Embodiments include a device comprising an interface module for interfacing with proprietary legacy systems. The interface module comprises a data interface for interfacing with a processing component of the legacy system, where the processing component uses a proprietary protocol for processing data of the legacy system. The interface module includes a protocol module that comprises a protocol corresponding to the proprietary protocol of the legacy system, and the interface module uses the protocol to exchange data with the processing component. The interface module includes a communication device that communicates with a remote system via a wireless channel. The interface module controls communications that include passing commands from the remote system to the legacy system, and passing event data of the legacy system to the remote system.

A method of controlling an electrical household system, comprises: starting a pyrolysis process in an oven, wherein the oven is connected or configured to be connected in signal communication to a household range hood; starting a suction device of the household range hood as a function of a communication signal from the oven, wherein said signal is correlated to the pyrolysis process in the oven.

Systems, and methods are described herein for identifying and/or controlling influence and/or potential influence of one or more signals on one or more properties of light emitted by one or more lighting units (100). In various embodiments, one or more signals may be identified that influence, or potentially influence, a manner in which a lighting unit controller (110) controls one or more properties of light to be emitted by a lighting unit (100). In some embodiments, a user instruction may be received to alter the manner in which the one or more signals influence how the lighting unit controller (110) controls the one or more properties of light emitted by the lighting unit (100) may be received. The lighting unit controller (110) may control a manner in which light output of the lighting unit (100) is influenced by the one or more signals in accordance with the user instruction.

A pool or spa system includes networked pool or spa devices that can be dynamically configured with network address by a controller. The controller can transmit a device discovery request on a network and can receive a discovery response from pool or spa devices that require a network address. The system determines and assigns the network addresses for the pool or spa devices based on unique device identifiers associated with the responding pool or spa devices. The network addresses assigned to the pool or spa device are transmitted to the pool or spa device to be used by the pool or spa devices to communicate with the controller over the network. The system can be used to discover and assign addresses to various types of pool or spa devices, such as pumps, underwater lights, chlorinators, water feature controllers, remote controllers, and/or other types of devices.

A demand response system includes a mobile application of a mobile device that is configured to initiate altering an operating condition of a network device disposed at a site using location based services. A demand response application interface module is configured to enable access between a utility company and the network device to communicate energy management information therebetween. The network device is configured to be remotely altered by each of the demand response application interface module and the mobile application separately based on the location based services and the energy management information. A method of managing a demand response system includes detecting a user being disposed away from a site, detecting energy management information from a utility company associated with the site, and initiating a reduction in energy use at the site in response to the relative location of the user and the energy management information.

Systems and methods are provided for implementing a device-independent scene in a home automation environment. One embodiment is a method comprising receiving information regarding a home-independent home automation scene, the information identifying a zone property and an identified zone type; identifying, in the designated home, a zone corresponding to the identified zone type; identifying at least one home automation device capable of affecting the zone property in the identified zone; for each of the identified devices, identifying a device state of the respective device that contributes to the zone property; storing a home-automation scene for the designated home, wherein the home-automation scene comprises information identifying the at least one identified devices and the respective identified device states of those devices; and in response to user selection of the stored home-automation scene, causing the at least one identified device to perform the respective identified actions.

A wearable device and a controlling method thereof, and a system for controlling a smart home. The wearable device comprises: a hand gesture identifying module, for by characteristic data to be identified of a wearer that is collected by a sensor, identifying out a current hand gesture action of the wearer; an appliance configuring module, for according to acquired information of each of household electrical appliances, establishing and saving correspondence relations between controlling commands of each of the household electrical appliances and corresponding hand gesture actions; and upon receiving the hand gesture action, looking up the household electrical appliance and the controlling command that match the hand gesture action by using the correspondence relations, generating a controlling message according to the matched information; a wirelessly connecting module, for receiving the controlling message and wirelessly sending the controlling message to a smart home controlling server.

A monitoring system for apparatus and systems in commercial and residential properties is provided. The monitoring system consists of a head unit and a tail unit, each of which has one or more sensors that measure performance parameters that are important to understanding the performance of the apparatus and system being monitored. As an example, an HVAC system may be monitored to determine when an air filter needs to be changed, or to predict when failure of the HVAC system may be imminent. The sensor array in the head unit and tail unit measure performance and report alerts and historical system performance to users through a mobile app, social media accounts, or any other system for communicating over a wired or wireless network connection.

A system that allows a contractor to remotely monitor and/or interact with its customers' building control systems, such as heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and analyze information obtained from the building control systems over time. Such a system may help the contractor monitor and diagnosis customer building control systems, setup service calls, achieve better customer relations, create more effective marketing opportunities, as well as other functions. In some cases, the disclosed system may include a controller that analyzes data from HVAC systems, determines a thermal model of a space environmentally controlled by an HVAC system, and provides an energy audit of the space that is environmentally controlled by the HVAC system. The controller may output a result of the energy audit to a user.

A powerful direct digital control (DDC) and integration control platform that is scalable and easy to use and meet building owners and contractors' desires for a highly secure and robust technical solution. One may combine heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) DDC control with the embedded workstation platform, and DDC controllers with embedded workstation platform software design. An embedded workstation platform event-driven approach (such as a Windows operating system (OS) or Unix OS environment) is not necessarily easily suited to real-time common in HVAC DDC control. The present system may solve an issue of combining high-power event needs for HVAC DDC Controls.