Control device, faucet system, home system, control device communication method, and control device communication program

Abstract

This control device controls a residential facility and comprises: a communication unit capable of performing wireless communication with an access point having two or more SSIDs including a first SSID and a second SSID; and a control unit for controlling the residential facility on the basis of a control instruction for the residential facility. The control unit analyzes wireless communication with the access point in which the first SSID is used. When the first SSID is also used for the next wireless communication with the access point, the control unit determines whether a response period from the start of acquisition of the control instruction to the implementation of a predetermined function by the residential facility according to the control instruction will be longer than a reference response period.

Description

Control device, faucet system, home system, control device communication method, and control device communication program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device for controlling residential equipment, a water faucet system, a home system, a control device communication method, and a control device communication program. This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-030357, filed on February 29, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The number of home appliances that can be connected to the Internet is increasing. Smart home systems that utilize home appliances connected to the Internet to provide users with comfortable and convenient functions have been proposed.

[0003] For example, a home appliance communicates with other devices via an access point. The access point supports multiple communication methods, and the home appliance selects one of the communication methods supported by the access point to connect to the access point. A method for connecting to an access point that supports multiple communication methods has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-068134

[0005] It is desirable for home appliances to quickly respond to control commands sent via the Internet. However, depending on the connection status with the access point, home appliances may not be able to quickly respond to control commands sent to them. In this case, users may not be able to use the home appliances comfortably.

[0006] In light of the above circumstances, the present disclosure aims to provide a control device, a faucet system, a home system, a control device communication method, and a control device communication program that can responsively implement corresponding functions in response to control instructions for residential equipment via the Internet.

[0007] A control device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is a control device for controlling residential equipment, and includes: a communication unit capable of wireless communication with one or more access points having two or more SSIDs including a first SSID and a second SSID; and a control unit that controls the residential equipment based on control instructions for the residential equipment obtained through communication via wireless communication with the access point. The control unit analyzes wireless communication with the access point using the first SSID, and determines whether, if the first SSID is also used in the next wireless communication with the access point, the response period from the start of obtaining the control instruction to the home equipment realizing a specified function in accordance with the control instruction will be longer than a standard response period. If it is determined that the response period will be longer than the standard response period, the control unit uses the second SSID instead of the first SSID in the next wireless communication with the access point.

[0008] A home system according to a second aspect of the present disclosure comprises a home appliance, one or more access points having two or more SSIDs including a first SSID and a second SSID, and a control device that controls the home appliance, wherein the control device has a communication unit capable of wireless communication with the access point, and a control unit that controls the home appliance based on a control instruction for the home appliance obtained through communication with the access point via wireless communication, wherein the control unit analyzes wireless communication with the access point using the first SSID, and if the first SSID is also used in the next wireless communication with the access point, determines whether the response period from the start of obtaining the control instruction to the home appliance realizing a specified function in accordance with the control instruction will be longer than a standard response period, and when it determines that the response period will be longer than the standard response period, uses the second SSID instead of the first SSID in the next wireless communication with the access point.

[0009] A control device information protection method according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is a method in which a control device that controls a home appliance based on a control instruction acquired through communication via wireless communication communicates wirelessly with one or more access points having two or more SSIDs including a first SSID and a second SSID, the method analyzes wireless communication with the access point using the first SSID, and determines whether, if the first SSID is also used in the next wireless communication with the access point, the response period from the start of acquisition of the control instruction to the home appliance realizing a specified function in response to the control instruction will be longer than a standard response period, and if it is determined that the response period will be longer than the standard response period, the second SSID is used instead of the first SSID in the next wireless communication with the access point.

[0010] A control device information protection program according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is a program that causes a control device that controls a home appliance based on a control instruction acquired through communication via wireless communication to communicate wirelessly with one or more access points having two or more SSIDs including a first SSID and a second SSID, and analyzes the wireless communication with the access point using the first SSID, and determines whether, if the first SSID is also used in the next wireless communication with the access point, the response period from the start of acquisition of the control instruction to the home appliance realizing a specified function in response to the control instruction will be longer than a standard response period, and if it is determined that the response period will be longer than the standard response period, causes the second SSID to be used instead of the first SSID in the next wireless communication with the access point.

[0011] It is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a home system according to one embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of a control device of the home system. It is a diagram showing reference response period information. It is a functional block diagram of a smartphone of the home system. It is a control flowchart of a control unit of the control device.

[0012] A home system 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG.

[0013] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the home system 100. The home system 100 includes a household appliance 1, a control device 2, an access point 3, a smartphone 4, an equipment management server 5, a user management server 6, an EC server 7, and a call center server 8. The access point 3, the smartphone 4, the equipment management server 5, the user management server 6, the EC server 7, and the call center server 8 are connected via a network NW.

[0014] The network NW may be a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, a private network (LAN) within the building where the home system 100 is installed, or a combination thereof. The network NW may be either a wired or wireless network. Communication between devices may involve other devices such as an access point.

[0015] [Household Equipment 1] The household equipment 1 is a device installed in a house HO as equipment, such as a faucet device 1A or a toilet device 1B. The household equipment 1 includes building materials such as shutters, doors, windows, and locks; cameras such as outdoor and indoor cameras; energy management devices such as distribution boards and solar power generation systems; and sensors such as temperature and humidity sensors and motion sensors. The house HO to which the household equipment 1 is installed includes not only residential buildings but also non-residential buildings such as offices, schools, and hospitals. The household equipment 1 has a manual control input mechanism that accepts manual control instructions from the user and a remote control input mechanism that accepts remote control instructions from a control device 2 or the like. For example, the control instructions accepted by the faucet device 1A include instructions for water discharge, water stop, temperature adjustment, flow rate adjustment, and a series of combinations of these instructions. A home system 100 including the faucet device 1A as the household equipment 1 is also referred to as a "faucet system."

[0016] 2 is a functional block diagram of the control device 2. The control device 2 controls the operation of the household equipment 1. A control device 2 is provided for each household equipment 1. The control device 2 may be provided inside the household equipment 1 and integrated with the household equipment 1. The control device 2 has a control unit 21, a wireless communication unit 22, and a recording unit 23.

[0017] The control unit 21 is a computer capable of executing a program, including a processor such as a CPU, a memory into which a program can be read, a storage unit into which a program and data can be stored, and an input / output control unit. The functions of the control unit 21 are realized by the processor executing a program provided to the control unit 21.

[0018] The control unit 21 controls the household equipment 1 based on control instructions acquired via the wireless communication unit 22. The control unit 21 also acquires a usage history (log) of the household equipment 1 and stores the usage history in the recording unit 23 as part of the user-related information 25. The control unit 21 also acquires status information that enables the usage status of consumables in the household equipment 1 to be understood and stores the status information in the recording unit 23 as part of the user-related information 25. The control unit 21 also controls the wireless communication unit 22 to communicate wirelessly with the access point 3 and the smartphone 4.

[0019] The wireless communication unit 22 has an antenna and the like, and has a function of communicating via wireless LAN communication WC1 such as Wi-Fi, and a function of communicating via short-range wireless communication WC2 such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or ZigBee (registered trademark). The wireless communication unit 22 can communicate with the access point 3 via wireless LAN communication WC1 based on instructions from the control unit 21. The wireless communication unit 22 can communicate with the wireless communication unit 42 of the smartphone 4 via short-range wireless communication WC2 based on instructions from the control unit 21.

[0020] The recording unit 23 includes a recording medium such as a hard disk, a flash memory, etc. The recording unit 23 records a user authentication code 24, user-related information 25, wireless connection information 26, and reference response period information 27.

[0021] The user authentication code 24 is a unique code assigned to a user in the home system 100, and is a code for authenticating the user in the home system 100. The user authentication code 24 is, for example, a combination of a user ID and a password corresponding to the user ID, or a token generated based on the user ID.

[0022] User-related information 25 is information related to the user who uses the household equipment 1. User-related information 25 includes a usage history (log) of the household equipment 1 and status information that enables understanding of the usage status of consumables in the household equipment 1. For example, the status information for the faucet device 1A includes the amount of water used and the duration of use of the faucet device 1A.

[0023] The wireless connection information 26 includes wireless connection information required for communicating with the access point 3 via wireless LAN communication WC1, and is, for example, a combination of a WiFi SSID (Service Set Identifier) ​​and a password corresponding to the SSID.

[0024] The wireless connection information 26 includes wireless connection information necessary for communicating with the smartphone 4 via short-range wireless communication WC2, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) pairing information.

[0025] 3 is a diagram showing reference response period information 27. The reference response period information 27 is information that associates the functions of the household equipment 1 with a reference response period. The reference response period is a reference value for the response period from the start of acquisition of a control instruction in wireless communication with the access point 3 to the time when the household equipment 1 realizes a specified function in response to the control instruction. If the response period is longer than the reference response period, the user is likely to feel that they cannot use the household equipment 1 comfortably.

[0026] [Access Point 3] The access point 3 is installed in the home HO and has a function of communicating via wireless LAN communication WC1 such as Wi-Fi. The access point 3 communicates with the control device 2 via the wireless LAN communication WC1. The access point 3 also relays communication with the control device 2 via the wireless LAN communication WC1 to the network NW via the gateway GW.

[0027] A plurality of access points 3 may be installed in the residence HO. When two access points 3 are installed in the residence HO and the two access points 3 are to be distinguished from one another, one is referred to as a first access point 3A and the other is referred to as a second access point 3B. The access point 3 may include a repeater 31 for wireless LAN communication WC1. The control device 2 may communicate with either the first access point 3A or the second access point 3B. Furthermore, the control device 2 may communicate with the access point 3 via the repeater 31.

[0028] The access point 3 has an SSID (Service Set Identifier), which is an ID used for connection authentication etc. in the wireless LAN communication WC1. The access point 3 permits communication from the control device 2 through authentication using the SSID possessed by the access point 3 and a password corresponding to the SSID.

[0029] The access point 3 is capable of wireless communication using multiple communication methods, and a corresponding SSID is set for each communication method. For example, the access point 3 is capable of wireless communication using multiple frequency bands, and a corresponding SSID is set for each frequency band. In this embodiment, the access point 3 is capable of wireless communication in the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band, and has a first SSID corresponding to communication in the 2.4 GHz band and a second SSID corresponding to communication in the 5 GHz band. Two or more SSIDs that support different frequency bands generally have a high degree of similarity in the character strings of the SSIDs. For example, a first SSID corresponding to communication in the 2.4 GHz band has the letter "G," and a second SSID corresponding to communication in the 5 GHz band has the letter "A," and the character strings other than "G" and "A" in the two SSIDs are often the same. Note that the different frequency bands are not limited to the combination of the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band.

[0030] The two or more SSIDs possessed by the access point 3 are not limited to two or more SSIDs corresponding to different frequency bands. For example, if the access point 3 includes a first access point 3A and a second access point 3B, the two or more SSIDs possessed by the access point 3 may be a first SSID possessed by the first access point 3A and a second SSID possessed by the second access point 3B. For example, the first access point 3A is installed on the first floor of a residence HO, and the second access point 3B is installed on the second floor of the residence HO. If the first access point 3A and the second access point 3B are of the same or similar model, the similarity between the character strings of the first SSID and the second SSID is high.

[0031] The two or more SSIDs possessed by the access point 3 are not limited to two or more SSIDs corresponding to different frequency bands. For example, when two or more SSIDs are set for one frequency band in the access point 3, the two or more SSIDs possessed by the access point 3 may be two or more SSIDs for the same frequency band. For example, the two or more SSIDs possessed by the access point 3 may be a first SSID possessed by a first access point 3A corresponding to communication in the 2.4 GHz band and a second SSID possessed by a second access point 3B corresponding to communication in the 2.4 GHz band.

[0032] [Smartphone 4] Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram of the smartphone 4. The smartphone 4 is an example of a mobile terminal or terminal device. The mobile terminal or terminal device is not limited to the smartphone 4, and may be, for example, a mobile phone, a smart watch, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, etc. The smartphone 4 has a control unit 41, a wireless communication unit 42, a touch panel 43, a camera 44, and a microphone 45.

[0033] The control unit 41 is a computer capable of executing programs, including a processor such as a CPU, a memory into which programs can be read, a storage unit into which programs and data can be stored, and an input / output control unit. The functions of the control unit 41 are realized by the processor executing a program provided to the control unit 41. The program provided to the control unit 41 is also referred to as an application. The control unit 41 controls the wireless communication unit 42, the touch panel 43, the camera 44, and the microphone 45.

[0034] The wireless communication unit 42 has an antenna and the like, and has a function of communicating via short-range wireless communication WC2 such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or ZigBee (registered trademark), and a function of communicating via high-speed wireless communication WC3 that can connect to the network NW using a fourth-generation communication standard, a fifth-generation communication standard, or the like. The wireless communication unit 42 can communicate with the wireless communication unit 22 of the control device 2 via the short-range wireless communication WC2 based on instructions from the control unit 41. The wireless communication unit 42 can communicate with the device management server 5, the user management server 6, the EC server 7, and the call center server 8 via the high-speed wireless communication WC3 that is connected to a base station and the network NW based on instructions from the control unit 41.

[0035] The touch panel 43 is, for example, a capacitance type touch panel. An input operation input by a user to the touch panel 43 is acquired by the control unit 41. The touch panel 43 displays a display screen based on an instruction from the control unit 41.

[0036] A smart home application AP is installed on the smartphone 4, which is an application that provides comfortable and convenient functions to the user by utilizing the household equipment 1 connected to the network NW.

[0037] The smart home application AP can generate remote control instructions for the household equipment 1. The remote control instructions for the household equipment 1 are acquired by the device management server 5 via the network NW. The wireless communication unit 22 of the control device 2 acquires the remote control instructions for the household equipment 1 via the access point 3. The control unit 21 of the control device 2 controls the household equipment 1 based on the acquired control instructions. The user can remotely operate the household equipment 1 using the smart home application AP whether they are at home or away from home.

[0038] The smart home application AP may generate remote control instructions for the household equipment 1 by analyzing a user's verbal voice instructions input from the microphone 45 to the household equipment 1 .

[0039] [Device Management Server 5] The device management server 5 is configured, for example, by one or more servers and can be connected to the network NW. The server includes hardware such as a processor such as a CPU, memory, recording media such as a hard disk or flash memory, and a communication device. The functions of the device management server 5 are realized by a program executed on the server's processor. The server may be an on-site server, or a cloud server that provides infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), software as a service (SaaS), or the like, or a server that combines these. In the following description, "server" includes any of the above servers.

[0040] The device management server 5 is a server that manages the household equipment 1. The device management server 5 acquires control instructions for the household equipment 1 generated in the smart home application AP. The control instructions for the household equipment 1 are acquired by the control device 2. The device management server 5 records the control instructions for the household equipment 1 generated by the user as a control instruction history. The device management server 5 also acquires status information from the control device 2 that enables the usage status of consumables in the household equipment 1 to be understood. The device management server 5 records the control instruction history for the household equipment 1 and the status information of the household equipment 1 as user-related information.

[0041] [User Management Server 6] The user management server 6 is configured by, for example, one or more servers, and can be connected to the network NW. The functions of the user management server 6 are realized by a program executed on a processor of the server.

[0042] The user management server 6 is a server that manages a user authentication code 24. A user of the home system 100 can obtain the user authentication code 24 from the user management server 6. The user authentication code 24 obtained by the user is also recorded in the control device 2 and the device management server 5. The user authentication code 24 obtained by the user is also registered in the smart home application AP of the smartphone 4. A control instruction for the household equipment 1 generated by the user in the smart home application AP is obtained by the device management server 5 and the control device 2 that are associated based on the user authentication code 24.

[0043] [EC Server 7] The EC (Electronic Commerce) server 7 is configured by, for example, one or more servers and is connectable to a network NW. The functions of the EC server 7 are realized by a program executed by a processor of the server.

[0044] The EC server 7 is a server that can order consumables for the household equipment 1. A user can order consumables for the household equipment 1 using the website of the EC server 7. A user can also order consumables for the household equipment 1 using a smart home application AP on a smartphone 4. The device management server 5 may also order consumables based on the acquired status information of the household equipment 1.

[0045] [Call Center Server 8] The call center server 8 is configured by, for example, one or more servers and is connectable to the network NW. The functions of the call center server 8 are realized by a program executed in a processor of the server.

[0046] The call center server 8 is a server installed at the call center of the housing equipment 1. The call center is an equipment supplier that receives inquiries about the housing equipment 1 from users by telephone or the like. The call center server 8 acquires the usage history (log) of the housing equipment 1 via the network NW. When responding to inquiries by phone from users, the call center operators use the usage history (log) acquired by the call center server 8.

[0047] Two or more of the device management server 5, user management server 6, EC server 7, and call center server 8 may be the same server.

[0048] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the home system 100. Hereinafter, the operation of the control device 2 will be described with reference to the control flowchart of the control unit 21 of the control device 2 shown in FIG.

[0049] Assume that a water faucet device 1A and a control device 2, which are household equipment 1, are installed in a home HO, and a microwave oven is installed near the water faucet device 1A. A combination of a first SSID and a first password corresponding to the first SSID, and a combination of a second SSID and a second password corresponding to the second SSID, are recorded in a recording unit 23 of the control device 2 as wireless connection information 26. The control device 2 is configured to connect to an access point 3 using the first SSID. When a user uses the microwave oven, the 2.4 GHz band wireless communication corresponding to the first SSID may become unstable because the microwave oven uses electromagnetic waves in the 2.4 GHz band.

[0050] In step S110, the control unit 21 analyzes wireless communication with the access point 3 using the first SSID. This wireless communication may be wireless communication for actually obtaining control instructions for the household equipment 1, wireless communication for constantly checking whether there are any control instructions for the household equipment 1 by inquiring the device management server 5, or wireless communication for simply analyzing the wireless communication.

[0051] In step S120, the control unit 21 determines whether the response period from the start of receiving a control instruction to the time when the household equipment 1 performs a predetermined function in response to the control instruction (hereinafter simply referred to as the "response period") will be longer than the reference response period if the first SSID is also used in the next wireless communication with the access point 3. The control unit 21 determines whether the response period to be determined will be longer than the reference response period based on the reference response period information 27 illustrated in FIG. 3. For example, the control unit 21 performs the above determination using the shortest reference response period among the reference response periods specified in the reference response period information 27 and corresponding to all functions of the household equipment 1. For example, the control unit 21 performs the above determination using the reference response period specified in the reference response period information 27 and corresponding to a specific function of the household equipment 1. The control unit 21 determines whether the response period will be longer than the reference response period based on, for example, packet errors and an RSSI value in the wireless communication with the access point 3. If the response period is longer than the reference response period, the control unit 21 next performs step S130.

[0052] For example, when a user uses a microwave oven, wireless communication in the 2.4 GHz band becomes unstable, causing wireless communication with access point 3 using the first SSID to become unstable. In this case, it takes a long time to acquire a control instruction in the next wireless communication with access point 3 using the first SSID. As a result, if the first SSID is also used in the next wireless communication with access point 3, the response period is likely to be longer than the reference response period.

[0053] In step S130, the control unit 21 changes the SSID to be used in the next wireless communication with the access point 3 to the second SSID. This allows the control device 2 to communicate with the access point 3 using the second SSID while avoiding the influence of electromagnetic waves in the 2.4 GHz band used by the microwave oven.

[0054] Note that "wireless communication with the next access point 3" does not only refer to wireless communication with the next access point 3 in the strict sense, but also includes wireless communication with the access point 3 after the analysis of the wireless communication and the change of the SSID have been completed in the above-mentioned control flow.

[0055] In step S140, the control unit 21 determines whether to end the control flow shown in Fig. 5. If the control flow shown in Fig. 5 is not to be ended, the control unit 21 executes the process from step S110 again. In the process from step S110 that is executed again, the first SSID and the second SSID are appropriately interchanged.

[0056] The home system 100 of this embodiment can quickly implement functions that correspond to control instructions sent to the household equipment 1 via the Internet. The control device 2 switches the SSID to be used next based on whether the response time required for the household equipment 1 to implement a predetermined function is longer than the reference response time, rather than based on a decrease in the communication speed with the access point 3. This prevents frequent SSID switching due to a slight decrease in communication speed with the access point 3, which can conversely result in unstable wireless communication with the access point 3.

[0057] Voice control instructions given by a user to the household equipment 1 via the microphone 45 occur infrequently and tend to occur suddenly. If the control device 2 constantly analyzes wireless communication with the access point 3, the household equipment 1 can responsively implement the corresponding function within the standard response period even in response to a voice control instruction given by a user to the household equipment 1.

[0058] While one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment and includes design modifications within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the components shown in the above-described embodiment and modifications can be configured in any suitable combination.

[0059] The programs for the control device 2 and other devices are recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The programs recorded on the recording medium are loaded into a computer system and executed. The term "computer system" as used herein includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" may also include devices that dynamically store programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs via networks such as the Internet or telephone lines, or devices that store programs for a fixed period of time, such as volatile memory within a computer system that serves as a server or client. The programs may be designed to implement some of the functions described above, or may be capable of implementing the functions in combination with programs already stored in the computer system, or may be implemented using a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0060] The user's voice control instructions for the household equipment 1 are not limited to voice instructions input to the microphone 45 of the smartphone 4. The user's voice control instructions for the household equipment 1 may also be voice instructions input to the household equipment 1 that is installed in the house HO and connectable to the network NW.

[0061] 100...Home system, AP...Smart home application, 1...Household equipment, 2...Control device, 21...Control unit, 22...Wireless communication unit, 23...Recording unit, 24...User authentication code, 25...User-related information, 26...Wireless connection information, 28...Information protection unit, 29...Communication initialization unit, 3...Access point, 4...Smartphone, 5...Device management server, 6...User management server, 7...EC server, 8...Call center server

Claims

1. A control device for controlling household equipment, comprising: a communication unit capable of wireless communication with one or more access points having two or more SSIDs (Service Set Identifiers) including a first SSID and a second SSID; and a control unit that controls the household equipment based on control instructions for the household equipment obtained through communication with the access point via wireless communication, wherein the control unit analyzes wireless communication with the access point using the first SSID, determines whether the response period from the start of acquisition of the control instruction to the implementation of a specified function in the household equipment in response to the control instruction will be longer than a standard response period if the first SSID is also used in the next wireless communication with the access point, and when it determines that the response period will be longer than the standard response period, uses the second SSID instead of the first SSID in the next wireless communication with the access point.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the access points include: a first access point having the first SSID; and a second access point having the second SSID.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit constantly analyzes wireless communication with the access point using the first SSID, and determines whether the response period is longer than the reference response period for each wireless communication with the access point.

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the reference response period is defined for each of the predetermined functions of the household equipment.

5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein a frequency band for wireless communication with the access point using the first SSID is different from a frequency band for wireless communication with the access point using the second SSID.

6. The control device according to claim 1, wherein one of the frequency bands for wireless communication with the access point using the first SSID and the frequency band for wireless communication with the access point using the second SSID is the 2.4 GHz band, and the other is the 5 GHz band.

7. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the household equipment is a water faucet device.

8. The control device according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined function is a function to discharge or stop water from the faucet device.

9. A faucet system comprising: a control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6; and a faucet device which is the residential equipment, wherein the control device controls at least one of the water supply and stop, temperature adjustment, and flow rate adjustment of the faucet device.

10. A home system comprising: a home appliance; one or more access points having two or more SSIDs (Service Set Identifiers) including a first SSID and a second SSID; and a control device that controls the home appliance, wherein the control device has: a communication unit capable of wireless communication with the access point; and a control unit that controls the home appliance based on a control instruction for the home appliance obtained through communication with the access point via wireless communication, wherein the control unit analyzes wireless communication with the access point using the first SSID, and determines whether, if the first SSID is also used in the next wireless communication with the access point, the response period from the start of obtaining the control instruction to the home appliance realizing a specified function in response to the control instruction will be longer than a standard response period, and when it is determined that the response period will be longer than the standard response period, uses the second SSID instead of the first SSID in the next wireless communication with the access point.

11. The home system of claim 10, wherein the access points include: a first access point having the first SSID; and a second access point having the second SSID.

12. The home system described in claim 10, wherein the control unit constantly analyzes wireless communication with the access point using the first SSID, and determines whether the response period is longer than the reference response period for each wireless communication with the access point.

13. The home system according to claim 10, wherein the reference response period is defined for each of the predetermined functions of the home equipment.

14. The home system according to claim 10, wherein a frequency band for unlinked communication with the access point using the first SSID is different from a frequency band for unlinked communication with the access point using the second SSID.

15. The home system described in claim 10, wherein one of the frequency bands for wireless communication with the access point using the first SSID and the frequency bands for wireless communication with the access point using the second SSID is the 2.4 GHz band, and the other is the 5 GHz band.

16. The home system according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the household equipment is a water faucet device.

17. The home system according to claim 16, wherein the predetermined function is a function of discharging or stopping water from the faucet device.

18. A home system as described in claim 10, further comprising an equipment management server capable of communicating with a terminal device and the access point, wherein the equipment management server acquires the control instructions for the home appliances from the terminal device, the communication unit of the control device acquires the control instructions for the home appliances from the equipment management server via the access point, and the control unit of the control device controls the home appliances based on the acquired control instructions.

19. A control device communication method in which a control device that controls household equipment based on control instructions obtained through communication via wireless communication communicates wirelessly with one or more access points that have two or more SSIDs (Service Set Identifiers) including a first SSID and a second SSID, the control device analyzing wireless communication with the access point using the first SSID, determining whether the response period from the start of obtaining the control instructions to the time when the household equipment realizes a specified function in response to the control instructions will be longer than a standard response period if the first SSID is also used in the next wireless communication with the access point, and when it is determined that the response period will be longer than the standard response period, using the second SSID instead of the first SSID in the next wireless communication with the access point.

20. A control device communication program that causes a control device that controls home appliances based on control instructions obtained through communication via wireless communication to communicate wirelessly with one or more access points having two or more SSIDs (Service Set Identifiers) including a first SSID and a second SSID, the control device analyzes the wireless communication with the access point using the first SSID, determines whether the response period from the start of obtaining the control instructions to the implementation of a specified function in the home appliance in response to the control instructions will be longer than a standard response period if the first SSID is also used in the next wireless communication with the access point, and when it is determined that the response period will be longer than the standard response period, causes the control device to use the second SSID instead of the first SSID in the next wireless communication with the access point.

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