are proprietary, they make extensive use of   physical layer standards for control and access.
Security	6	The current security outlook is poor, though the deployment of the SE Profile should enhance this greatly from a utility perspective.
Manageability	8	Control4 makes it easy to help the customer manage their own network.  The fact that availability is only through professional integrators/distributors is a negative.
Upgradeability	8	Component cost is high, but firmware is field upgradeable with future potential for remote upgrades.
Scalability	10	This system scales to its purpose in any home.  The ZigBee standard enables an entire utility fleet of endpoints under a unified address scheme.
Extensibility	10	The system can be extended by adding more and differing modules, so responding to emerging utility needs is easy.
Self-healing	10	Mesh-based media is self healing when deployed in sufficient density.
Interactivity	10	Control4 makes their name here. They enable easy acquisition, installation, commissioning, and control through TV, wall display, and remote based interfaces.
Total	83

Control4 Home Controller Model No. C4-HC300-E-B

 

Conclusion

Control4 HAN components cannot yet be purchased in any format that is a sure thing for enabling demand response for a utility or their customers -- this is the main reason for any lower than expected scores.  However, Control4 employees allude to the fact that this will surely change in the next six to twelve months.  Control4 seems very responsive to utility need and claim they will release ZigBee Smart Energy Profile compatible products onto the market sometime in early 2009.  Control4 additionally claims they might offer software retrofits to existing ZigBee based Control4 products to get firmware upgraded to the latest ZigBee PRO stack requirements.  Control4 will start by releasing a Smart Energy bridge to adapt their Home Controller for any inbound utility AMI application connections over meter-based access networks.  We expect to start seeing Control4’s Home Controller technology appearing inside convergent devices within the home from other brands and branding, perhaps including Sony.

 

Research Credit:  Brad Singletary – Email Brad Singletary

 

Erich W. Gunther is Chairman of EnerNex Corporation. He chairs the UtilityAMI / OpenHAN standards group and serves on the GridWise Architecture Council.

 

   Email Erich W. Gunther

   Smart Grid Scorecard (PDF)  

   EPRI IntelliGrid Architecture Web site

   GridWise Architecture Council

   Control4 Web Site