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ParaQuad News • Issue 1 Autumn 2016
t is much safer for someone living alone to have the ability to see
who is at the front door and be able to use the phone to make
an emergency phone call. Simple things such as the ability
to turn on the lights and answer the front door can make an
enormous difference to a person’s independence and safety at home.
Home automation may include centralised control of lighting, air
conditioning, appliances, security locks
of gates and doors and other systems to
provide improved convenience, energy
efficiency and security.
Clipsal C-Bus Home Automation
ParaQuad NSW’s Ferguson Lodge and
villas were designed to be completely
accessible and are all connected to the
Clipsal C-Bus system which is wired into
the lights, doors and air conditioners within
the buildings. C-Bus is a micro-processor
controlled wiring system for lighting control
and energy management. Each villa has
four sensors mounted on the ceiling which
pick up an infrared (IR) signal within a
circular radius of five metres.
Home Automation
By Angela Ryan and Blair McFarlane, ParaQuad NSW Occupational Therapists
The standard home
is not designed to
accommodate someone
in a wheelchair, with light
switches often mounted
too high or buttons too
small to press. Home
automation can allow a
person with a disability
to be able to access
their home and live
more independently.
John Pole has been a
resident at Ferguson Lodge
since 1986 after he sustained
a C4 spinal cord injury.
Now 66 years old, John
uses a variety of assistive
technology devices which
allow him to live his life and
maintain his independence.
John uses a combination
of IR, Bluetooth and Wi-
Fi to control his home
environment. The home
phone is connected to the
Wi-Fi router and directs all
incoming calls to his mobile
phone. He answers his mobile
phone using a Bluetooth ear piece
which is paired with his mobile
phone.
John also uses Skype on his iPad
to speak with his family and friends
because it is easier to use while
he is in bed and the larger screen
is easier to see. The Wi-Fi router
in his room allows him to connect
to the internet to make Skype and
Viber phone calls. He also accesses
facebook, email, internet banking
and movies from his iPad. His iPad
and iPhone are mounted on a floor
stand which is placed over his bed
in the evening.
He uses a GEWA environmental
control unit (ECU) programmed
into the Clipsal C-Bus system to
operate his lights, door and air
conditioner. The GEWA ECU is a
basic system which uses IR signal
to connect to other IR receiver
devices such as the television,
DVD player and air conditioner.
CASE STUDY – FERGUSON LODGE
I