The home automation or domótica is the automation of buildings for a house, call intelligent house or intelligent house. It includes control and automation of lighting, heating (like intelligent thermostats), ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) and safety, as well as appliances such as washing machines / dryers, ovens or refrigerators / freezers. Wi-Fi is often used for monitoring and remote control. Home devices, when remotely controlled and controlled over the Internet, are an important component of the Internet of Things. Modern systems generally consist of switches and sensors connected to a central hub sometimes called a "gateway" from which the system is controlled with a user interface that interacts with a wall mounted terminal, mobile phone software, a computer tablet or a web interface, often, but not always through Internet services in the cloud.
While there are many competing providers, there are very few accepted standards around the world and the smart home space is very fragmented. The most popular communications protocol for products includes X10, Ethernet, RS-485, 6LoWPAN, Bluetooth LE (BLE), ZigBee and Z-Wave, or other proprietary protocols that are incompatible with each other. Manufacturers often prevent independent implementations by withholding documentation and litigation.