Selecting an open-source home automation system using the AHP Methodology

Smart homes are one of the most growing areas of the emerging Internet of Thing technology. Homes become an ecosystem of smart devices and applications from various manufacturers. To avoid the frustration of using multiple applications to control different smart devices from different commercial bands, users opt to implement a single control system and use only one application to rule all smart devices in their home automation system. Open-source home automation systems offer affordable and allow third-party support for devices and services that are unsupported by commercials. Each system comes with its own set of functionalities and restrictions. Choosing a suitable system is a challenge, as a wrong decision may be costly. In this paper, we present a method using Analytic Hierarchy Process to choose a home automation system based on different user criteria. Finally, an example is used to prove the method effectiveness.