We are living in an era where digitalization of almost every aspect of our lives might be possible, sooner or later. One technology that has played a major role in ensuring that people, devices, and services are connected is Internet Of Things [IoT]. With the power of IoT, you can now access the smart fan, smart electricity meter, lights, doorbell, etc. in your home from any location, as long as both the entities are accessible over the internet.
One entity is the smart device that needs to be controlled and the other entity is the smartphone app through which the device can be controlled. IoT has already made inroads in the manufacturing, automotive, healthcare, and other industry verticals where efficiency, accuracy, and throughput are of prime importance.
Smart Homes – Driving the Internet of Things [IoT] market
As per a report by NASSCOM, the overall IoT market is expected to grow upto USD 15 billion by the year 2020 [Source]. Smart Homes is one vertical in the IoT space which is slowly getting adoption. Some of the major driving factors as far as smart homes is concerned are
- Improved internet connectivity
- Wider adoption of smart devices
- Energy & cost savings through usage of devices like smart meters, etc.
- Safety concerns leading to monitoring of home from remote locations.
- Consumer awareness as far as smart home monitoring is concerned.
According to Research and Markets report, the Indian home automation industry is expected to be over Rs. 30,000 crore by 2020. Exponential growth of wireless & mobile technology, affordable products, need for energy efficiency in smart homes & apartments have had a significant role to play in the growth of the segment.
Home Automation – ‘Confusion’ with ‘wider’ adoption
There is always confusion about Smart Homes in the minds of customers and that confusion multiplies if an existing home has to be converted to a smart home. Some of the lingering questions could be
- Do I need to change the wiring of my devices ?
- Should I change the switch panel ?
- Do I need to add internet repeaters in other rooms ?
- What cost savings would I get if I take the smart home route ?
You do not want to over-spend just to convert your existing home into a smart home. Imagine you have to change the internal wiring in order to accommodate the smart switch or any other smart home product. This would be an additional overhead! A better option would be a solution that would seamlessly integrate with the existing wiring or that requires very minimal changes.
Hogar Controls, a US & India based Home automation startup is disrupting the market for smart homes, with its cutting edge technology and ‘design first‘ products.
Hogar Controls – Enabling #SmartLife Experience
Hogar Controls is a design-first smart home and building automation company delivering powerful solutions for residential, hospitality, and commercial markets. The company was launched in the year 2015 with the aim to develop simple & aesthetically designed products that combine futuristic technology with easy functionality and affordability. All the products are designed as plug-and-play solutions so that you do not need minimal/no changes in the existing infrastructure. Their products can be customized to fit the needs of your home, office or hotel, like a glove.
The products are made to be simple and timeless so that they blend with multiple decors. They can be controlled using a single touch or multi-function buttons or tactile screens to remove the clutter. Rather than focusing solely on pushing the technology envelope, their team checked the consumer needs and developed products to address them rather than assuming the market demands.
We had an opportunity to interact with the core team of Hogar Controls where they spoke about the product philosophy, future plans, and walked us through some of the recent products launched by the company. The The Hogar SmartTouch Panels from the company are beyond being just stylish alternatives to regular switch-boards. These elegant touch-enabled panels are dimmers, switches and scene controllers that are engineered to smart home wireless standards such as Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Wi-Fi.
Below are some of the products that we could get a hands-on/witness during the demo session
6-in-1 Touch Panel [PRIMA +]
The smart panel, with 6 touch buttons arranged in a rectangular order, features 6 touch switches for multi-functional requirements. The panel is additionally equipped with a light dimmer, a fan speed controller and a motion sensor. The glossy touch panel comes with a contemporary look allowing the users to wirelessly control all electrical appliances at home. Additionally, the paired devices can be controlled via smartphone and voice controlled via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant on supported devices via sensors.
There is no additional wiring required and the Retrofit design makes the Prima+ fit into existing switch board with ease. It is equipped with intelligent light sensor which enables the panel’s back light intensity to auto adjust depending on the level of the room light, adding an additional level of sophistication, elegance, and ambience to the room.
One Touch Panel
The one touch panel, relay or scene controller comes with a max load current 5A. It consists of 1~10 programmable touch buttons. There is uniform dual back light with two-way feed back. The product is durable as it has Heat, humidity and shock proof design.
4+1 Touch Panel
The 4+1 Touch Panel can be used to set customized actions, with four programmable buttons, a two-pin socket, and a USB. It is ideally meant for the bedside of a room as four two-way switches can be used either as relays or scene mode, USB to charge mobiles and tablets and an outlet for laptops & other electronic appliances.
This allows users to set scenes, control individual devices like fans, lights, relays, blinds, and any power appliances. It is aesthetically designed and available in a variety of colors to blend effortlessly with any room’s decor.
The Pebble
Pebble is a new wireless remote-control button that combines elegant design and functionality into a simple, personalized device to control everything in the home. It allows you to customize up to nine scenes such as smart lighting, shading, thermostats, locks, and more with a single touch. The pocket-sized device with a small aluminum frame and a glass touch top cab be stick easily on any metallic, glass or wooden surface or carry around in your pocket. Pebble features customization that is unique for each user’s activity and easy-to-use with a single tap, Double tap or, Press & Hold.
Paired with any Hub, Pebble can be used as an add-on device to create additional control for Touch Panels as Prima+, Prima in various zones of a home. It is compatible with other Z-Wave devices. The Pebble is energy efficient and comes with a battery life of one-year under regular use.
Video Door Bell
The Video Door Bell from Hogar Controls is equipped with night-vision support and motion detection features. The doorbell not only lets you keep an eye at your door from anywhere in the world, but also lets you integrate with your home’s security systems to trigger lock/unlock sequences remotely.
The Video Door Bell has wireless connectivity and features two-way audio & one-way video. It has two-way audio capability which means that you can not only view who’s at the entrance, but also hear & interact with them using the user-friendly HogarCam HD mobile app.
The Hogar Hub
The Hub is the core of Hogar’s smart home automation system. The devices mentioned above are connected to the Hogar Hub which in turn is connected to the internet. There is lot of attention given to the aesthetics of the Hogar Hub. There are bare minimum LEDs on the Hub which indicate the status of power, internet connectivity, etc.
Conclusion
All the products from Hogar Controls are ZigBee/Z-Wave certified. They have been tested under rigorous conditions e.g. power fluctuations, throttling internet connectivity, etc. in order to suit the needs of different geographies. Seamless integration from a normal home to a smart home and detailed attention to design & aesthetics are two major plus points as far as Hogar Controls is concerned. You can visit Hogar Controls to request a quote or order a demo kit.