Smart home app development: 90% less time for daily routines with IoT-based platform

Innowise has built an IoT-based smart home application for managing household appliances and facilitating interaction among digital devices without human mediation.

Customer

Industry

IT, Hi-Tech

Region

Client since

2021

Our customer is an EU-based IT enterprise specializing in custom and platform-based software for smart homes. Detailed information about the client cannot be disclosed under the provisions of the NDA.

Challenge

A smart home is a concept of interconnected household environments that give their residents an unprecedented level of comfort and control, making life easier, safer and more convenient. Based on the Internet of Things (IoT), the smart home system links all digital devices and appliances in one ecosystem. It frequently goes way beyond simple automation, delivering unmatched personalized experiences.

Our client came up with the idea of a smart home app development solution that could be scaled seamlessly. Although they had a vast pool of skilled developers within IT departments, the customer approached Innowise since our company has a proven record of successful IoT projects.

Solution

Following elicitation of tech requirements, Innowise developed a web platform for managing digital devices with the ability to scale as needed. This network is managed remotely and independently as an ecosystem of controllers, nodes, consumer electronics, appliances, and other systems. Through smart home facilities, users can access vast functionality and enjoy new experiences. Powered by AI and ML, our application evaluates users’ habits, determines consumption patterns, and, moreover, predicts user behavior.

As for the solution’s logic, we implemented software architecture that consists of components such as

sensor nodes that gather data from various sensors scattered all over the house (lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, gas or electric stoves, ovens, shower, refrigerators, security system, and other appliances);
Arduino and Raspberry Pi single-board microcontrollers and microcontroller kits;
database as the repository for the sensor data;
data cloud service that gathers data from multiple areas in the cloud and transmits information via HTTP and REST APIs;
data management software for configuring data points, logging rates, events and actions, etc.;
data monitoring software for processing alarms and events based on inputs from multiple sensor nodes.

In terms of smart home web app modules, we have deployed the following.

Smart lighting control system

We began by assembling the house’s centralized lighting control system. Besides configuring different regimes of lighting, our project team developed smart IoT-related features that allowed for immense customization based on individual preferences. Thus, our vetted developers introduced use case scenarios for smart lights that included

tunable lightning with the opportunity to set up the regime of turning on/off in the whole house or certain rooms;
brightening (while reading or cleaning house) or dimming (while watching a movie) modes with an option to alter color hues that suit the residents’ mood;
customizable settings to switch on the bulbs with no pressing a button when residents enter the home (smart feature to prevent intrusions);
customizable settings to switch off the light once residents leave the house which allows saving a considerable amount of energy;
opportunity to synchronize lightning with an alarm clock, switching on the bulbs every morning to wake up residents.

Remote kitchen control

Then, we used smart home capabilities to make the cooking process safer and more convenient. Firstly, we configured smart features for refrigerators. Our seasoned team linked sensor nodes with the fridge’s screen so that cameras inside let residents see food left over. Moreover, due to AI, smart fridges suggest recipes and dishes based on users’ taste preferences, create weekly meal plans, make a shopping list, and even get groceries delivered. Also, our project team implemented a voice assistant that can report on the weather, give brief news, play music, and manage other smart appliances with a voice command.

Additionally, Innowise configured smart kitchen features that included

detecting gas, smoke, and water leaks in the kitchen and switching off the house’s electricity if the indicators deviate from an optimum range;
integration with smart voice assistant where residents can install custom settings, for example, preheat the stove to 180 degrees while the user is mixing the ingredients for a cake.

Bathroom and shower control system

As for the bathrooms, advanced IoT technologies allow for cutting on extra water consumption. To achieve this, we configured

tunable geysers that turn on/off automatically, optimizing water consumption during daily shower routines;
controllers that switch off unnecessary functioning of high power-consuming appliances like geysers, heaters, and ACs.

Home automation security system

As for home safety, we implemented sensor nodes that detect potential threats, immediately notify residents of any overlooked processes, and then trigger necessary actions to prevent them. Additionally, a smart security system allows for

proximity, motion & video sensors that identify unsanctioned access and automatically turn on the panic alarm, switch on lights, and call the police;
no more wondering if the appliances are turned off, or the doors are locked when the homeowner leaves the house since a smart system will take care of that;
controllers to perform certain tasks on a scheduled time (for children or elderly relatives), ensuring they will not forget to execute them.

In essence, the IoT app collects data about the way the household works, processes it and shows the homeowner the most significant insights on a daily basis. Further, the app suggests certain actions (e.g., time to switch on/off lights given previous experience, etc.) based on this information. After the previous modules are fully implemented and deployed, the customer will decide whether to develop subsequent modules.

Technologies & tools

Back-end

.NET6, RabbitMQ, Entity Framework, JWT, Redis Cache, Microservices, Elastic Search, MassTransit

Front-end

Angular, Typescript

Databases

MS SQL Server, MongoDB

Cloud

Azure IoT Hub, Azure Function, Azure Ser,,vice Bus, Azure SQL Database, Azure Table Storage, Azure Stream Analytics

CI/CD

Azure DevOps pipelines

DevOps

Docker

VCS

Git

Log management

ELK

Process

Initially, Innowise’s business analyst was assigned to elicit tech requirements and evaluate the home automation app’s development feasibility. Our BA developed a backlog, prioritized the tasks based on urgency and importance, and created a roadmap with milestones to be reached.

The project was managed based on the Scrum methodology, with tasks tracking and exchanging information via Jira and Slack, respectively.

As for the tech stack, we opted for .NET server-side development and Angular for the front end. The key challenge was to integrate the platform with third-party libraries smoothly. So, we used RabbitMQ to ensure the app’s processing without data losses. The solution we launched complies with telemetry standards and EU regulations.

Currently, our team is focused on developing a full-fledged mobile application that enables residents to manage smart home facilities remotely. Apart from this, we provide software maintenance, fix minor bugs and enhance the solution’s functionality.

Team

Project Manager

Business Analyst

Back-End Developers

Front-End Developers

QA Engineers

Results

As a result, Innowise released a smart home app development solution that boasts the following advantages:

management of digital devices and household appliances from one place (entire home is interconnected through one interface);
scalability (user can smoothly plug vacuum cleaners, air conditioners, and many more devices through APIs);
improved home security (system of motion detectors, surveillance cameras, automated door locks);
remote control (residents can manage devices even from work);
increased energy efficiency (residents report for a decrease in utility bills expenses);
home management insights (thanks to AI and ML, a smart home can suggest smart data-driven decisions and predict user behavior).

Project duration

August 2020 - In progress

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