Smartphones come with a lot of features and can be used to automate many things in our daily lives. Home automation is one such aspect that can add a new dimension to your smartphone utility.
In your daily routine you will find many instances when you reach your empty home and wish someone had switched on the AC or even simply the light before you arrived; or you could be waiting for a courier or something to arrive but suddenly have to rush somewhere. Home automation solutions also keep an eye on your home and alert you in case of dangers like fire or intrusion and even offer you videos of your home in real time.
Home automation provides solutions to such problems and more. However, while these solutions were earlier too costly for an average person; now, thanks to smartphone proliferation and improved capability the solutions are not just cheaper but also more functional.
While some of the bigger companies like Belkin have introduced switches that can be turned on or off remotely using smartphone based applications and cost just a couple of thousand rupees (though it is yet to be introduced in India).
There are newer companies like Zhome, Eloka, Smarthome and Smartautomation that offer home automation packages with complete security and automation starting at just Rs 53,000.
Smart automation offers a 1 BHK package at Rs 2.5 lakh, which includes 6 lighting control, 1 curtain control, audio video control, control via phone and 2 motion sensor packages for 2 and 3 bedrooms for 3 and 3.5 lakh rupees.
These solutions are not just remote control facilities, but also help save power by switching off appliances when they are not required. For instance, when in the morning the temperature falls the system switches off the AC while switching on the fan.
Most of us switch on one of the lights even when we are leaving the house for some days; with home automation this can be timed so that the light will turn on only when it’s dark, to give an impression that someone is home.
The solutions offered by these companies are customisable and therefore can be made to suit the customer’s cost and requirements.
C P Singh, founder of Smart automation says, “Our USP is that we are the only service provider in the country who offer integrated customized solutions depending upon the needs and requirements of the customers.”