<p>Technology is being used in homes like never before giving its residents control over all electronic devices at the click of a button! <br /><br />Smart home technology is a way for ordinary electronics and appliances to communicate with each other, consumers and even manufacturers.<br /><br />Many of today’s products are becoming “smart.” Kitchen refrigerators, microwaves and stoves are utilising this technology. Even washers and dryers have the technology today to be more automated to suit people’s needs. <br /><br />Electric razors, toilets and showers will have some sort of automation built in. LG has developed the Internet refrigerator that allows for users to communicate with it via the Internet, cell phone and PDA. The refrigerator is able to download recipes and then display them on its LCD screen and also takes an automatic inventory of items inside, alerting the consumer to what is there, how long it has been there, and when an item is running low! Microwaves can communicate with smart refrigerators and suggest recipes based on what items are in the refrigerator. <br /><br />KEI Industries Ltd. has introduced Homecab, Conflame and range of wire suiting all kinds of applications/ usage in common households, ensuring safety of each and every home. <br /><br />“Homecab has fire-resistant properties and is equipped with specially formulated insulation, which enables the wire to withstand overloads preventing electric mishaps. Banfire is a zero halogen flame retardant (ZHFR) superior quality wire which is 100 per cent free from PVC and has eco-friendly insulation which doesn’t melt or drip in case of a fire,” says Anil Gupta, CMD of KEI Industries Ltd. Winit has developed home automation systems which allow the end-users to use the system through their mobile devices such as an iPhone and iPad. <br /><br />Automating systems<br /><br />These home automation systems automate the electronics systems and sub systems such as lighting, air conditioning, security cameras, TV and audio video devices from the device itself and with ease and comfort. Amanulla Khan, Regional Sales Manager-India and Middle East, Cisco Consumer Products says, “A smart home can be set up by installing a wireless router such as Linksys E4200 Maximum Performance Dual-Band N Router which can provide sufficient speed, range and connectivity for the wireless gadgets across your home. Installation of wireless network is a simple three-step process using Linksys routers.” Eureka Forbes’ Infinity Home Automation System provides temperature, lights, curtain, air-conditioner. Home appliances control all through a touch pad or your mobile phone. This means you can switch your lights on/off or adjust its brightness while watching television. Your curtains can be on or off to suit the mood of your room. This integrated control also allows you to switch off your air conditioner, apart from other features such as mode control, temperature control and fan control. The energy-saving motion sensor in the product detects if anyone is leaving home or leaving the working area and triggers the related scenario automatically. <br /><br />The scenario includes shutting down the lighting in an area, or the air conditioner so that energy is automatically conserved. <br /><br />Creative’s Pure Wireless Entertainment range of devices include products like ZiiSound D5 series of pure wireless modular speakers, Creative ZEN Style M300 media player, the Creative WP music headphones series and compact Bluetooth speakers like Creative D80 and D100. <br />A Creative ZiiO tablet can also be morphed into one remote for all devices, wherein various applications can be downloaded on the Android platform. <br /><br />Atul Jain, Country Manager (India & SAARC), NETGEAR Technologies India says, “NETGEAR has also launched the Universal WiFi Internet Adapter for Home Theater Devices and Gaming Consoles (WNCE2001) in India. The device delivers Wireless-N performance of up to 300 Mbps through the Ethernet port of such devices such as Internet TVs, game consoles, Blu-ray players and more.”<br /><br />Technology first<br /><br />Cable broadband is not the only technology that will be used to have devices in the home communicate with each other. Other technologies such as DSL, Bluetooth, and wireless will also be used. These technologies provide a way to have a home networked for devices to communicate with each other and to have them connected to the Internet. Increased Broadband penetration has enabled IP based technology products that enable remote access, control and surveillance. What this means is that sitting at any one place, one can view what’s happening at a location across the globe and even operate your appliances, curtains, and lights! SMS Integration to the electronic and electrical appliances is the latest in home automation. <br /><br />Home entertainment<br /><br />Integration of Apple and Android devices is the latest on the block, where the content and technology are integrated to create a perfect home entertainment system. Godrej Security Solutions has two product offerings, the standard kit which has basic functions such as switching lights, fans and air conditioning as well as dimming and brightening lights. The advanced kit includes automatic functionality of lights, water, music, temperature control. <br /><br />Automatic opening and shutting of curtains when there is too much sunlight streaming in, automatic opening and closing of garage doors, lights in certain areas going on and off as required depending on the time of day are all possible.<br /><br />Says Varrun Motihar, Creative Director, Mova1 Studio, “There is now toughened glass available in the market that sweats occasionally and cleans itself (no hanging off the side of buildings to clean the facade). <br /><br />“There are steel blinds available that not only reflect 70 per cent of sunlight, lowering energy costs of the home (heating and cooling), but the shades act as solar panels as well heating the water in washrooms and the kitchens. There is also a product called litracon available which is a translucent concrete building material. It allows a certain amount of light to pass through the walls once again lowering energy costs during the day.” <br /><br />Says Marzin R Shroff, CEO Direct Sales & VP – Marketing, Eureka Forbes, “One of the new technologies that we are working with is the Z-Wave technology that facilitates fast and easy installation. As the sensors have wireless operation capability, they can be retrofitted to homes without the need of puncturing the walls for wiring.” <br /><br />Adds Palash Nandy, Vice President – Marketing, Legrand India, “Home automation for smart homes has BUS/SCS technology that can manage different functions at the same time via two wire extra low voltage cables. The other technology is the ZigBee technology which is an international low consumption radio communication standard. Operating at a frequency of 2.4 GHz, it can be used via transmitters (wireless) and receivers to control lighting, roller blinds as well as technical alarms. It can also control scenarios and allows bi-directional communication between devices.” Neha Hiranandani, Director, House of Hiranandani adds, “The latest and important product which we are offering is Fibre to Home Technology (FTTH). <br /><br />“This technology refers to a broadband telecommunication system based on fibre-optic cables. We will provide this new communication medium to residential communities and commercial developments by partnering with multiple service providers.”<br /><br />Cost factor<br /><br />Although the starting cost of automation is relatively low, you still need to spend quite a lot for a completely automated house with proper security in place. <br /><br />As of now, smart home systems are lifestyle products. It may take some time before they become a necessity, at least in India. <br /><br />“If cost is an issue for you, then to start with, you can opt for a remote controller to change the mood of the lighting which would cost you Rs 300. <br /><br />If you have multiple computers or notebooks at home, then a wireless router would help you stay connected anywhere in the house. This will cost another Rs 4,000. <br /><br />For IP surveillance, a wireless IP camera costs about Rs 8,700. However, the real automation will still cost you at least Rs 40,000 to one lakh. Furthermore, highly advanced features like remote access and surveillance with all possible automation features come at a cost of Rs 3-4 lakh,” says Asif Iqbal, Architect, Director Raksha Nikunj Homes. <br /><br />A spokesperson at Ireo, adds, “Fully automated homes cater to the changing and evolving lifestyles. This is comparatively cheaper than using the technologies individually which in turn becomes more economical for customers.”<br /><br />Integration<br /><br />The ability for devices to communicate with each other will provide new functionality to just about every device in a home. The ability to connect to the Internet also brings more functionality. <br /><br />Because these devices will use currently implemented technology, companies can very easily make smart home technologies. Typically, a new home is outfitted for home automation during construction, due to the accessibility of the walls, outlets and storage rooms, and the ability to make design changes specifically to accommodate certain technologies. <br /><br />Says Sriraj Basavraj, Architect, Realm, “Wireless systems are commonly installed when outfitting a pre-existing house, as they reduce wiring changes. These communicate through the existing power wiring, radio or infrared signals with a central controller. <br /><br />Network sockets may be installed in every room like AC power receptacles.” Adds Kochuthommen Mathew, Kochuthommen & Associates, “Any integrated home controller will be a Windows based, PC programmable home control system, that interconnects the Phones, HVAC, PC,TV, Video, A/V, Lighting and all other home systems, allowing them to communicate with one another for control purposes.”<br /><br />Challenges<br /><br />The biggest limitation is the cost factor as well as the fact that reliability continues to be an issue in spite of the cost. <br /><br />As most automation products are usually complex, many people may tend to stay away as well. <br /><br />The various automation systems available in the market require dedicated wiring and significant amounts of interconnection with various devices within the home. <br /><br />It is important that all equipment within the house support the same Building Management Systems (BMS) coding so that they can understand instructions from the system. These systems are quite expensive and require skilled installation and maintenance.</p>.<p>Pros and cons</p>.<p>*“The challenges faced by the home automation and BMS Industries are primarily related to a lack of generic compatible equipment. Although the BMS companies supply all products ranging from air conditioners to microwaves under their brand umbrella, home owners are understandably reluctant to source all equipment from a single vendor who may not be the most suitable,” says Aditya Saigal, Principal Architect, Arch-I-Text-U-Red. <br /><br />*Arun Advani, Joint Managing Director, Vaswani Group, says, “Cameras will track your home’s exterior even if it’s pitch-black outside. <br />A video door phone provides more than a doorbell; you get a picture of who’s at the door. <br /><br />Motion sensors will send an alert when there’s motion around your house, and they can even tell the difference between pets and burglars.<br /><br />Door handles can open with scanned fingerprints or a four-digit code, eliminating the need to fumble for house keys. <br /><br />“People who are elderly or disabled benefit the most from a home automation system that employs artificial intelligence. These systems offer those who are less mobile, or in delicate health, the opportunity to be independent, rather than staying in an assisted living </p>
<p>Technology is being used in homes like never before giving its residents control over all electronic devices at the click of a button! <br /><br />Smart home technology is a way for ordinary electronics and appliances to communicate with each other, consumers and even manufacturers.<br /><br />Many of today’s products are becoming “smart.” Kitchen refrigerators, microwaves and stoves are utilising this technology. Even washers and dryers have the technology today to be more automated to suit people’s needs. <br /><br />Electric razors, toilets and showers will have some sort of automation built in. LG has developed the Internet refrigerator that allows for users to communicate with it via the Internet, cell phone and PDA. The refrigerator is able to download recipes and then display them on its LCD screen and also takes an automatic inventory of items inside, alerting the consumer to what is there, how long it has been there, and when an item is running low! Microwaves can communicate with smart refrigerators and suggest recipes based on what items are in the refrigerator. <br /><br />KEI Industries Ltd. has introduced Homecab, Conflame and range of wire suiting all kinds of applications/ usage in common households, ensuring safety of each and every home. <br /><br />“Homecab has fire-resistant properties and is equipped with specially formulated insulation, which enables the wire to withstand overloads preventing electric mishaps. Banfire is a zero halogen flame retardant (ZHFR) superior quality wire which is 100 per cent free from PVC and has eco-friendly insulation which doesn’t melt or drip in case of a fire,” says Anil Gupta, CMD of KEI Industries Ltd. Winit has developed home automation systems which allow the end-users to use the system through their mobile devices such as an iPhone and iPad. <br /><br />Automating systems<br /><br />These home automation systems automate the electronics systems and sub systems such as lighting, air conditioning, security cameras, TV and audio video devices from the device itself and with ease and comfort. Amanulla Khan, Regional Sales Manager-India and Middle East, Cisco Consumer Products says, “A smart home can be set up by installing a wireless router such as Linksys E4200 Maximum Performance Dual-Band N Router which can provide sufficient speed, range and connectivity for the wireless gadgets across your home. Installation of wireless network is a simple three-step process using Linksys routers.” Eureka Forbes’ Infinity Home Automation System provides temperature, lights, curtain, air-conditioner. Home appliances control all through a touch pad or your mobile phone. This means you can switch your lights on/off or adjust its brightness while watching television. Your curtains can be on or off to suit the mood of your room. This integrated control also allows you to switch off your air conditioner, apart from other features such as mode control, temperature control and fan control. The energy-saving motion sensor in the product detects if anyone is leaving home or leaving the working area and triggers the related scenario automatically. <br /><br />The scenario includes shutting down the lighting in an area, or the air conditioner so that energy is automatically conserved. <br /><br />Creative’s Pure Wireless Entertainment range of devices include products like ZiiSound D5 series of pure wireless modular speakers, Creative ZEN Style M300 media player, the Creative WP music headphones series and compact Bluetooth speakers like Creative D80 and D100. <br />A Creative ZiiO tablet can also be morphed into one remote for all devices, wherein various applications can be downloaded on the Android platform. <br /><br />Atul Jain, Country Manager (India & SAARC), NETGEAR Technologies India says, “NETGEAR has also launched the Universal WiFi Internet Adapter for Home Theater Devices and Gaming Consoles (WNCE2001) in India. The device delivers Wireless-N performance of up to 300 Mbps through the Ethernet port of such devices such as Internet TVs, game consoles, Blu-ray players and more.”<br /><br />Technology first<br /><br />Cable broadband is not the only technology that will be used to have devices in the home communicate with each other. Other technologies such as DSL, Bluetooth, and wireless will also be used. These technologies provide a way to have a home networked for devices to communicate with each other and to have them connected to the Internet. Increased Broadband penetration has enabled IP based technology products that enable remote access, control and surveillance. What this means is that sitting at any one place, one can view what’s happening at a location across the globe and even operate your appliances, curtains, and lights! SMS Integration to the electronic and electrical appliances is the latest in home automation. <br /><br />Home entertainment<br /><br />Integration of Apple and Android devices is the latest on the block, where the content and technology are integrated to create a perfect home entertainment system. Godrej Security Solutions has two product offerings, the standard kit which has basic functions such as switching lights, fans and air conditioning as well as dimming and brightening lights. The advanced kit includes automatic functionality of lights, water, music, temperature control. <br /><br />Automatic opening and shutting of curtains when there is too much sunlight streaming in, automatic opening and closing of garage doors, lights in certain areas going on and off as required depending on the time of day are all possible.<br /><br />Says Varrun Motihar, Creative Director, Mova1 Studio, “There is now toughened glass available in the market that sweats occasionally and cleans itself (no hanging off the side of buildings to clean the facade). <br /><br />“There are steel blinds available that not only reflect 70 per cent of sunlight, lowering energy costs of the home (heating and cooling), but the shades act as solar panels as well heating the water in washrooms and the kitchens. There is also a product called litracon available which is a translucent concrete building material. It allows a certain amount of light to pass through the walls once again lowering energy costs during the day.” <br /><br />Says Marzin R Shroff, CEO Direct Sales & VP – Marketing, Eureka Forbes, “One of the new technologies that we are working with is the Z-Wave technology that facilitates fast and easy installation. As the sensors have wireless operation capability, they can be retrofitted to homes without the need of puncturing the walls for wiring.” <br /><br />Adds Palash Nandy, Vice President – Marketing, Legrand India, “Home automation for smart homes has BUS/SCS technology that can manage different functions at the same time via two wire extra low voltage cables. The other technology is the ZigBee technology which is an international low consumption radio communication standard. Operating at a frequency of 2.4 GHz, it can be used via transmitters (wireless) and receivers to control lighting, roller blinds as well as technical alarms. It can also control scenarios and allows bi-directional communication between devices.” Neha Hiranandani, Director, House of Hiranandani adds, “The latest and important product which we are offering is Fibre to Home Technology (FTTH). <br /><br />“This technology refers to a broadband telecommunication system based on fibre-optic cables. We will provide this new communication medium to residential communities and commercial developments by partnering with multiple service providers.”<br /><br />Cost factor<br /><br />Although the starting cost of automation is relatively low, you still need to spend quite a lot for a completely automated house with proper security in place. <br /><br />As of now, smart home systems are lifestyle products. It may take some time before they become a necessity, at least in India. <br /><br />“If cost is an issue for you, then to start with, you can opt for a remote controller to change the mood of the lighting which would cost you Rs 300. <br /><br />If you have multiple computers or notebooks at home, then a wireless router would help you stay connected anywhere in the house. This will cost another Rs 4,000. <br /><br />For IP surveillance, a wireless IP camera costs about Rs 8,700. However, the real automation will still cost you at least Rs 40,000 to one lakh. Furthermore, highly advanced features like remote access and surveillance with all possible automation features come at a cost of Rs 3-4 lakh,” says Asif Iqbal, Architect, Director Raksha Nikunj Homes. <br /><br />A spokesperson at Ireo, adds, “Fully automated homes cater to the changing and evolving lifestyles. This is comparatively cheaper than using the technologies individually which in turn becomes more economical for customers.”<br /><br />Integration<br /><br />The ability for devices to communicate with each other will provide new functionality to just about every device in a home. The ability to connect to the Internet also brings more functionality. <br /><br />Because these devices will use currently implemented technology, companies can very easily make smart home technologies. Typically, a new home is outfitted for home automation during construction, due to the accessibility of the walls, outlets and storage rooms, and the ability to make design changes specifically to accommodate certain technologies. <br /><br />Says Sriraj Basavraj, Architect, Realm, “Wireless systems are commonly installed when outfitting a pre-existing house, as they reduce wiring changes. These communicate through the existing power wiring, radio or infrared signals with a central controller. <br /><br />Network sockets may be installed in every room like AC power receptacles.” Adds Kochuthommen Mathew, Kochuthommen & Associates, “Any integrated home controller will be a Windows based, PC programmable home control system, that interconnects the Phones, HVAC, PC,TV, Video, A/V, Lighting and all other home systems, allowing them to communicate with one another for control purposes.”<br /><br />Challenges<br /><br />The biggest limitation is the cost factor as well as the fact that reliability continues to be an issue in spite of the cost. <br /><br />As most automation products are usually complex, many people may tend to stay away as well. <br /><br />The various automation systems available in the market require dedicated wiring and significant amounts of interconnection with various devices within the home. <br /><br />It is important that all equipment within the house support the same Building Management Systems (BMS) coding so that they can understand instructions from the system. These systems are quite expensive and require skilled installation and maintenance.</p>.<p>Pros and cons</p>.<p>*“The challenges faced by the home automation and BMS Industries are primarily related to a lack of generic compatible equipment. Although the BMS companies supply all products ranging from air conditioners to microwaves under their brand umbrella, home owners are understandably reluctant to source all equipment from a single vendor who may not be the most suitable,” says Aditya Saigal, Principal Architect, Arch-I-Text-U-Red. <br /><br />*Arun Advani, Joint Managing Director, Vaswani Group, says, “Cameras will track your home’s exterior even if it’s pitch-black outside. <br />A video door phone provides more than a doorbell; you get a picture of who’s at the door. <br /><br />Motion sensors will send an alert when there’s motion around your house, and they can even tell the difference between pets and burglars.<br /><br />Door handles can open with scanned fingerprints or a four-digit code, eliminating the need to fumble for house keys. <br /><br />“People who are elderly or disabled benefit the most from a home automation system that employs artificial intelligence. These systems offer those who are less mobile, or in delicate health, the opportunity to be independent, rather than staying in an assisted living </p>
