Technology
TECHNOLOGY IN HOME RENOVATIONS By: Sarang Vengurlekar
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he Interest rates are currently at a historic low and this is a good time to pull out a bit of cash from your home loan to do the much-needed renovations that have been on the back burner for years. Since we are moving towards the future the new homes built today have various technologies incorporated during the construction phase. If you are planning to renovate your house or just a room then you might as well consider innovative solutions to make sure your home looks adorable, functional and is comfortable. We are all utilizing digital technologies, and you can make your home digitally inclined without too much expense. It is now the right time to embrace the smart home technology at the same time. Some basic innovations during renovations are: Smart Home Automation – Motion, Flood, Smoke, Glass breakage, Siren, Digital door lock are all part of Smart Home Automation. These devices communicate with a central hub to ensure they are working as per their given functions. Once you have set customised scenes these will perform functions as per your requirement and will send notification as needed. A traditional alarm system is no longer needed as Smart Home Solutions will ensure it is performing the same actions for you.
Smart Lighting – Philips hue is a very good product and you are now able to purchase downlights that works with the hub. Download Our App
Picture credits – Build-review.com At the same time, you are able to use the Philips Hue Bayonet or Screw Type bulbs where automation is not possible. This will ensure you are not walking into a dark home and the lights are always lit to ensure you and your family are safe. Smart Doorbell – Doorbell cameras are very good specially from Ring as it can detect motion and can let you know someone is at the door without them pressing the doorbell button. The ringer inside the home will make a sound as soon as the motion is detected. This is a product that will also show you who is at the door via its own app which is very user friendly. Robotics – Robot vacuum cleaners are becoming very popular such as iRobot, LG, Samsung etc. These are the cleaners who will come into action when nobody is at home and ensure the home is always looking clean. These little miracle workers will pick up small dust and particles around the house. No longer you will have to take the vacuum cleaner out for small things. These cleaners can also tie up with the home automation system as they can be operated via Bluetooth or WiFi. Smart Speakers – Bose is a very wellknown brand and they now have a range of WiFi solutions for their speakers. It is possible to get the speakers that are kept in every room and controlled via an app or you may also purchase speakers that are also flush mountable. Apart from Bose there are many brands such as Sonos who also have the same offerings. CCTV – These are important aspects of MARCH I 2019
Picture Credits - futureiq.com.au surveillance to ensure you and your family are safe at all times. Instead of large cameras it is better to go with smaller cameras that are hidden away under the eaves to make sure your visitors won’t feel uncomfortable. This way you have the ability to monitor your home whilst on holidays overseas. Most of the cameras are PoE (Power Over Ethernet) where you will let electrician only install the RJ45 Cat6 Cable to power the cameras. You may also opt in to use the wireless versions which run of batteries, but the drawback is when you are overseas you are unable to change/charge the batteries which will leave you wondering about the safety of your home. RJ45 (CAT6) Points – Ensure you are also getting CAT6 cable in every room for your connectivity. It is normally a good idea to plug in your system to a hard wire if you have large transfers such as video files to go over the wire instead of wireless. This ensures you are not disconnected in the middle of the transfer. Wireless also takes longer to transfer a file than the wired solution. Smart Power Points – This is now the new trend where power points are also smart. Imagine if you were to turn the washing machine off when you are out of the house or how about turning off the Iron which you forgot to turn off in a hurry while running out of the house? The power points are handy additions to the whole smart home solution to ensure you are not left worrying for the entire day at work. www.DesiAustralia.com
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