- Vol.1
A thorough explanation of the latest smart home in 2024 - from beginners to the latest trend, Matter
This article can be read in 8 minutes.
The first half of this article explains the benefits of smart homes and how to build one. The second half will introduce practical examples and the latest standard, Matter.
Changes in daily life
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to subside, more and more people are returning to the office. Many people may be feeling confused by the change in their daily routines, which has come with working from home and teleworking.
Work-life balance
With the busyness of daily life, including work, housework, child-rearing, and commuting, it has become difficult to find time for yourself. What was considered normal before the COVID-19 pandemic has changed, and perhaps you have realized the importance of spending time with your family.
Security
For dual-income families and families living apart, issues such as home security and keeping an eye on children and pets are also important. It is important to consider ways to use smart home appliances to reduce the burden of housework and ensure the safety of your family.
Smart Home Appliances
Until now, smart home appliances have been linked to home appliances, and installation required construction costs and time.
Additionally, there are few options for smart home appliances that are compatible with your smartphone, so you may not find the one you need. Currently, there are less than 10 smart home appliances available in Japan that are designed for smart home networks by major American IT companies. Some people may be concerned about security issues, such as information leaks, when using proprietary smart home devices.
This special feature introduces tips for living a comfortable and safe life by introducing how to use smart home appliances in line with new lifestyles, security measures, and simple setup methods.
Reduce the burden of housework and supervision and realize a smart lifestyle that suits new lifestyles.
Smart home networking is the answer
Improved work-life balance
Smart home appliances are recommended to eliminate inconveniences in daily life and save time. Controlling lighting and air conditioning with your smartphone can save you time and make your life more convenient.
Work-life balance
With the busyness of daily life, including work, housework, child-rearing, and commuting, it has become difficult to find time for yourself. What was considered normal before the COVID-19 pandemic has changed, and perhaps you have realized the importance of spending time with your family.
Electricity and lighting operation
On hot summer days or cold winter days, you can turn on the air conditioner using your smartphone before you get home, eliminating the stress of waiting for the temperature to reach the right level.
Dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer operation
Being able to easily set up and operate appliances from a smartphone eliminates the need to repeatedly press buttons and the hassle of having to go to the appliance's location to operate it, saving time.
Smart home appliance integration
A smart home network allows you to connect smart appliances and automate household chores, which can bring about huge changes in your daily life.
Remote monitoring
It is possible to check the status of your home, whether the doors are locked, and how your children are doing remotely. It is also useful for keeping an eye on parents and family members who live far away. For example, by remotely turning on the air conditioner on a hot summer day, it can help prevent heatstroke.
Build a smart home
Some of you may be familiar with smart homes, while others may not have much experience. This feature introduces examples of smart home construction for beginners, intermediate, and advanced users. We provide information tailored to each user's needs and provide a useful guide for building a smart home.
Prerequisites
To build a smart home, you will need to prepare the following environment and equipment in advance.
- Wireless LAN environment
- Smartphone
Beginner Plan (Smart Plug)
《Device used》
- smart plug
<<Setup Manual (includes the following steps)>>
- User Registration
- Detects smart plug (Bluetooth*)
- Wireless LAN settings
- Settings (device name, location, automatic update timing, etc.)
Main usage scenarios
- Remote control
- Dealing with forgetting to turn off the lights when you're out
- Turn on the lights in your entryway and room beforehand on your way home
- timer
- ON/OFF control after a certain time (◯ minutes/◯ hours)
- schedule
- ON/OFF control according to the day of the week and time
- Check power consumption
- Check your usage
- Compare the power consumption of home appliances
Recommended use cases:
- Charge together
- Schedule daily charging of electronic devices during the late night hours when electricity rates are lower
- Remotely start your PC
- Remotely start your company's desktop PC and connect to it remotely
- The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
Intermediate/Advanced Plan (Smart LOUDSPEAKERS + Various Sensors and Devices)
《Device used》
- smart LOUDSPEAKERS
- thermohygrometer
- robot vacuum cleaner
- Curtain opening and closing device
Main usage scenarios
- User Registration
- Detects smart plug (Bluetooth*)
- Wireless LAN settings
- Settings (device name, location, automatic update timing, etc.)
Main usage scenarios
- Operate the robot vacuum cleaner under certain conditions
- If you are away for more than 30 minutes
- Automatic curtain opening and closing
- Open the curtains five minutes before your alarm on weekdays
- Close the curtains every night at bedtime
- Temperature/humidity automatic adjustment
- Maintain a comfortable environment at all times without hassle
- Link multiple devices by scene
- When doing yoga, you can control curtains, lighting, humidifiers/fans, music, and more with VOICE INPUT UNITS to a smart LOUDSPEAKERS.
Recommended use cases:
- Automatically adjusts the comfortable environment
- Maintaining constant temperature, humidity, and brightness
- Save time on your daily routine
- Automate curtains, lights, and robot vacuum cleaner triggers based on your daily routine
Economic effects of smart homes
In this chapter, we will estimate the economic impact of actually implementing the "Build a Smart Home" example.
Money (example of charging together)
<Running costs>
| device | Electricity consumption (Wh) | Online shopping site reference price (yen) |
|---|---|---|
| smart plug | Almost 0 (less than 0.01) | 1,518 |
| total | Almost 0 | 1,518 |
<Electricity bill difference (as of May 1, 2024, Tokyo Electric Power Company contract plan)>
- Night Special 8 (Eight)
- Minimum monthly fee (per contract) 328.08 yen
| Basic charge (1kW) | Electricity charge (1kWh) | |
|---|---|---|
| 255.69円 | 7:00 AM - 11:00 PM | 42.60円 |
| 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM the next day | 31.64円 | |
- Night Special 12 (Juni)
- Minimum monthly fee (per contract) 328.08 yen
| Basic charge (1kW) | Electricity charge (1kWh) | |
|---|---|---|
| 255.69円 | 7:00 AM - 11:00 PM | 44.16円 |
| 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM the next day | 33.33円 | |
The price difference between peak and off-peak is about 11 yen per kWh, so to take advantage of this price difference, simply postpone less urgent electricity usage.
<<How to set up>>
Using the smart plug control app, schedule the smart plug to turn on at 11:00 PM and turn off at 1:00 AM (when charging is expected to be completed within 2 hours).
Energy saving calculations
- Electricity bill calculation formula
*Battery power (Wh) = Battery capacity (mAh) x Charging voltage (V) ÷ 1,000
*Electricity cost (yen/h) = battery energy (Wh) ÷ 1,000 × electricity cost (yen/kWh)
| Item | Battery capacity (mAh) | Charging voltage (V) | Battery power (Wh) | Number of units | Total power consumption (Wh) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smartphone | 3,349 | 5 | 16.75 | 3 | 50.3 |
| TABLETS | 7,600 | 5 | 38 | 1 | 38 |
| vacuum cleaner | 3,000 | 26.1 | 78.3 | 1 | 78.3 |
| Wireless headphones | 1,600 | 3.8 | 6.08 | 1 | 6.08 |
| total | 15,549 | － | － | － | 172.7 |
- Save electricity bills
Annual electricity bill difference (yen) = Energy (Wh) ÷ 1,000 × (peak charge – off-peak charge) × 2 (hours) × 365
= 172.7 ÷ 1,000 × (42.6－31.64) × 2 × 365
= 1,382 yen
ROI (return on investment) = 1382 (profit) ÷ 1518 (investment) × 100% = 91%
"summary"
It may seem like you'll only save 1,382 yen per year, but depending on the number of large appliances and the number of devices, the difference could be anywhere from several thousand yen to several tens of thousands of yen. With the recent rise in electricity prices, we all want to keep our bills as low as possible. Once installed, the benefits last for years or more, so it's a safe and recommended way to use it, even for those new to smart homes.
Time (examples of time-saving daily routines)
<Running costs>
| device | Online shopping site reference price (yen) | Electricity consumption (Wh) | Annual electricity bill (yen) |
|---|---|---|---|
| smart LOUDSPEAKERS | 3,214 | 1～2 | 14.3～28.5 |
| Automatic curtain opening and closing device | 6,142 | 3
| 42.7 |
| For 8 tatami mats, dimmable and color adjustable LED Ceiling light | 6,630 | 2.2 | 31.3 |
| total | 15,986 | 6.5～7.5 | 88.3～102.5 |
<Time-saving effect calculation>
The calculation is based on the following two scenarios:
- Open the curtains at 7am and close them at 9pm every day.
- Lights are turned on at 6pm every day
| action | Time required per day (seconds) |
|---|---|
| Open the curtains in the morning | 8
|
| Close the curtains at night | 8
|
| Turn on the lights in the evening | 3 |
| total | 19 |
Time required for one year (hours) = Time required for one day (seconds) ÷ 3600 × 365
= 19 ÷ 3600 × 365
= 1.92 hours
"summary"
In the most basic scenario, you can save about two hours per year. Depending on how you use sensors and combine devices, you can save even more time.
The effect of reducing daily work time and not having to interrupt hobbies or childcare will be huge.
Easier smart home adoption
So far, we've given you an idea of what a smart home might look like, but some people may be worried about the initial setup and device integration. The smart home standard "Matter*," which will be released in 2022, will help alleviate those concerns.
- Matter is a trademark of the Connectivity Standards Alliance.
What is the smart home network standard "Matter"?
This is a common standard for smart home appliances that was released in October 2022. It unifies smart home networks that had previously been developed independently by various companies, dramatically improving user convenience. Because the organization that manages and operates Matter is independent, it is operated and managed more broadly and with greater transparency.
The benefits of Matter-enabled smart appliances
1. Improved work-life balance through home appliance integration
Matter-enabled smart home appliances allow devices from different manufacturers to work together, reducing the stress of household chores and freeing up more time for yourself through automation. It also allows parents to keep an eye on their children when they're away, or on parents and other family members who live far away.
The arrival of the Matter standard will further improve the convenience of smart homes, enabling more people to live comfortable and safe lives.
Example 1: Voice control to smartphone: "I'm home" ⇒ Turn on the lights, lock the door, and close the curtains
Example 2: Environmental sensor detects temperature rise ⇒ air conditioner starts cooling and sends notification to smartphone
Example 3: Air purifier detects increase in carbon dioxide and decrease in air quality → turns on electric fan and air conditioner
2. Simplified installation and usage
Because communication is wireless, no major construction work is required at the home. This means that even rental properties can be easily installed and restored to their original state, and Matter-compatible smart appliances can be installed once residents have moved in.
Also, unlike conventional smart home appliances, there is no need to install proprietary apps from each manufacturer, register as a user, or set up a network. Simply use the standard home app on your smartphone and scan the QR code to complete the network settings for your smart home appliances.
Furthermore, Matter is a global standard that incorporates the latest security measures. Products certified by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, Matter's standardization organization, bear the Matter logo, significantly reducing the risk of information leaks and counterfeits, allowing you to use them with peace of mind.
Future outlook
IoT technology is expected to play an important role not only in industry but also in everyday life.
Matter (*1) is a common standard for smart homes, and we are currently working to expand the range of compatible devices and add new features to further improve your work-life balance. Specifically, there are four features below.
①Easy device setup
Anyone can easily install a smart home
②Anyone can easily install a smart home
Support for a wider variety of devices allows products from different manufacturers to work together seamlessly.
Device linkage diagram
3) Increased reliability of security
Your private data is protected, giving you peace of mind when using your device
4. Centralized management without additional installation
iOS (*2) and Android (*3) already have Matter built-in, and easy-to-use apps are available.
Image of the smart home control screen of the smartphone app
- Matter is a trademark of the Connectivity Standards Alliance.
- iOS is the operating system name of Apple Inc., but is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States OTHERS countries.
- Android is a trademark or registered trademark of Google LLC.
NEXTY Electronics Initiatives
NEXTY Electronics Corporation is a core company in the Toyota Tsusho Group's electronics business and boasts one of the largest scales in the field of car electronics. With a focus on technology and products, the company meets the needs of customers and society in a wide range of fields and provides solutions to social issues.
In recent years, we have been focusing on the development of the smart home standard "Matter"* in Japan, and in March 2024 we joined the Matter standardization organization, the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA).
- Matter is a trademark of the Connectivity Standards Alliance.
- iOS is the operating system name of Apple Inc., but is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States OTHERS countries.
- Android is a trademark or registered trademark of Google LLC.
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