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Smart Home

The AFRISOhome Gateway HG 02

The smart home gateway allows for manufacturer-independent controlling and managing of all sensors and actuators with EnOcean and Wi-Fi wireless technology.

The AFRISOhome Gateway

The wireless standards Zigbee and Z-wave can be added via extension modules which are plugged into the housing. Events, messages and measured values are documented, and alarms are transmitted to mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets, if necessary. Ideal for creating a smart home system in apartments, apartment buildings and administration buildings.

At a glance

  • The AFRISOhome smart home gateway is the base module of your building management system
  • Out of the box: Communication via EnOcean and Wi-Fi
  • Versatile combinations of products of the EnOcean, Zigbee and Z-Wave Alliance
  • Extension modules for integration of sensors of the Zigbee and Z-Wave (option) wireless standards
  • Voice control with Alexa (Amazon Echo)

The all-rounder

The AFRISOhome smart home gateway HG 02 was designed for the reliable operation of small smart home solutions all the way to complete building management systems. Sensors and actuators can be easily integrated into the smart home system via plug & play. A Wi-Fi interface is provided for Internet access and communication with routers, smartphones, tablets and PCs. 

It is also possible to operate the AFRISOhome gateway without Internet connection; in this case, an independent Wi-Fi network is created. All user data and passwords are stored and processed locally on the AFRISOhome gateway. Building management systems based on an AFRISOhome gateway excel with virtually unlimited customisability and extensibility.

Complete system

With AFRISO smart home solutions, you get products completely adapted to each other: you receive products from the gateway and the app all the way to the sensors and actuators from a single supplier.

The hardware

The AFRISOhome gateway is equipped with a Wi-Fi antenna and provides a power connection (micro USB), three slots on the top for optional wireless extension modules as well as a reset switch.

The software

Due to the use of Buildroot Embedded Linux as the basis and programming in C and C++, the AFRISOhome gateway has a stable foundation and achieves stable and unsurpassed performance.

In order to continuously track all data live, the gateway relies on a libwebsocket as websocket and Web server. This way, all changes are synchronised live and are available in real time on all apps.

The complete system is based on own software development and does not rely on an IoT open source framework. This is the reason why AFRISO smart home is so flexible and can be changed and extended without limitation to the level of PROgrams.

AFRISOhome security principle

The data in AFRISO smart home are encrypted and transmitted to our servers with SSH tunnelling. These proxy servers are hosted in Germany and are subject to the German data protection and privacy regulations.

SSH is the acronym for Secure Shell. With Secure Shell, secure network connections can be established, for example, from a PC to a web server. SSH allows for mutual authentication and encrypted data transmission so that unauthorised third parties cannot read sensitive data. Secure Shell offers a high level of security.

All data is stored only on the AFRISOhome gateway and only routed via the servers for transmission to the smartphone. The data is not stored on servers at any point in time: this way, the system guarantees a high level of security for you.

The app

The AFRISOhome gateway in conjunction with the app provides full control of your smart home. This combination lets you automate sequences with simple IF-THEN functions to take your AFRISO smart home to the max.

With the AFRISOhome app, you can operate your smart home from anywhere in the world. For example, you can control your heating system or your lights while you are on the road and have even more freedom.

The free AFRISOhome app is available for iOS and Android.

The wireless standards

Even the base version of the multi-protocol AFRISOhome gateway HG 01 allows you to use a great variety of smart home products and brands from various manufacturers due to the integrated support of EnOcean and Z-Wave. 

The gateway can be extended by optional ZigBee wireless and this way offers you an even greater possibility to set up your smart home as individually as possible.

Wi-fi

Wi-fi

The wireless LAN sends signals at a frequency of 2.4 GHz and can achieve ranges from 10 m to 30 m in closed rooms, depending on the model.

EnOcean

EnOcean

The patented EnOcean wireless technology allows for long-range signals with very little energy. An off-the-shelf EnOcean wireless module can transmit a signal over a distance of 30 m with as little as 50 µWs (open air). The secret lies in the signal duration; the entire process is triggered, performed and completed in just 1 thousandth of a second. 

The energy required for sending messages is generated from ambient sources – small movements, pressure, light, temperature or vibration are sufficient to allow for power-independent operation of the sensors. In addition to AFRISO, more than 400 renowned manufacturers worldwide belong to the EnOcean Alliance.

Z-Wave

Z-Wave

Z-Wave is used in more than 1500 different products from various manufacturers. Z-Wave devices are certified by the Z-Wave Alliance in order to guarantee interoperability. This includes use of the same radio frequency as well as a vast variety of requirements which ensure that products from different manufacturers can really interoperate in a single home network. 

The entire communication is encrypted and must be confirmed by the receiver. Each device can forward a message to the destination for other devices (mesh network) and thus ensures secure transmission to the gateway. As opposed to the EnOcean technology, Z-Wave products require a mains or battery operation.

ZigBee

ZigBee

ZigBee controls the most different devices in a convenient and cost-effective way. The Zigbee wireless technology relies on a power consumption as low as possible so that the batteries required for the operation of sensors and actuators can be operated for several years without battery replacement. 

A number of prominent companies such as, for example, Philips, Osram or Samsung are members of the Zigbee Alliance.  Zigbee is therefore the language for a great number of intelligent home devices and do-it-yourself products which bring the benefits of the Internet of Things to the smart home.