Surpassing boundaries in age, home automation rendered comfort and convenience to a 75-year-old mother

“Why did you put this system in my room? I do not understand these 'keypads with buttons'. Please replace these with regular switches,” said my mother. 

It was 2012. We had just moved into our recently bought apartment in Noida. We had been living in an apartment in the same society for the past couple of years on rent. My wife was happy that after living on rent, we had finally bought the apartment in the same society and were no longer ‘tenants’ but ‘owners’. My kids who were in middle school were happy that they did not have to move from a society, where they had their own friends. But the challenge for me was to install an Automation system that did not require the breaking of walls and ceilings - just enable minimal work that could justify to the world and to my family that I practiced what I preached - I did want to use automation in my own home. 

After some deliberation, I managed to do that by installing a Lutron system that worked with existing switches and had a mix of on/off devices (lighting, fans, Air-conditioning, and geyser) on keypads in the bedrooms and some dimming in the living and Dining Hall. My 9-year-old son loved it. I eventually had to remove the master control from the common iPad, because in the first few days he discovered he could switch off the lights in his parent's room and his grandparent's room.

The only ones who did not like the 'system' were my parents – especially, my Mom. I asked her what exactly was bothering her in the system. “I do not understand what button does what and I do not want to complicate my life anymore,” she said. I first considered removing the system completely from her room and letting it remain in the rest of the house. 

Then, I decided to try and convince her otherwise. The first thing I did was – I engraved each button. In a few days, she had a nice-looking keypad and it had buttons that were backlit and labeled: Lights, Fan, AC, Geyser, Living, Kitchen, and Master, etc. 

The “Geyser” button caught her eye. She asked if she could honestly turn the geyser on from her bedside. It meant she didn’t have to use the step stool and a stick just to switch on the geyser. (Mind you, she is quite short!) I said yes. She told me to go on. I then explained to her she could use the “Kitchen” button to turn on kitchen lights from her keypad. This meant she did not have to walk in darkness from her bedroom to the kitchen early morning, and she liked it more.

I then told her I could also turn on the geyser and kitchen lights via a time clock and the geyser would automatically turn on/off after half an hour every morning. She seemed less averse to the idea of automation in the house now.  

3 months later, I came home to find my 10-year-old daughter showing off her Living Room Mood lighting from the remote to her friends. My Mom is talking on the phone with my sister in Jaipur telling her how convenient it is that she does not have to remember to switch on the geyser in the morning and she should try it at her home too. 

My wife- well, she says she is happy that she can just check if the kids were up by checking if the room lights were on, on her phone - not only that - she did not need to nudge me anymore to go and switch off the Ac in the kids' room after they were asleep. 

“But we could put on the timer with the AC remote too!” I exclaimed

“Yes,” she says, “I could switch off their AC (after they were asleep for a couple of hours), you see, but could not turn on their fan at the same time from here - Now I can. “ 

Well - To each - their own.

The moral of the story?

A)    Do not sell something to someone that does not work for them. I could never have convinced my mom to see the benefits of using a smartphone to turn the lights on or to use mood lighting, in her room. But the geyser on a keypad or the kitchen switch next to her – worked for her.

B)    It takes time for people to adapt to new technology or even new ideas. Be patient and ask them to do the same.

C)    Keep it simple

- The piece is written by Alok Hada, Director, Anusha Technovision Pvt. Ltd.

Smart Home Technology For A Sustainable Lifestyle

Living a sustainable lifestyle requires a great deal of dedication and awareness. Over the years, the environment has been harmed and polluted in numerous ways by us. Keeping that in mind, we are learning together to make a change by doing small bits to reduce the carbon footprint.

 

Before investing in smart home technology, it is crucial to understand what it means. Smart home technology incorporates a range of products that can be used at home to make everyday life more comfortable and simpler. The home can be transformed using advanced technology with a simple set-up and connection to the internet system.

Though smart home systems vary widely in pricing and capabilities, there are a number of affordable options available to make the right choice. Whether you select one simple device for your home or make your full home a smart home, you can pick the one suitable for your needs and budget.

Smart Plugs

Smart plugs can make a great addition to your home for smart set-ups. They can be used to set a schedule or use a voice command to turn on or off anything. With these plugs set to a timer, you can watch TV while falling asleep and a lot more without worrying about wasting electricity or fire risks. Not only do devices like this simplify your life, but they also keep you in line with your sustainable lifestyle goals.

Smart Thermostats

Smart thermostats work similar to regular thermostats but with greater control  and accessibility. With the integration of mobile devices, you can turn the AC on or off from anywhere in the world. It also allows you to see how much energy you have been using. 

Smart Appliances

Going eco friendly while buying your new appliance is a great option to consider. There are several appliances integrated with smart capabilities that can help your devices run more efficiently. Some of the features that these appliances come with are alerting you when the door is open, connection with smart devices etc. While purchasing these appliances, click for the certification with an official energy efficiency label to invest in an eco-friendly appliance.

Smart Lighting

One of the easiest ways of making a smart and efficient switch to a sustainable life with automation is introducing smart lighting into your home. Replacing incandescent light bulbs with smart LED bulbs can reduce your energy consumption. The LED bulbs are also safer and produce less waste over time. Using a mobile device to control the lighting in your home will ensure that you never forget to turn off lights when leaving a room.

- Alok Hada, Director, Anusha Technovision Pvt. Ltd

Automation - Comfort and Convenience

Automation is the process where technology does the job for us with minimal or no human intercession. It saves us from the regular annoying job of getting up on a lazy winter morning just to switch on the geyser. A magic wand that can turn the air-conditioning on to just the “right” level for us or turn on the lighting again to the required intensity – depending upon the space and the activity, and the person occupying the space.

Automation is the new era of evolution. Today, machines run the world, economy and societies. Hence, they reduce the human effort manifold. Globally, dependency on machines at all levels and scale of activities has exponentially increased and evolved. Not just big companies or factories, even our everyday household items are fully automated. Washing machines, water heaters, refrigerators, ACs, lighting or dishwashers, automation has left no stone unturned to make the human life comfortable and convenient. Therefore, technology helps us in our everyday life by reducing the workload, and increasing comfort.

Services like HVAC, lighting control systems, occupancy aware control system, integrated security systems that only require an active Wi-Fi connection and have a user-friendly interface, are all automated in function and execution. 

What exactly can Automation do?

In general, control of systems is often mistakenly referred to as Automation. For example, the ability to dim lights, to control A/cs from a smart phone or to change your Tata Sky channel with Alexa voice control is generally referred to as understood as automation today in the residential field. However “automation” ideally should be more than just control, even though the control could be via a touch panel or via a voice control. As long as there is a input given from our side to achieve a certain state from a system, it is control or even more refined control rather than automation. In my view, “Automation Nirvana” would be achieved the day we have lights automatically dimming depending upon the personal preferences of the home owner automatically (sensing time of day or sensing activity such as watching a movie) WITH OUT any input from the homeowner on an “every time” basis. Or say when the air-conditioning follows your pattern of temperature requirement changes through the night and then does exactly that for you next time with out any input. Or say the grocery is ordered from your regular vendor when ever sugar, salt, or wheat or Tissue paper or any of your regular stuff is about to finish for the month. Sounds futuristic? Not really. Amazon offers almost a similar service in the US. Smart refrigerators such as Samsung have unleashed some what similar function devices. Google Nest Thermostats do some of what you want. The ideal thing would of course be when all of this works seamlessly with out having to go to different sub systems and different products for each of the above things.

Then again comes in the question of privacy and how much do you actually want the devices to know about your daily habits and then to run your life, But then you have to either give up this Automation Nirvana Idea, or stop worrying about privacy. You can’t save your cake and eat it too! Or Can you? Time will tell!

New Trends in Home Automation

Toward the end of the year, the world wonders, “What’s next?”  The world of home automation is no different, and manufacturers have started to give us a clue about what might be coming to your home in 2024

At Anusha Technovision, we look forward to what’s on the horizon for 2024, especially in smart home automation, lighting, and voice control. We can’t wait to share these trends with you, and we hope you’ll call us to speed up your home to keep up with the dynamic year ahead.

Smart Mirrors:

The famous scene from the movie “Minority Report” where Tom Cruise’s character manipulates images on a screen with his hands is now one step closer to reality thanks to smart mirror technology. Mirrors can now display news and weather updates, show you your social media feeds, interact with other automation systems in your home and much more. Having that smart technology in your bathroom may be a little disconcerting for some, but the added convenience and sheer “wow” factor will likely persuade many people to bring these smart screens into their homes.

MORE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CAPABILITIES

It may feel strange to admit, but we are firmly in the age of artificial intelligence. AI is poised to make a big impact on the world of home automation in 2024.

One major example of this trend is AI-enabled security devices. Security companies are in the process of rolling out smart door cameras with machine-learning technology. These devices will be able to identify specific faces, autonomously determine who’s at the door and then let them inside if they recognize a familiar person. There are also smart sensors with advanced AI systems that can detect fires and potential burglars as well as alert you if your carbon monoxide levels are too high

WHOLE-HOME AUTOMATION

When your whole home automation runs as scheduled, it feels as though your entire house falls at your feet and facilitates your most carefree lifestyle. If that didn’t feel seamless enough, we have heard that even accessing the technology will get progressively easier.

·       More Scheduling: How? All signs point to further automation via programming on devices — no touch necessary. If you want your lights to turn on and off at a set time each day, that is a time-event. A non-scheduled event would be lights that come on when the door to the room is opened and go off when it closes

·       5G Creeping In: 2024 might not unveil a fully capable 5G, which will nearly eliminate our reliance on Wi-Fi. But 5G, projected to emerge in the next couple years, will usher in robust, high-speed connectivity, which will enhance every area of home automation.

·       Demand for Design: We’ve also found that new tech shifts toward a more diligent focus on design, adding more hidden speakers, architectural details, smaller (or hidden) devices and fewer cords. The smart home integrators at Elevated Integration care about how design and tech integrate, an area in which we’re proud to be ahead of the curve. 

User Interface

User Interface in the present world refers to the visual interface of any technology, application or service that is being accessed, interacted with and used by the end users. At Anusha Technovision Pvt. Ltd., we provide our clients with optimally designed user interfaces for services, both for hard products and applications running on smart devices.

Examples of User Interface

1. Keypads- To complement and help enhance the beauty of interiors, we provide wide range of keypads in a variety of colours, finishes, style and function. The keypad is easy to use, readable, with custom engraved buttons in both wired and wireless options. We can set any mood lighting, control of shades/ HVAC on the keypads. 

2. Touch Screen- The in-house GUI (Graphic User Interface) software is developed in a way that it will be easy to understand icons, that allows end user to control and monitor lights, shades, audio video, security through a touch panel anywhere and anytime. We develop own own GUI and it can be customized according to the requirement of the customers. The various touch screen panels are available in multiple sizes. 

3. Voice Command- Now you can control the entire home with your 

voice. Amazone Alexa or Google home provide the device but we are here to integrate the lighting controls, shades, audio video, security, HVAC system with voice commands. We configure each command according to user’s specific words and choices. 

We at ATPL provide customized keypads that complement the existing interior design of the space, keeping in sync with the existing tone, our panels contrast the colours and finishes of the wall. It provides easy to use, readable buttons and comes in both wired and wireless versions. Lighting moods, controlling of shades/HVAC and multiple other functions can be done using these keypads. The touch screen interface is designed by an in-house UI design team ensuring easy understandable icons with distinct buttons that allow users to control and monitor lights, play audios and videos, and control our phones through the same. The user interface can be customized according to the user, and the touch panels are available in multiple sizes. An interesting inclusion is the addition of voice controls to the panels. Intelligently integrating services with devices like Amazon Alexa or Google Echo, our panels integrate lighting controls, audio and video playback, air conditioning and security features by bringing into one roof all appliances in the house. Commands and order words are customized according to the client’s demands.

Each component in this system viz. the keyboard, touchpad, and voice commands hold their own importance. While keypads enhance the aesthetic appeal of the wall, users also might choose to simply use their personal phones to control the settings. The inclusion of voice control facilities in the system help users to work with both their hands while controlling the various parameters of your home. Integrated with devices like Alexa and Echo, this brings in the next generation implementations in home automation.

- Alok Hada, Anusha Technovision Pvt. Ltd.