Performance Evaluation of Wireless Home Automation Networks in Indoor Scenarios

Transmission of control information in home local networks is gaining increasing importance. Especially in the context of smart grids several applications already exist and evolve that demand the transmission of control information in home networks. Important examples are the so called smart homes and intelligent buildings, where household appliances and sensor devices are interconnected. They are remotely controlled by an automated energy management system (EMS) according to the demands of the overlying smart grid. This paper presents a methodology for the evaluation of wireless smart homes and home automation networks (HANs) in indoor scenarios. The methodology is applied to investigate the performance of actual wireless technologies that can be used to interconnect devices in a smart home environment. The technologies are compared with each other by investigating the performance in realistic European indoor scenarios. Additionally, they are evaluated with respect to their reliable indoor coverage range. The main intention of this paper is to provide a decision guideline, which wireless standard is most suitable for a certain smart home scenario.