SmartHomes

Today, we are increasingly talking about creating ‘Smart Homes’. Smart homes can mean different things to different people. A builder might say that he is offering a ‘Smart Home’ to a prospective buyer if the IP video door phone that he is installing can also be viewed over a smart phone. For an architect, a ‘Smart Home’ could be one, where lighting controls that can be activated manually, on a time clock, remotely or from a house- for one room or for the entire house. A system integrator, selling AV systems could say that he has designed a smart home, where the home owner can view any media content stored in the cloud or locally in the home from anywhere in the home.

So who is right? Or rather, what is the correct meaning of a smart home? For me, there is no right or wrong. A Smart home can be one or all of these things.  All of the above could comprise what we call Smart Home technology. One thing however should be common. Whatever technology is used to make a smart home, should enhance the user and the home owner experience, making life more convenient and enjoyable! A smart Home could have one or all of the following:

a)      Lighting control systems: Imagine the effect of pressing a button and dramatically changing the lighting ambience and the visual environment in a living space! An easy to use system, a reliable technology and setting the right presets could benefit the end-user.

b)      Motorised shading systems: Increasingly, the idea of manually moving huge curtains and blinds is giving way to the convenience of using a simple press of a button to change the natural light coming into the house, by using motorized shades.

      c)       Automation of A/V devices: The ability to control all AV devices from a single touch panel, User-friendly macros, where in a sequence of operations happens every time a button in enabled, assists the user. For e.g.  pressing the movie “scene” in a living room could dim lights, turn on the TV, turn on the Amplifier, turn on the Blue Ray player and also draw the curtains etc. all with just one press of the movie button, on your smart phone.

d)      Media distribution, storage and display: With the ever-increasing demands on resolution (4k TV, 8k TV etc.), it is important that we lay the wiring/hardware capable of transmitting the highest resolution in picture and audio possible, at least as of today. Media could be and should be available to be played anywhere in the house, from the cloud or from a local Media server.

e)      HVAC controls: Smart home owners today have the ability to control and monitor the HVAC system in the house. Not only is control possible, monitoring with two-way feedback allows energy saving when certain areas do not need conditioning.

f)       Security Systems: While security systems have existed for a long long time, the smart home has a security system that is integrated with the rest of the house controls. For e.g when the security system detects an intrusion, it starts flashing the lighting in the entire house on/off. It sends a notification to the home owner phone and scares away a potential intruder.

All of the above systems should be seamlessly available on customer touchpanel/smart home through a customized user interface that is easy to understand and to use. Every electronic device that has a remote is virtually available to the home owner from with in or from outside the house. IOT or Internet of things is a term used to suggest connectivity of all such devices via the internet. Today voice recognition and voice commands are being offered to clients as part of the home automation technology. The key however for any home owner would be – Ease of use, and Remember -The Smart Home should NOT require a home owner to be technologically smart!

Experience Center

Since the beginning of time, mankind has evolved towards a better living and lifestyle. It is the curiosity to know more and the aspiration for a shift in standards of living, that integrates humans with a world of technology and development. With this thought, as India's leading automation provider at ATPL, we’ve rebuilt the space of 2,200 sq meters into a state-of-the-art, elegantly designed ‘experience center’. This experience center is divided into sections of ‘lobby’, ‘dining area’, ‘home theatre’, ‘show wall’ and ‘office area’. Each of these areas, deliver a promise of 'Luxury with Technology' like never before. Simply giving new dimensions to light, sound, space and visuals, we’ve created a utopia for the prospective homeowner who desires to experience what a modern day “Smart” home would look like.  

The whole theme is based upon the motto- “Technology -at the back end and Convenience, Comfort and Ambience -at the front end “. For example, the lobby/living room has a 5.1 audio system with a customized sound bar for the TV and an inbuilt subwoofer. But all of this is normally hidden and only become visible once a AV experience is desired.  In addition to that, a high - end Omni directional speaker is hung from a stand for best sound experiences, but at the same time conveys the impression of an exquisite art piece being displayed. The intent is to give the user complete control over their style and choices, but at the same time to make sure that the use of technology is simple!

Throughout the space, it is ensured that the customer has a wide range of options to choose from our audio/video configurations, lightingsystem controls, interiors with maximum space management.

One can watch a movie, hear a sound and then move on with life. But to us, such an approach to survival is too mundane. For all those who have always wanted to live the movie they watch and feel every chord of the music they listen to, this experience center is a dream come true. And that’s why we know, a eleven speaker plus two subwoofer systems along with a mounted projector of 4K resolution in the ‘home theatre’ section, are going  to be appreciated by cinema lovers. Several other innovative features await people who’ve a great sense of style and a desire to live life king size.

This state of the art experience center is a sheer example of what Luxury should look like, and how we can offer lifestyle choices to customers that enrich their lives, add convenience and comfort and we do so in a manner that is simple to understand and easy to use. If we have the means, why not give ourselves the pure pleasure of good living at the end of a hard working day? We believe, that every customer of ours deserve the best of everything, and shouldn’t settle for anything less than comfort with style. Our experience center is a promise of just that.