4 THINGS ON HOME AUTOMATION ARCHITECTS SHOULD KNOW

Home Automation is witnessing a rapid shift in India, as the concept gains acceptance at a steady pace in the urban areas. With automation presenting a wide range of benefits in the form of safety, security, comfort, efficiency and improved economics, it is fast becoming a necessity rather than a luxury. However, home owners sometimes do struggle to understand the technology before they decide to add it to support their lifestyle, because as with anything new there are questions and concerns. Here are some of the top questions that are typically asked.

1. Should you go with a wireless system or a wired system?

If the home is relatively small (e.g. 2BHK), then wireless options are feasible. However, for larger homes it is more advisable to use a wired system, if indeed that is an option. Wired solutions are only an option if the home is undergoing renovation or is a new construction. In the long run the reliability is higher for larger spaces with wired systems.

If the home is undergoing renovation or it is a new home, you should remember that wired Home Automation Systems use the SAME conduit as your electrical wiring. No new conduits are needed and so no additional expense is incurred. Often just one additional wire needs to be dragged through the same electrical conduit to support the Home Automation system.

2. Can you use any brand of Switches with the automation?

Some Home Automation Systems offer the option of using ANY brand of switches.  The components of the automation used to control the switches usually sit behind the switches within the regular switch box.

Not only are ANY BRAND of switches supported by Home Automation, good home automation systems also support any number of switches. Starting from a single switch box to a double switch box or boxes supporting four switches can all be enabled. There is no need to have large switch boxes unnecessarily or to have aesthetically unsightly large devices external to the switch boxes in most of the recent Home Automation solutions

3. Does the System work without the Internet?

 A good home automation system will work in both local mode and internet mode. In local mode, you are still using the Smart App but it is connected to your router without the internet in your local home Wi-Fi network. If you need to use the same Smart App when you are distant from the home, then of course your home router needs to be connected to the internet and your Smart app can access your system over the internet.

 Also, the switches will continue to work with or without the Home Automation Smart App. So the manual option continues to exist for those in the home who prefer the good old switches or want to use either the Smart app or switch based on convenience.

4. How flexible is it to meet changing needs?

 Even though you might not want a particular option today (Say you don’t want to have a smoke sensor monitored on your smart app) it should be something that you can readily add with very little expense. Your complete home automation system should not need to change as you add sensors or want to control more multi-media devices and so forth. A good home automation system is usually flexible enough to grow or to shrink as your needs change with minimal cost impact to what was already installed.

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