Any home automation standouts at this year's CES?

[NeverDie]

Anyone notice any game changers, or is pretty much the same old stuff?  Not being there, I have no feel for it.  I thought that with all the investment poured into the category lately, something interesting might be announced or on display.

 

[picta]

I think this http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/compute-stick/intel-compute-stick.html could be a game changer for HA fans, especially the Ubuntu version

 

[NeverDie]

I think this http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/compute-stick/intel-compute-stick.html could be a game changer for HA fans, especially the Ubuntu version

Interesting.  Thanks for posting.  Looks like an early entry into Intel's upcoming battle with similar 64-bit ARM offerings.  Any indication as to what it will be priced at, or when it will be available?  As one possible comparable, there's Intel single-core solutions at ~$150, such as:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JPZU8M6/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=061K6BFGD7NDWT7MX913&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=1970559082&pf_rd_i=desktop
which are (obviously) already available, but at 4x the size.  

 

[picta]

Rumored to be $149 for Win 8 version and $89 for Linux

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

I was there for a few hours today.
 
HomeSeer is unveiling a new Z-Net device.
 
There is a new security system from Sage by Hughes. (not to be confused with SageTV) that looks interesting.
 
There was a cool Z-Wave and/or BlueTooth enabled lock that interfaced to your existing deadbolt by danalock. 

 

[BLH]

I saw a press release. That a Insteon Apple Homekit enabled HUB and App was announced.
 
http://cesweb.org/Events-Programs/Innovation/InnovationAwards/2015/Smart-Home/INSTEON-HomeKit-app-and-HomeKit-Hub.aspx
 
http://www.insteon.com/press-releases-blog/2015/01/06/insteon-announces-apple-homekit-app-and-hub

 

[NeverDie]

OK, I'll toss this in the hat as being noteworthy, even though It wasn't announced at CES, but a couple weeks prior.  The Thread Group, which was initiated by Nest (remember Google's $3.2 Billion acquisition?), now has 50 companies in it, and the press release says there will be product using its new wireless protocol in 2015:  http://www.threadgroup.org/Default.aspx?Contenttype=ArticleDet&tabID=94&moduleId=492&Aid=29&PR=PR
 
I'd keep my eye on that one.   Google spent $3.2 Billion for a reason, and that reason had to be more than just making fancy thermostats.  With a giant war chest, they'll do what they want and not be beholden to zwave or zigbee.  It could have a hugely catalyzing effect because to Google it's new wireless standard is just a means to a bigger end, not the thing it hopes to make money on per se.  It might be analogous to Android software, where they just give it away to help build a market they want to see develop.

 

[Automate]

OK, I'll toss thisThe Thread Group, which was initiated by Nest (remember Google's $3.2 Billion acquisition?), now has 50 companies in it, and the press release says there will be product using its new wireless protocol in 2015:  http://www.threadgroup.org/Default.aspx?Contenttype=ArticleDet&tabID=94&moduleId=492&Aid=29&PR=PR

 
Interesting:
"UL will manage the product certification process, working closely with Granite River Labs to develop the test harness. This combined effort will ensure that product developers have a seamless experience building, testing and certifying Thread-enabled products. Thread product certification is expected to be available in the first half of 2015."
 
and
"Using proven standards such as IPv6 technology with 6LoWPAN and standard 802.15.4 radios as its foundation, Thread offers product developers numerous technological advantages over existing wireless standards. Specifically, it gives them a reliable low-power, self-healing, and secure network that makes it simple for people to connect more than 250 devices in the home to each other and to the cloud for easy control and access from anywhere."

 

[NeverDie]

Yup.  The beauty of it is the underlying technology is well vetted.  802.15.4 is a bona fide IEEE standard, and product is already in plentiful supply, so their prototyping is a snap.  What's more: unlike z-wave, which is a frustrating black box that makes troubleshooting a nightmare, you can use off-the-shelf free Wireshark to receive and display 802.15.4 packets.  Even if packets are encrypted, anybody with a receiver can still see the frames, including things like source address and/or destination address.  Just think what a relief that will be: transparency!
 
At least viewed from a distance, they appear to be making all the right moves.

 

[linuxha]

Zwave & Zigbee both use 802.15.4 yet can't speak to each other without a translator. They should be able too coexist but that's it.

I just hope there aren't any loopholes that allow for comparability but not interoperability.

I really just want to see things work. Sorry for the rant, I've lived through too many standards wars.

BTW, I hope that encryption becomes standard. Everything is cloud based and security is already too lax in the cloud.

Cloud it and ye will be hacked!

 

[mikefamig]

I think this http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/compute-stick/intel-compute-stick.html could be a game changer for HA fans, especially the Ubuntu version

 
I think that this could be great if they don't lock you into the Microsoft app store like they try to do on windows 8 pc's. If they do then it is not much different than a smart tv, no? My Samsung has apps and my vizio tv has apps, how much this will differs is yet to be seen.
 
Mike.

 

[Automate]

Zwave & Zigbee both use 802.15.4 yet can't speak to each other without a translator.

 
Not correct.  Zwave is a proprietary standard which is not based upon any IEEE standards.
 
But Zigbee and 6LoWPAN (ie Thread) are both based upon the IEEE 802.15.4 standard.  802.15.4 is the lower level protocol so a 802.15.4 radio could be used for either Zigbee or 6LoWPAN but not generally at the same time.

 

[pvrfan]

...The Thread Group, which was initiated by Nest (remember Google's $3.2 Billion acquisition?), ...
 
I'd keep my eye on that one.   Google spent $3.2 Billion for a reason, and that reason had to be more than just making fancy thermostats.  

 
Just like Motorola?  
 
http://www.cnet.com/news/google-sells-motorola-unit-to-lenovo-for-2-9b/

The deal marks one of the worst investments in Google's history. In 2012, Google completed its acquisition of Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. At the time, it was thought that the primary reason for the acquisition was the treasure trove of Motorola patents that would help Google defend it and its partners against Apple.
 
The patents, however, have proven to be less than effective in warding off lawsuits, and much of the legal fighting as gone on between Apple and Samsung, with Google only tangentially related. Google and Samsung recently signed their own cross-licensing pact.

 
Google is not above making spectacular blunders.
 
Craig

 

[NeverDie]

Since there weren't many postings, how about we extend the time-frame to be January 1, 2014 to the present?  That would encompass the last two CES's plus everything in-between.  What would be the noteworthy home automation related announcements/developments in that larger time-frame?
 
I would count the large number of raspberry pi's sold as significant.  4 million units sold as of October 2014.  Pretty good considering it was launched in February 2012.  Not only that, but the amount of bang-per-buck  being packed into other single board computers selling at similar prices has been climbing  very rapidly.
 
That I can rather easily buy an Arduino Mega clone in 2014 for around $10 seems noteworhy.   The explosion of breakout boards of all different kinds for the Arduino also seems noteworhy because makes it easier to implement fancier sensors and other automation related functions.  
 
The large and growing number of arduino and raspberry pi competitors also seems noteworhy.  I don't have any numbers, but it's impressive how much bang per buck some of these boards are offering, and at fairly low cost too.  For instance, the Odroid-C1, which began shipping in December, 2014.  There's every reason to expect that trend to continue into 2015.
 
New and better ways to utilize the Kinect, or similar computer vision platforms and/or VR platforms, also seem noteworhy, though I don't have any particular datapoints to reference.

 

[linuxha]

Not correct.  Zwave is a proprietary standard which is not based upon any IEEE standards.
 
But Zigbee and 6LoWPAN (ie Thread) are both based upon the IEEE 802.15.4 standard.  802.15.4 is the lower level protocol so a 802.15.4 radio could be used for either Zigbee or 6LoWPAN but not generally at the same time.

Automate, sorry about that. I thought I recalled that Z-Wave broke off from the ZigBee group and kept the lower layer protocol. From what I can find now, well there's no mention of 802.15.4 with Z-Wave.