Worksheet 1

Tittle of the study: Wirelessly Controlled Smart Outlet

Authors: Godsil, A. and Dubinsky A.
Publication: California Polytechnic State University.
Website: http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1291&context=eesp
Date received: February 10. 2017
Is there a clear Overview of the topic?
Yes, Home automation is a relatively new area of technology. With the Internet of Things
becoming a popular topic within the scientific community, many questions have risen
concerning how and which technologies should communicate with each other.
Is the problem clearly defined? The distinction of this wireless outlet devices has made a
dilemma to users regarding which technology to use.

What is the purpose of the study?

The purpose of the study is to test other wirelessly controlled outlets to identify their
short comings and possible solution while discussing its advantages and possible future
direction for some automation.
Are the objectives/ research questions specific?
 To test other existing wireless outlet devices and figure out their shortcomings and
distinctions.
 To design a new device that can accommodate the shortcomings and distinctions
of the existing devices.
 To be able to produce and use the proposed project and test its efficiency.

Is the significance of the study identified? The significance of the study is Automated
plug-in modules offer consumers a way to put their devices on a schedule in addition to
instant switching. These modules grant us the ability to control the time we would like
our devices to turn on thereby eliminating standby power, and resulting in utility savings
Are assumptions and limitations stated?
The limitations stated in the introduction are the limitation the existing models or devices
had, like for example most of the existing devices only had that one is to one ratio
between the input and the output meaning each of these devices can only control one
appliance per device, smart phone compatibility, and controllability through Wi-Fi, 3G or
4G.
 Worksheet 2
Tittle of the study: Wirelessly Controlled Smart Outlet
Authors: Godsil, A. and Dubinsky A.
Publication: California Polytechnic State University.
Website: http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1291&context=eesp
Date received: February 10. 2017
A) Is the related lit extensive? Is the study adequately covered?
Write top 3 studies frequently sited.
As what I have understand on this project by reading its introduction is that the
Authors would like to make an innovation to the existing smart outlets that are already
available on the market. Most of the smart outlets that already exist on the market can
only support one appliance per device that’s why the authors made an innovation that can
support at least 4 appliance by one device.
This are the top 3 studies frequently sited.
1) Home automation is a relatively new era of technology. With the internet of things
becoming a popular topic within the scientific community, many questions have risen
concerning how and which technologies should communicate with each other.
2) In the field of home automation, the focus is to integrate electrical devices in the home
with each other, utilizes different techniques, but not one correct way.
3) The diversity constitutes a problem, this poses dilemma to business owners and
homeowners regarding which technology to choose, and the market fragmentation
contributes to a slow widespread and evolution of home automation.
B) Retrieve the top 3 sources from the internet. Are they relevant to the study?
Write the major findings of each source.
Top 3 sources from the internet.
[1] Wang, Walter. "Home Automation Dominates Internet of Things Conversation -
CleanTechies." CleanTechies. N.p., 13 July 2014. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.
http://cleantechies.com/2014/07/13/home-automation-dominates-internet-of-things-
conversation/
“The Internet of Things is dominating the conversation in many technology circles today
and will likely do so for the foreseeable future. What exactly is the Internet of Things
and just who is dominating the Internet of Things conversation?”
“The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical objects accessed through the
Internet, as defined by technology analysts and visionaries. These objects contain
embedded technology to interact with internal states or the external environment. In other
words, when objects can sense and communicate, it changes how and where decisions are
made, and who makes them.”
[2] Moorhead, Patrick. "The Problem with Home Automation's Internet Of Things
(IoT)." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickmoorhead/2013/09/26/the-problem-with-home-
automations-iot/#6667eba270ec
“Home automation for years has been the domain of home installers outfitting wealthy
consumers with $10,000- $100,000 setups to control lights, home theater, security, air
conditioning, and home audio.”
“The challenge with all these products comes in aggregate when consumers start buying a
lot of them.  What if the consumer bought a Nest thermostat, Kwikset door lock, Phillips
Hue lighting, Lutron light switch, a Sonos audio system, and a bunch of Belkin wireless
plugs?  First, the consumer would have six different apps to setup, learn and use that all
look and feel different.   Additionally, there aren’t easy ways to make the devices work as
one system if you wanted to trigger an event after an event.”
[3] Nunes, Renato Jorge Caleira. "Home Automation - A Step Towards Better Energy
Management." IST – Technical University of Lisbon (n.d.): 1-7. Web. 7 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.icrepq.com/pdfs/CALEIRA416.PDF>.
“This diversity constitutes a problem, as these technologies are incompatible with each
other. This poses a dilemma to constructors and homeowners regarding which technology
to choose, and this market fragmentation is contributing to a slow widespread and
evolution of home automation.”
As what I have said earlier (part A) that the study is about how to patch up the
short comings of the existing devices, so as I was reading the top 3 sources, I have found
out that the Authors were commonly talking about the diversity of this devices not just
specifically on the smart outlets but all the devices that contribute to home automation
that are controlled by the internet or as what the authors would like to call is the internet
of things (IoT). Thus I can conclude that the top 3 sources are relevant to the study.
This are my major findings of each sources.
1) The Internet of Things is dominating the conversation in many technology circles
today and will likely do so for the foreseeable future. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the
network of physical objects accessed through the Internet, as defined by technology
analysts and visionaries.
2 and 3) The problem of this existing home automated product is that they are diverse to
each other, and give the consumers no choice but to use different programs for the
different products.
C) Are they logically organized and synthesized?
Paragraphs that are drawn from the source.
1) “The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical objects accessed through the
Internet, as defined by technology analysts and visionaries. These objects contain
embedded technology to interact with internal states or the external environment. In other
words, when objects can sense and communicate, it changes how and where decisions are
made, and who makes them.”
2) “The challenge with all these products comes in aggregate when consumers start
buying a lot of them.  What if the consumer bought a Nest thermostat, Kwikset door lock,
Phillips Hue lighting, Lutron light switch, a Sonos audio system, and a bunch of Belkin
wireless plugs?  First, the consumer would have six different apps to setup, learn and use
that all look and feel different.   Additionally, there aren’t easy ways to make the devices
work as one system if you wanted to trigger an event after an event.”
3) “This diversity constitutes a problem, as these technologies are incompatible with each
other. This poses a dilemma to constructors and homeowners regarding which technology
to choose, and this market fragmentation is contributing to a slow widespread and
evolution of home automation.”
Yes they are actually organized and synthesize to each other. The first paragraph is
talking about what is the internet of things or IoT the second part talks about the diversity
of this technologies and how it affects the consumers, and the last part talks about how
this diversity of devices affects the consumers.
D) Is each source cited in the study listed in the reference list?
As what I have read and understand in the introduction of this project, I can
conclude that all of the sources cited in this paper can all be found at the reference list
(page 49).