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Testing the FHome smart building system with the new FOX app

(Sponsored) F&F Filipowski sp.k. 1329 7
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  • Logo with the text f&home featuring a house motif.
    We will soon be reporting extensively on the testing of the F&Home smart building system by F&F Filipowski. We have familiarised ourselves with the new release of the system, which is based on new software and the new FOX mobile app. We will present you with our findings from the installation, commissioning and use of the system.

    F&Home is a smart building system that has been in development for many years and has so far appeared as F&Home - a wired system and F&Home RADIO - a wireless system. The new software integrates the two systems and provides much greater possibilities for building logic and control through a single mobile app dedicated to Android and iOS.

    It should be emphasised that all activities related to the system - from design to production to software writing - take place in Poland and take place at F&F's headquarters in Pabianice.

    The new version of the system is new software for servers, and what is important - backward compatibility has been maintained and can also be installed at customers who have been using F&F systems for some time. The software we tested supports DIN2, DESKTOP2 and DEVELOPER servers. A visual layer from NodeRed was used to build the logical dependencies in the system, where the functional behaviour of the building automation is built using blocks. In other words - the installer, in a dedicated configurator, programmes how the system should react to specific events (for example: a button is pressed, motion is detected, a scene is triggered, a programmer, etc.).


    .
    Flowchart in Node-RED for home automation lighting control.


    All the devices used in the configurator appear automatically in the mobile app and there the customer can use them freely and arrange them in folders - for example, grouping them by theme (heating, lighting, blinds) or by room (kitchen, bathroom, living room, etc.).

    .
    Smart home control panel with living room visualization .



    Fragment of an app interface for controlling devices in a room.
    .

    The system allows remote connection (from anywhere in the world) via the proprietary F&F cloud. This is software that was entirely developed at F&F and is maintained on servers in Poland. The cloud enables a secure, encrypted connection between the mobile application and the system and does not itself participate in this transmission, which makes this solution very secure (potential hacking of the cloud does not give the possibility to control customers' systems).

    The servers allow integration with third-party solutions via (depending on the server) CAN bus, ModBus, LAN and wireless transmission with devices manufactured by F&F (all devices of the old F&Home RADIO system). Thanks to integrations, it is possible to extend the system's capabilities using devices from other manufacturers - e.g. full integration with Satel alarms.

    Special attention should be paid to wireless devices and the technology used in them. This is F&F's proprietary technology based on its own radio receivers/transmitters operating in the 868MHz band. The solution is based on dual radios mounted in the servers and very effective radios described as LR, or Long Range (long range, up to 350 metres).


    In short, the system consists of servers, wired expansion modules, wireless expansion modules, including battery-powered devices.

    .
    Three electronic devices with F&F logo.
    System servers



    F&Home home automation modules .
    Wireless extension modules with CAN bus, mounted on TH-35 rail .




    F&Home electrical devices in a row, including relay and interface modules. .
    Wireless extension modules mounted on TH-35 rail .



    Three electrical modules from F&F with labels rH-R2S2, rH-TSR1S2i, and rH-PWM3. .
    Flush-mounted wireless extension modules .





    Motion sensor and electronic module with wires on a white background.
    Wireless, battery-powered expansion modules
    .


    More information is coming soon - there will be a previously announced comprehensive video of the installation and use of the system. That being said, we have a suggestion for you - post your questions in the comments - what you would like to learn about this system or what topics you would like us to cover in this material.

    [Advertising cooperation with F&F Filipowski sp.k.].
    About Author
    F&F Filipowski sp.k.

    Level 1  
    Offline 
    F&F Filipowski sp.k. wrote 1 posts with rating 14. Been with us since 2025 year.
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  • #2 21504623
    gulson
    System Administrator  
    I would be most interested in:
    1. the 868MHz frequency, what is the power consumption, how long does the battery last, how does it behave compared to Zigbee (stability).
    2. what are the real ranges of the Long Range modules, such in the case of a flat or a detached house, e.g. a wireless gate bell, a motion detector located far away in the garden where someone is constantly walking around and we want to be notified faster of a barrier breach. Is the notification of a new letter from a box in the block of flats ;) Here again, how long will the battery realistically last.
    3. how about Home Assistant integration (in my case everything is based on this).
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  • #3 21504903
    TechEkspert
    Editor  
    1) Request to elaborate on how the cloud is used, I am interested in elaborating on this passage:
    "The cloud enables a secure, encrypted connection between the mobile application and the system and itself does not participate in this transmission which makes this solution very secure (potential hacking of the cloud does not give control of the clients' systems)."

    2) "full integration with Satel alarms".
    How does this work, do we connect to the Satel system bus in listen or send mode?

    3) "This is a proprietary F&F technology based on proprietary radio receivers/transmitters operating in the 868MHz band. The solution is based on dual radios mounted in the servers and very effective radios described as LR, or Long Range (long range, up to 350 metres)."

    a) This is an interesting topic, what does dual radio mean? Is it about a diveristy antenna/receiver or some kind of beamforming?
    (b) What type of modulation is used in radio transmission?
    c) Usually manufacturers use ready-made RF modules, often a separate soldered-in PCB,
    In this solution, has the RF part been designed in-house?
    d) Is the transmission unidirectional or bidirectional?
    e) On the IT side, we have information on the use of cryptography, but is a (admittedly unlikely) local attack on wireless devices e.g. payload replay possible?
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  • #4 21506535
    pixel7
    Level 24  
    Where in the overall layout is the 'smart' element vide the title?
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  • #5 21506954
    metalMANiu
    Level 21  
    pixel7 wrote:
    Where in the whole system is the 'smart' element vide the title?
    .
    This is a mental shorthand used for many years to mean home automation. There was time to get used to it. Let's not do the typical electrode foam-bashing about nomenclature.
  • #6 21508477
    pixel7
    Level 24  
    metalMANiu wrote:
    This has been used for many years as a mental shorthand for home automation. There was time to get used to it. Let's not do the typical electrode foam-bashing about nomenclature.

    This is not a mental shortcut but a deliberate marketing ploy. Look at my signature and don't be surprised why I raise this argument. I am not typical because I was the first on this portal to publish an intelligent device with a neural network encapsulated in a microprocessor. And unlike the abusers, I have every right to use it.
  • #7 21517273
    Galareta
    Level 23  
    And as it's called fox it might at least have a cool integration with foxess inverters?

    I wonder if it will catch on, generally it seems that the market is already full of such inventions.
  • #8 21520951
    dktr
    Level 25  
    I've been dealing with this since the days of F&Home radio. It has been a very long time since the development of this whole node-red, the lack of basic "blocks" - e.g. pulse delay (which were in the previous homer system). As for the radio, the range is so-so, but they have finally made separate gateways connected via ethernet to their radio systems, which makes it possible to get a strong signal over a larger area, the earlier "extenders" of the signal - rH-E2 introduced a long delay, and e.g. after pressing a button on the wall before it was correctly received by the extender and transmitted further, it could take 5 seconds before the light came on, the worst thing was that sometimes the signal didn't quite reach the wall, then you have to press again, and sometimes the light flashes several times - as if everything had arrived but with a delay. Battery powered devices run on CR123 for about 3 years e.g. rH-S4T. Yes in the servers physically there are two radio modules made on ST8886. In the first series of 5-channel Rh-R5 relays, a small ceramic capacitor just behind the rectifying bridge very often failed, and the power supply in them was classical on a small 5 VA transformer, the capacitor got short-circuited and the transformer heated up to such an extent that the casing deformed. I have about 20 of these in my switchboard and they all died like this, fortunately none caught fire, on the plus side a very simple repair. In the new revision the power supplies are already pulsed. I don't know about the current situation, but about a month ago I checked and there is still no network configuration in the RH Developer device - address only from DHCP, can't do otherwise, plus it's not clear on which ports it communicates with the application, can't change them, not sure what to redirect to have remote access without using clouds. A lot to do.
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