Convenience, Comfort and Safety: A New Way of Living with Smart Homes
Updated: 1 day ago
On March 17, 2021, Chih Ping Senior High School partnered with Jing-Yeu International to establish a smart-home teaching center in its Electrical Engineering Department. Jing-Yeu International provided the equipment and instructors to help prepare future industry professionals. As smart homes and the Internet of Things become more widespread, the school is keeping pace by helping students connect their learning with the wider world before graduation. The center aims to integrate environmental controls with daily routines through voice commands and programmed scenes, so that returning home means enjoying the convenience of connected facilities. The partnership also includes a series of courses in which students learn to program and control components through the Fibaro system, developing smart-home programs and gaining an advantage in the future job market.
Eight Key Aims of Smart Homes
Safety and Privacy
Indoor Environment Automatically detect kitchen gas, carbon monoxide, smoke and water leaks, and activate appropriate protective measures.
Outdoor Privacy HD security cameras work with door and window sensors, radar/microwave and laser/microwave sensing equipment to provide automatic detection, real-time remote monitoring, recording and proactive protective measures.
Smart、Convenience
Scene Control Lighting, curtains, windows, security systems, air conditioning and audiovisual equipment can be integrated anew. Mobile and tablet apps, smart wall switches and automatic sensors offer several ways to operate them. One touch activates a complete scene; internet access also allows users to control home scenes remotely.
Health、Care
Environmental Control Multifunction sensors connect equipment in response to air quality, temperature, humidity and light levels, proactively maintaining a healthy indoor environment.
Home Care Integrated sensors and automatic controls support a more convenient, user-friendly lifestyle. Connected cameras also let users check on family members while away.
Energy Saving、Environmental Protection
Energy Management The system tracks each device’s electricity consumption in real time. Scenes based on daily routines actively control lighting and appliances, while environmental sensors automatically adjust operation to avoid unnecessary continuous power use, reduce costs and care for the planet.
☆ Seeing is believing! Let us visit the Electrical Engineering Department’s smart-home demonstration space at Chih Ping Senior High School and experience the future of home living.
Smart-Home Demonstration Center
The demonstration center focuses on a safe, healthy, comfortable and energy-efficient living environment. It combines sustainability and smart technologies to create a space that senses and responds to users’ needs. As information technology becomes increasingly woven into daily routines, the school is introducing the concept of technology-enabled living through an intelligent residential space. Combined with coursework, it helps students understand and experience a smart lifestyle built around human needs.
The first line of access control is a Yale YDM7216 five-in-one electronic lock. It supports cards, fingerprints and virtual PIN entry, making door access straightforward. Behind its simple, attractive exterior, touch activation with the palm helps protect fingerprints and passwords from exposure. Environmental considerations are included too: rather than keeping the keypad active around the clock, palm activation extends battery life and saves energy.
The space also includes a Z-Wave door/window sensor. Ever switched on the air conditioner and forgotten to close a window? The FIBARO Door/Window Sensor 2 helps address this: when air conditioning starts, the system checks whether doors and windows are closed, while temperature sensing supports air-conditioning adjustments to reduce unnecessary energy loss and high electricity costs.
In the smart-home demonstration room, students feel as if they have entered a living room with a bar counter. The furnishings may appear ordinary, but they can all be controlled; the room is both a smart-home showcase and a cultural space. A simple wood-toned base, accented with blue and yellow, creates an inviting atmosphere with warmth and character.
The space includes an MCO Home MH10-PM2.5 air-quality monitor. The monitoring equipment detects and provides alerts for CO2 and PM2.5, with integrated VOC, temperature and humidity sensors. Outputs can also be customized to control ventilation directly. Designed for reliability and practical use, these devices can work with other Z-Wave-certified equipment on a Z-Wave network to create a more comfortable environment.
The Z-Wave gesture controller takes inspiration from natural human interaction. Hand gestures become commands for controlling home equipment and the environment, allowing preset actions without pressing buttons.
The compact Z-Wave smoke sensor has a sensitive detection system to help address potential hazards. In addition to detecting smoke, it sounds an alarm when temperature rises rapidly above 54°C. Visual and audible alarms help ensure students receive the warning.
Home Center 2 provides central scene control and another way to connect household equipment. Sensor readings for temperature and humidity can trigger heating, including automatically switching it on when the room falls below 21°C. It also simplifies the interface: one button can control multiple devices for greater convenience.
The Fibaro FGMS-001 GEN 5 Motion Sensor does much more than detect movement. Its small, rounded housing combines four sensors: motion, temperature, light and vibration. All measurements are reported to the smart-home hub.
Finally, a portable Z-Wave scene remote puts control in one hand. Its six buttons, four pressing patterns per button and different combinations support up to 30 device connections and scenes.
Students can write TCP/IP socket-based programs for networked, cross-platform integration. They can also integrate Philips Hue through its Zigbee gateway, control PLCs and amplifiers, and more. There is a wide range of controllable equipment for students to explore creatively.
Outside the demonstration room is an interactive teaching area. Students use tablets, phones or computers to learn Lua syntax and program the components inside. The teacher’s central desk incorporates a KZ-VRC HD network controller, combining HDMI switching, network control, wireless microphones, power amplification, power management and security functions in one unit, helping teachers manage classroom activities. The ceiling also contains a thoughtful detail: 16 flat-panel lights create a greater sense of height and spaciousness.
Construction for the industry–academia project, undertaken by Principal Hsu Hsiang-Peng and Jing-Yeu International, began on December 30, 2020. The result of three months’ work aims to improve educational quality and professional skills development, nurturing future technical and vocational talent with practical, innovative and interdisciplinary abilities.
☆ Smart homes are an application of the Artificial Intelligence of Things. Students can put their learning into practice and develop a closer understanding of customers and product development, with the hope that they will create the next generation of products through their own efforts. Under the goal of preparing vocational talent to succeed in the future, industry partnerships and leading departmental initiatives will accompany continued implementation of the curriculum’s core competencies. Students are encouraged to think in diverse ways, experiment, demonstrate practical and problem-solving abilities, and become professionals for emerging industries with hands-on, innovative and interdisciplinary skills. The future offers exciting prospects for electrical engineering students.
☆Interested universities, colleges and senior high or vocational schools are welcome to email or call to arrange a consultation.
Tel: 02-7736-2846
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