Thinking smarter is the way forward

Home automation can appear overly complex but there are simple, easy-to-use systems out there that offer installers the opportunity to make their customers’ homes smarter, writes Alex Velea, Smart Technical Engineer at Knightsbridge.

The smart home has long been talked about, but the current offerings rely on expensive hubs and gateways that take considerable setting up, have overcomplicated user interfaces, and require an excessive amount of personal information to get started. Certainly, there’s an appetite from consumers to get into a smart way of controlling appliances and lighting, but the barriers to entry have been prohibitive on the cost front and overly complex.

Another driver for smart usage has been the trend towards home improvements driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to working from home (WFH). Not only have people saved money, but they have also spent more time at home which has led to a reappraisal of rooms, décor and lighting, especially when faced with making the home your ‘office’.

This ‘living/working space’ upgrade is driving refurbishments and rewiring upgrades, providing an opportunity to install smart devices. As a survey of householders by the HomeServe Foundation reveals, electrical work is taking over a quarter of the budget (27%) allocated to home improvements by the British public, suggesting that there is a great opportunity for sales of smart devices to flourish.

What the market really needs is a simple-to-use smart system that offers convenience, flexibility, and scalability, where devices can be controlled by an app via an existing home router. For the homeowner, this would negate the need for costly outlay on proprietary systems and allow the installer to suggest electrical accessories and lighting products that can be built into a tailor-made smart system for the home.

SMART COLOUR-CHANGING DOWNLIGHTS

• Fire-rated to 30, 60, and 90 minutes • Over 16 million colour options • Loop-in / loop-out terminals

Approvals

Interestingly, Knightsbridge’s latest survey of over one thousand electrical contractors revealed that a very high percentage of the trade were very much aware of smart technology but there was less confidence about installing smart products. Luckily that’s where the latest range of Knightsbridge smart products come into their own. Designed to be easily installed and quickly configured into the SmartKnight app, the wiring accessories and lighting products can be controlled via a smartphone. All the homeowner has to do is download the app onto their smartphone from either Google Play or the Apple App Store and follow the instructions. What’s worth noting is that all of the Knightsbridge smart product range has been sent to Google and Amazon for independent testing and approval. That’s why you’ll see the official ‘works with’ logo, rather than ‘compatible with’, which some systems use.

Once downloaded, the user can take advantage of all the useful features on the app, like timers, schedules, scenes, and geo-fencing (so devices can activate when the customer gets home). And what could be more convenient than simply issuing instructions to either Alexa or Google Assistant to turn down the lights or turn off connected appliances! Using such assistant enabled speakers, customers can create automation and have them triggered by voice command. One example would be when one says, “Alexa/Hey Google, good morning” and the lights turn on to a set colour temperature and brightness, while the speaker gives the day’s news and weather. If it’s going to be hot, using the assistant and a smart socket, a customer can have a fan plugged into a smart socket and when they say “Alexa, I am hot” the fan turns on for a set period.

Choose your lighting effects with SmartKnight

Smart three-gang extension lead with quad USB chargers

Smart choices

So, what forms the basis of the Knightsbridge smart home portfolio? At the heart of the range are the two 13A two-gang, smart switched sockets, manufactured to match the designs of its existing square and curved edge ranges of moulded switches and sockets. They feature a power monitoring function so the homeowner can see live power usage on the socket in kWh and a green indicator on the socket shows if the relevant gang is on. Appliances attached to the socket will be controllable remotely or by voice. For example, a customer can fill their kettle before they go to bed, flip the switch on the kettle while the socket is off and then through creating an automation via the app, turn the socket on at 8am the following morning, thus turning the kettle on ready for a pot of tea.

Where homeowners will have most fun is with the range of smart LED downlights which can be controlled via the SmartKnight app to provide a raft of lighting scenarios. Depending on the model installed, they can vary not only the colour temperature from warm white to daylight and everything in between, but also the RGB colour with over 16 million options available. For example, if your customer is working in their home ‘office’, the lights can be programmed via the app to change colour depending on the time of the day. Research from US office and lighting designer Felderman and Keatinge has found that different colour temperatures encourage different levels of comfort, relaxation and productivity. Warm colours, such as 2700K and 3000K, are relaxing colours so they are a good option to start the day. Afterwards, the colours can change to 4000K and 6000K, which are called task/ focus colours, and help and stimulate concentration on the task in hand. Towards the end of the day, the colours become warmer again which helps relaxation as the end of the workday approaches.

The range also features several useful ancillaries to extend the smart capability of the home, such as a 16A smart plug, a 10A three-gang smart extension lead with quad USB charger, and smart motion and entry sensors. If the customer is going out for the day and wants to return to a prepared meal, simply plug a slow cooker into a smart socket/plug adaptor, turn on the cooker remotely and have the dinner ready by the time they arrive home.

The latest additions to the smart range include LED lamps, sensors and a security camera, all controllable via the SmartKnight app. For instance, the plug and play indoor security camera offers a number of useful features, including a built-in two-way audio system that enables the user to see, hear and converse with people in shot. There is the facility for an on-board SD card for data storage or, alternatively, Cloud recording (with a subscription). For further security measures, the contact sensor can be attached to the external door of the house, using the IP66 two-gang switched socket and an existing floodlight/bulkhead plugged into the socket. When the sensor is triggered, it will turn on the floodlight and send a notification as well. And with the nights drawing in, the geofencing capabilities of the smart range come into their own. So, via the app the homeowner can program that when they pull into the drive, the smart bulbs inside the outdoor spikes/bollards will light up and illuminate the path to their front door.

For the installer, this variety of products on offer also maximises the opportunity for repeat business - some buyers will want one smart item to test the benefits, paving the way for future smart purchases, expanding their SmartKnight portfolio.

Whatever the homeowner’s appetite for ‘smart’ is, the Knightsbridge range can help satisfy it; so, remember: don’t just sell products, sell smart – it’ll pay dividends!

Knightsbridge, mlaccessories.co.uk

Knightsbridge 13A two-gang smart switched socket

SMART LED FLEX CONTROLLER

• Compatible with single colour, CCT, RGB, and RGBW flex from Knightsbridge • Enables users to control LED Flex lighting via the SmartKnight app