ACM TechNews

Simple and Secure Networked Home

ICT Results (08/18/08)

The European Union-funded ESTIA project has demonstrated software that enables a person to control audiovisual equipment and other products in the home through a single, remote interface. Networked devices are automatically recognized by the system, and the network can be administered using a variety of home electronics, including TVs, cordless phones, PDAs, or a PC. An increasing number of home-based electronics are being manufactured with networking and remote-control capabilities, even washing machines, dryers, and ovens, but few people are using these features. ESTIA lead researcher Lars Dittmann says this is because people perceive the control of networked devices as too complicated, particularly because most networkable devices have their own proprietary control systems, and due to trust and control issues. The ESTIA researchers aimed to address these issues by creating an interface that gives users a personal identity with different access rights to different networked devices. For example, the interface enables people entering the house to type in a four-digit code on a pad by the door, allowing the house to monitor who is there. If an adult is in the house, the children would be allowed to use the oven or microwave, but if the children are home alone their access may be limited to the TV. The ESTIA home networking architecture selects and uses whatever networking technologies are available, from IP-based networks to KNX, a wire-based platform for building control systems.

http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults/index.cfm/section/news/tpl/article/id/89970

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