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Links to deliverables and publications from FP7 projects, as well as links to some specific result types such as dataset and software, are dynamically retrieved from OpenAIRE .
Deliverables
HomeOnAir provides advance home control services by means of a wireless remote access based on WAP technology. The project has aimed to standardise and simplify the methods and means for residential users to get access to their houses.
HomeOnAir performance has been tested at Telefonica Moviles Demonstration Centre. In this location there is a small demonstrator to show control services by means of GPRS. Currently, the bandwidth offered by the Spanish GPRS network is of approximately 25Kbps (3 times the bandwidth offered for data connections in GSM). Nevertheless, connection time to the WAP service when using a GPRS terminal costs more time than in the case of a common WAP over GSM connection.
This fact, together with the small quantity of information transmission during the home control request and responses of HomeOnAir system, makes performance very similar for GPRS and GSM.
- Time till the connection is established is shorter in GSM.
- Time of HomeOnAir response once connected is shorter in GPRS but, in any case, as information transmitted is of about only 3Kbps each time a menu is received on the phone, time difference is hardly noticeable.
The conclusion that derives from this fact is that to get advantage of GPRS capabilities, services developed to be accessed with GPRS-enabled devices can and must be richer on graphical content and information provided to the user. For the user interface developed in HomeOnAir, GSM mobile phones are sufficient and equally efficient as GPRS ones.
HomeOnAir provides advance home control services by means of a wireless remote access based on WAP technology. The project has aimed to standardise and simplify the methods and means for residential users to get access to their houses.
Conclusions from the analysis and assessment of trial results are the following:
- There are many differences regarding usability in both field trials. Potential users evaluated usability of WAP interface very well. This is a positive fact, as it does not make rejections to arise if they thought about to acquire it. Even when they considered intuitiveness as the worst usability item, tasks were considered easy to learn. Besides, the intuitiveness scores increase rapidly with little training (this is two or three trials). This is, there are a large score difference between the first service tested (light) and the following ones, so it seems respondents learned very fast how the interface works.
- The largest difference between both trials can be found in time to complete the task. It has been the lowest scored usability item by real users. Besides, it was lower scored as the time passed. It seems to carry out the same task repeatedly becomes tedious. A possible solution is to include some kind of shortcuts to be used by experienced users, making easier and faster to complete the task.
- Reliability and stability of the system is a concern of the users. It can also be seen when WAP control is compared with traditional control, being the lowest scored item. Home security is a very important issue for them as they must be confident that the system is not going to put at risk their home. Reliability must be enhanced to provide such kind of services via WAP. The users cannot depend on an external server availability to be able to access their home. It is important not only to improve the actual reliability of a system, but to make potential users, which are thinking about to acquire such kind of system, to perceive it as reliable.
- Concerning group differences in the data got from the intelligent house prototype, only sex and age variables have produced significant differences. This is a very interesting question, as it seems that having used other technologies or WAP previously does not make different the perception of how easy to use it is. This is different when the access to services is through other terminals like PCs, which produces rejections among those not familiarised with them or new technologies.
- As mentioned above, comparing WAP home control and traditional control, reliability of WAP control has achieved the lowest score. However, to have a portable, easy to use and familiar device which allows to manage home devices could provide flexibility and comfort to the potential users. These two characteristics have been well valued in comparison with reliability.
HomeOnAir provides advance home control services by means of a wireless remote access based on WAP technology. The project has aimed to standardise and simplify the methods and means for residential users to get access to their houses.
Home service user interfaces have been designed in collaboration with the "Human Factors Department" of Telefonica I+D. Then, interface usability and adaptation to the terminals under use have been tested and re-adapted until fitting perfectly the user needs.
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