The Internet Power Line Adapter - University of Queensland

Home Automation, Power Lines and the Internet Quenten Alick
3.4 Server Specifications
3.4.1 Control and Receive Data from Client
In order to control and receive data from the client, the power line
communications medium will be used. The main requirement for this is
simplicity and low cost. There is no need for a high-speed link since the adapter
being designed relies on human input. In this case a response time of a second
would be quite acceptable. Also, the amount of data being transferred from the
client to the server is relatively small. Reliability is also not essential. Although
a reliable communications link is desirable, the nature of the data being
transmitted means that loss of data or corrupted data will not adversely affect the
system.
3.4.2 Communications with the Internet
There are many options that need to be considered when connecting a device to
the Internet. For a practical home automation system, the use of a modem is
likely to be the best option. However, as was mentioned earlier, the Internet
Connectivity of this design is not considered to be the main focus of the thesis.
For this reason, the only requirement for the Internet connection is that it be
quick and simple to set up.
To be able to remotely control the adapter the controller in the system will need
to have a web server. The requirement for this is the ability to handle incoming
requests as well as being able to update a local web page to reflect the current
status of the system.
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