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Challenges and Limitations in a Back-End Controlled SmartHome

Thesis Work Presentation06.06.2006

Niklas Salmela

Supervisor: Prof. Jorma VirtamoInstructor: M.Sc. Heikki Loukojärvi

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Contents

Introduction

What is a Smart House?

Back-end controlled SmartHome

Challenges

Conclusions

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Introduction

New Internet based services are appearing (VoD, IPTV, VoIP, etc.)

Peoples need for security is rising

Researches show that the interest for “Smart Houses” is increasing

A ”normal” Smart House contain mostly functionalities which address home security and home automation

In a back-end controlled SmartHome there can further be included Internet based services

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What is a Smart House?

There is not a single definition of a Smart House A “smart device” does not make a Smart House

Interaction between smart devices is common in most of the definitions of a Smart House

Common services in Smart Houses: Home Automation Home Control Home Security Home Surveillance

Usually controlled by external keypads or touch screens, in some cases by a PC in the house

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What is a Smart House? (cont.)

The local commands may be transmitted with any appropriate protocol, either wirelessly or by wires

For home automation KNX is the most used standard, another (simple) one is X10 power line communication

For home security RF communication is popular

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Back-end controlled SmartHome

A back-end controlled SmartHome is a Smart House that is connected to the Internet

To get full functionality the connection should be an always on, broadband connection

All the functionalities of an ordinary Smart House stay the same

In the basic case no further services are introduced, the added value comes from the remote access

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Back-end controlled SmartHome (cont.)

Back-end servers allow remote control and monitoring of the SmartHome

Possible with any Internet capable device (mobile phone, PDA, PC, STB, etc.)

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Back-end controlled SmartHome (cont.)

The use of the SmartHome via the back-end is through a portal page, which contains the different services available at the moment

The look & feel should be the same regardless of the device used to access

Restricted version for mobile phones without browsers

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Challenges

Some devices in the home might generate high amounts of network traffic, e.g. a network camera

The current situation with broadband speeds do not allow for this

Until the connection speeds change, we have to change the behavior of the cameras

By changing the compression level By limiting the frames per second

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Challenges (cont.)

Making the SmartHome back-end controlled => SmartHome must be accessible from the Internet

The gateway performs a port mapping, e.g. The requests to the gateways WAN IP on port 1234 will

be forwarded to the security The requests to the gateways WAN IP on port 4321 will

be forwarded to the surveillance

Security

Camera

Gateway(NAT)

Private IP Addresses Public IP Addresses

Home

Internet

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Challenges (cont.)

Port mapping creates security issues as we cannot know who accesses the equipment. Especially critical in security and surveillance services

The equipment has password protection in itself, but is this enough?

Weak/default passwords a real hazard

The access must be restricted Requires not yet common features from the gateway Source IP filtering in the port mapping => devices behind

the NAT only accessible from a single (or a set of) IP address(es)

The use of VPN in the connection between the back-end and the home. Secure, but requires much from the Back-end and from the home gateway (e.g. VPN and VLAN)

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Conclusions

The services can already be implemented

The bandwidth will not be a problem much longer, speeds are constantly increasing

Biggest problems are in making the connections secure Between the home and back-end Between the user and back-end

No single solution is yet decided Much depends on the future of home gateways

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Questions?

Thank you!