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WIRED HOME
Touchstone comfort
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Sheer luxury at your feet with home automation, writes Abhijit Dev Kumar
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- PHOTO: ABHIJIT DEV KUMAR
Comfort levels: A view of the console installed as a part of home automation.
It’s all about comfort when technology comes to aid home solutions in every sphere. When one has the luxury of switching off all the lights with a touch of a single button or switching on the home theatre system and other appliances at the same time from another room, it only spells one thing -- home automation.
The terminology many be chic and futuristic, but everything about home automation is sheer comfort and luxury. Any electrical appliance, right from a fan, to a television to lights- literally everything can be operated using either a remote or a wall-mounted touch-screen console.
High-end option
High-end home automation comes with a set up that includes a main board (monitor) and a relay. All power points of the house are attached to the relay, which is programmed to handle various appliances and other electrical peripherals.
During installation, home owners have the option of choosing which areas of their homes have to be connected to the relay as per their requirements.
After the relay is installed, various options pop up on the monitor where one can see the controls, based on the appliances and electrical peripherals that were programmed into the relay. “One can browse through various rooms and operate lights or fans in the area. What’s best about them is that it indicates the status of each room, appliance and other functions that are user-friendly”, informs V.V.B. Kumar of the electrical department at Home Town. “Installing the high-end automation systems can cost anywhere between Rs. 6 lakh to Rs.7 lakh for a duplex house”, he adds.
Lower-end models
On the other hand, the lower end ones are remote-controlled. The set up involves installation of a two-gang dimmer, which is a set of two buttons controlled by a radioactive remote control. The dimmers can handle up to 600 watts of energy and are used to control the brightness of lights in the room. It is during installation, that the dimmers are programmed to respond to the remote. Call it an advanced version of switches for, the entire home is at your finger tips.
These dimmers or switches are loaded with wireless receivers and control signals from the remote covers a large radius, therefore letting one control the lights anywhere in a 3,000 square foot space.
“The amount of cabling and installation time is saved when one goes in for automation. One can control the lighting scenario and change it according to requirement.
For instance, if you want a subtle look, the lights can be dimmed or brightened, as per requirements. Innovative designs coupled with a futuristic micro-processor-based system involved in home automation will definitely give your home the most contemporary look,” concludes Venu G.Vedula, unit head of Home Town.
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