How this firm helping people turn their old house into smart home

Home is possibly the most important purchase one ever makes. It is therefore extremely important to provide lifelong value through thoughtful planning, maximisation of utility and minimisation of maintenance costs. And smart homes are the way to go when it comes to your future as they ensure optimum safety, comfort and energy usage. And with new developments happening at a rapid pace each day in this field, smart homes are literally the future when it comes to home décor. Here is a man, who has been advocating building smart homes for long. Before joining the private sector, Vilas Kharche, founder and managing director, The Baya Company, had over 25 years of experience and held senior positions with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Thane Municipal Corporation and the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). He was also a consultant to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation. Speaking to Bizz Buzz exclusively, Rohit Kharche, director, The Baya Company, Mumbai-based premier integrated realty company, outlines everything one needs to know to make one's home smart

The concept of home automation or smart homes is picking up steadily in India. What is this concept all about and what is your take on that?

With the advent of the age of technology, connected devices and smart gadgets have taken over our daily lives and made things more convenient. Right from our phones doubling up as personal assistants to offices being compressed into portable hand-held gadgets, in the present day, technology is a basic necessity to lead an optimum life. With creativity driving new innovations, there is no dearth in new products in multiple sectors; and one of the upcoming markets for smart innovations is home automation.

Today, with most people looking for optimum convenience, the concept of home automation or smart homes has been picking up steam steadily in India. A smart home is easier to maintain, has better security and is simple to monitor and also makes your life easier. While most of us know what a smart home is, the question here is how to make a smart home, especially when there are a multitude of options and functions to choose from.

How does and where does one begin towards this goal?

Begin by looking the basic things you need based on your lifestyle and look at what kind of features and products you want. You could also start with some basic products to begin your home's 'smart' makeover and keep on adding to it over time.

Talking about homes, the first thing that comes to one's mind first is security. Isn't it?

You are absolutely right. One of the most advanced segments under smart homes is security. Your home's safety can now be easily ensured and monitored by installing smart locks, CCTV cameras, video door phones which are connected to apps and are also password protected. This way your home is literally a safe haven for you and your family and you can keep a check on everything through your phones anywhere, anytime.

Lighting certainly is another important aspect of home building- not just from the perspectives of the aesthetics but also from other stand points. What should one keep in mind in this case?

True, a smart home needs a smart interior décor, not just in terms of aesthetics but also functionality. And one of the prerequisites of smart interiors is smart lighting. There are a lot of options to choose from when it comes to lighting with motion sensor lights, coloured lights, curtains that are connected to apps to let in natural light. Such lighting options are convenient and energy efficient as they can be switched on and off and customised to suit ones mood and events with just a tap, or even a voice command.

Lots of talks are on about artificial intelligence (AI) and the applications of artificial intelligence in building a smart home. What would you say about that?

With artificial intelligence being the talk of the decade, a lot of devices have been introduced to have a personal home assistant to take care of your numerous daily tasks. Such devices are handy to get information about your social calendars, to do lists, general knowledge, music, etc, through just one command. These devices are designed keeping in mind spaces and are very compact and super-efficient.

In today's context, one cannot think of building a smart home without the entertainment aspects. What needs to be done or what should one keep in mind in this connection while building his dream home?

When setting up a home, entertainment plays a key aspect in the planning as good entertainment is something that most of us look forward to at the end of a long day, as well as when hosting a great house party. Well planned spaces give you the benefit of well-planned systems that sets up ones wireless speakers, game zones, smart TVs, and the likes.

People, who can afford, these days, buy a large number of appliances and most of them make a life style or fashion statement. But do they have any role to play in turning one's home into a smart home? How should one buy one's appliances?

Today, there are options like refrigerators that detect the expiry date of your products and send you alerts about it as well as even sense when fresh produce is going bad. Apart from this, even your taps can be upgraded to automatically sense water failure or leaks and turn off to ensure zero wastage of water. Even your coffee makers can be linked to your alarm so that it can start preparing your morning coffee as soon as you wake up. Even cleaning is now an easy task as there are multiple appliances that you can customise and control through your screens and use just the right amount of water needed.