OpenHAB

Last updated
open Home Automation Bus (openHAB)
Initial release2011
Stable release
4.2.1 [1]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg / 9 August 2024;34 days ago (9 August 2024)
Repository github.com/openhab
Written in Java
Operating system Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, Unix, Solaris, OpenBSD, FreeBSD
Type Home automation
License Eclipse Public License
Website www.openhab.org

open Home Automation Bus (openHAB) is an open source home automation software written in Java. It is deployed on premises and connects to devices and services from different vendors. As of 2019, close to 300 bindings are available as OSGi modules. [2] Actions, such as switching on lights, are triggered by rules, voice commands, or controls on the openHAB user interface. The openHAB project started in 2010. In 2013, the core functionality became an official project of the Eclipse Foundation under the name Eclipse SmartHome. [3] openHAB is based on Eclipse SmartHome and remains the project for the development of bindings. According to Black Duck Open Hub, it is developed by one of the largest open-source teams in the world. [4] It also has an active user community. [5]

Contents

Features

Installation and runtime

OpenHAB requires a JVM and can be deployed on servers running various operating systems, a dedicated Raspberry Pi instance, or some network-attached storage systems. [6] [7] The required bindings can be added at runtime via OSGi. OpenHAB supports a number of persistence backends for storing and querying the smart home data, including relational and time series databases. By default openHAB uses rrd4j for persistence. [8]

Discovery and configuration

After installation, openHAB scans the local network and discovers devices that can be included in the smart home solution. [9] Users can provide credentials and meaningful device names via an administration user interface.

Things and Items

Since major version 2 of openHAB the connections to physical devices is split in 2 levels. "Things" are the interface elements to a specific physical device (e.g. an interface to a home automation network like KNX, Z-Wave or Zigbee). Within these things, one or more "Items" can then be defined or discovered. These "Items" correspond to one specific component like a relay controlling a light, the desired temperature of a heating system or a dimmer percentage.

Sitemaps

Sitemaps allow the user to determine how the devices in the smart home are arranged. A sitemap groups devices by floor and room and determines how they are visualized and controlled. The following example illustrates what a typical sitemap definition might look like:

sitemap demo label="My home automation" {     Frame label="Date" {         Text item=Date     }     Frame label="Demo" {         Switch item=Lights icon="light"         Text item=LR_Temperature label="Livingroom [%.1f °C]"         Group item=Heating         Text item=LR_Multimedia_Summary label="Multimedia [%s]" icon="video" {             Selection item=LR_TV_Channel mappings=[0="off", 1="DasErste", 2="BBC One", 3="Cartoon Network"]             Slider item=LR_TV_Volume         }     } }

User interface

Once the system is configured, openHAB users can view data and perform actions using a number of user interfaces. These include a browser based interface as well as apps for Android, Windows 10, and iOS. [10] [11] [12] All of these UIs are defined by the sitemap mechanism.

Rules

An event, condition, action rule-based system is used to automate the smart home. The following example turns off a light once the sun rises at the configured location.

rule"Start wake up light on sunrise"whenChannel"astro:sun:home:rise#event"triggeredthenswitch(receivedEvent.getEvent()) {         case "START": {             Light.sendCommand(OFF)         } } end

openHAB Cloud

OpenHAB Cloud is a companion cloud service and backend for openHAB. It provides secure remote access and enables openHAB users to remotely monitor, control and steer their homes through the internet. The openHAB foundation provides a demo system without SLA guarantees. [13]

Version 3 improvements

In 2020, the code was forked for a major rework, separating to 2.5 version from the upcoming 3.0 branch. [14] Apart from some technical code changes (e.g. use of Java 11), several functional improvements are foreseen:

The main drawback is that backward compatibility to openHAB add-ons for version 1 is dropped.

Version 3.0 has been released as of 21 December 2020. [15]

Security

Many security and privacy concerns have been raised with home automation and IoT in general. OpenHAB's on-premises engine and open source character are answers to these concerns. [16] However, it was criticized for its use of default configurations. [17]

Reception

OpenHAB won the IoT Challenge 2013 [18] and the JavaOne Duke's Choice Award 2013. [19] It was nominated for the JAX Innovation Award 2014 [20] and was the People's Choice Winner at the Postscapes IoT Awards 2014/15. [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ "Release 4.2.1". 9 August 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  2. ↑ "openHAB Add-on Reference". openHAB Foundation e.V. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  3. ↑ "Eclipse SmartHome - A Flexible Framework for the Smart Home" . Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  4. ↑ "Project Summary: Factoids - Open Hub". Black Duck Software, Inc. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  5. ↑ "About - openHAB Community". openHAB Foundation e.V. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  6. ↑ "PINE A64 is a $15, 'high-performance' take on the Raspberry Pi". Engadget, Verizon Media. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  7. ↑ "How to install openHAB 2 on Synology Diskstation". Smarthome Training. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  8. ↑ "Persistence". www.openhab.org. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  9. ↑ "Thing Discovery". www.openhab.org. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  10. ↑ "openHAB - Apps on Google Play". Google Corporation. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  11. ↑ "openHAB on the App Store". Apple Corporation. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  12. ↑ "Get openHAB - Microsoft Store". Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  13. ↑ "Welcome to myopenHAB". openHAB Foundation e.V. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  14. ↑ Development of openHAB 3.0.0 and 2.5.x
  15. ↑ "openHAB 3.0 Release". openHAB Foundation e.V.
  16. ↑ "Smart-Home Gadgets Need a Translator Real Bad—Here's How to Get One". Wired. May 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  17. ↑ "1990s technology exposes 32,000 smart homes, businesses to exploit". ZDNet. August 2018.
  18. ↑ "Announcement: The winner of the IoT Challenge 2013!!". Jakajima B.V. June 4, 2013.
  19. ↑ "2013 Duke's Choice Awards". Archived from the original on 2014-01-13. Retrieved 2014-01-13.
  20. ↑ "JAX Innovation Award Nomination". Software & Support Media GmbH. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  21. ↑ "Postscapes IoT Awards 2014/15". Archived from the original on 2016-03-09. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
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