Modular framework for smart home applications Javier Blesa, Pedro Malag´ on, ´ Alvaro Araujo, Jos´ e M. Moya, Juan Carlos Vallejo, Juan-Mariano de Goyeneche, Elena Romero, Daniel Villanueva, and Octavio Nieto-Taladriz Universidad Polit´ ecnica de Madrid, Dpto. Ingenier´ ıa Electr´ onica, ETSI de Telecomunicaci´on, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain Abstract. In this paper we present the design of a low cost system which automatically controls the air conditioning equipments of a home. The sensors and controllers distributed use Zigbee, a protocol for wireless personal area networks, to communicate themselves. The aim of our de- sign is to facilitate the development of complex smart homes applications, emphasizing the modularity of the system. This kind of applications is a great advantage for the end user, especially in the case of people with disabilities, who couldn’t interact with home’s electronic equipment. Key words: Wireless personal area network, low consumption, domotic, ZigBeeTM, ambient intelligence, air conditioning 1 Introduction Home automation (also called Domotic) is the incorporation of a simple tech- nology to the home equipment that allows a simple, energy-efficient, safe and comfortable management of the different electronic components and systems that we have at home. Some practical implementations of home automation are, for example, fire detection, sense the presence of a person, lighting control, etc. One of the most interesting fields is helping people with disabilities to improve their quality of life by making easier their interaction with home’s systems or other possible smart home applications, such as patient monitoring [1]. For example, a person in a wheelchair may have trouble reaching the thermostat, or a physically handicapped person can not use the remote control to turn on the air conditioning. If we could give them new interfaces or a new system that wouldn’t require user intervention, then the improvement of their quality of life would be considerable. Nowadays, home systems frexibility is not enough to adapt to different kind of users, taking into account the principles announced in [2]. Homes haven’t sensors, which increase the information about the environment that system have to take decissions. Moreover, homes usually have just one human-machine interface, such as a light switch, a thermostat or a remote control. Our proposal is an easy- to-install system, adaptable to the user and to the designer of more complex applications in a smart home.