Innovative ‘connected home’ solution showcased at world’s largest mobile exhibition

Developed by the University’s Smart Systems Laboratory and Research team and BRE, the connected home solution is an innovative system which enables home owners on any internet-connected device to control and view any device linked to the network in real time through an application.

Using a network simulator provided by Anritsu, the team demonstrated how the connected home system could be linked to the cloud and were able to test out the operating parameters from the lab in Hertfordshire. The team could see how the system’s in-home LTE gateway at the exhibit in Barcelona would perform in mobile networks from across the world, supporting all major worldwide standards within a single simulator.

Smart Systems Research Team Leader and Principal Lecturer in the School of Engineering and Technology at the University of Hertfordshire, Johann Siau said: ‘We have sufficiently developed the technology and we are currently looking for support from manufacturers. The research is ongoing to improve the cleverness that sits in the cloud and this can be extended and improved as time goes on. The connected home system demonstrates how we can improve our energy management, energy security and energy intelligence.’

The connected home system utilises various wireless transmission standards for communicating between smart sockets, switches, thermostats and home gateway to a cloud server, using a LTE, 3G or GPRS network and GPS positioning data. Once the data is processed, the status of the user’s home is monitored on an interactive user interface available via the cloud to any suitable tablet, PC or smartphone.

To test this in real time, the team used Gemalto’s Machine-to-Machine (M2M) modules along with the Anritsu MD8475A network simulator to test connectivity. They were able to create a complete test environment, simulating any type of cellular connectivity, to ensure correct operation of the system. The provision of the testing equipment by Anritsu, has allowed the research team to further develop and test the connected home system and validate their findings.

The Smart Systems team previously worked with Anritsu last year, where they partnered up to demonstrate a cloud-based connected car system at Mobile World Congress 2015.