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| Homes that click |
| Priyanka Joshi / Mumbai Apr 25, 2009, 00:36 IST |
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Smart homes needn't be restricted to smart security alone. There's a lot more people are doing with technology.
Abhijeet Barua, a Mumbai-based, independent ad filmmaker, believes that his recent investment of Rs 57,000 to get his flat automated will go a long way. “I can drive to work without getting overwrought about whether I’ve locked the doors and windows. My entire home locks itself within three seconds of closing the front door,” he points out. Barua also takes pride in showing off other equipment that switches on room lights or draws the blinds and such — all at the flick of a button. “My home is now the weekend adda for my buddies who just love to spend time here,” he grins.
His friend Joshua, a graphic designer and animator, has also installed a door station. “This is a solution that dials up home phones whenever a visitor presses the doorbell and even allows you to talk to the visitor over the phone,” he explains. Joshua often has friends over for get-togethers and he has chosen to install the feature so that he can let open his home’s doors for friends and the domestic staff — even when he is away from the house — through a remote. Although the system cost him Rs 32,000, exclusive of installation charges, Joshua says the expenditure is worth it.
With wireless penetration (Wi-Fi) in Indian metros projected to touch 70 per cent in Delhi-NCR, 70 per cent in Mumbai, 88 per cent in Chennai, and 50 per cent in Kolkata, automated homes are no longer distant dreams. Smart homes, in which everything, right from the curtains to kitchen appliances, gym corners, air conditioners and even cosy private theatres, spring to life at the click of a switch, are fast becoming the buzzword.
Because security and automation equipment isn’t always accessible in India even today, consumers like Joshua and Barua are accessing the Internet to realise their vision. Barua, in fact, recalls studying solutions online before zeroing in on a local vendor to automate controls at home by replicating the features. How much time did it take for him to research on the Net, understand the technology, and get it replicated to suit his needs without compromising on quality? “Around a month, easily,” he says.
Increasingly, companies in India too are offering automated features for your home. Biometrics access control, motion sensors, vibration detectors, thermal sensors, smoke sensors, hi-end video door phones and electronic and biometrics home safes that render a personal safe zone have now become high in demand, admits Mehernosh Pittawalla, GM (international business and marketing communications), Godrej Security Solution. Even as the real estate market has seen a decline, the security market is increasing, claims Godrej.
Craig Gledhill, vice president (sales, Asia Pacific), Cisco Business Consumer Group, talks about this gradual but firm change. “A modern home,” says Gledhill, “contains a variety of systems such as computers, phones, music systems and laptops, but these usually exist in isolation. In a media-enabled home, these devices are able to pass information and commands between them.” He admits that this trend seems restricted to the metros for now but says it is likely to pick up pace in smaller cities in the near future. “With the government investing heavily in eGovernance initiatives, e-enablement of various states has gathered some speed and this is likely to drive the growth of PCs and the Internet within the home as well,” he anticipates.
Already, smart homes are springing up in every city. Pooja Malwade, who owns an apartment constructed by Rohan builders in Pune, says, “Ours is an intelligent home that has systems provided by Digihome, part of the Aftek group. From security to entertainment, information and communication, all the automated features are in-built.” Malwade also has wireless Internet access and long distance calling using a voice-over Internet technology. She concurs that the steep cost of having such techonology was an inhibiting factor while choosing an intelligent home but justifies her purchase: “Automation is not just about self-indulgent features but also the security aspects.”
The systems at her residence are equipped to detect gas leaks, fire alarms and dial up the police or the fire brigade while alerting flat owners with an SMS or email. Then there is Akhilesh Tyagi, a Pune-based chartered accountant, who takes pride in the fact that he installed a wireless home alarm system himself. “Since wireless sensor devices run on batteries, they do not even need a power supply. This, in turn, reduces the amount of cabling,” he explains. Kumar has also configured his TV set as the central communications centre. “What I needed was an Internet connection to wire up the television,” he explains. He did that using a wireless solution from Siemen’s. Now he can e-mail clients, play online games, use video and audio services, video telephony and Internet — all on his TV set.
Currently, Kumar is learning to install software to tailor his TV content. “If I were to sit down to watch a Shah Rukh Khan movie, my Internet-enabled TV set would prompt me to watch other SRK content too, listen to his soundtracks or activate his digital images on the screen,” he shares. If that sounds like your dream home, log on!
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