| |August 201919oday `Homes' are not just enclosure of four walls made of Bricks and Mortars. But they have become `Intelligent' and `Smart'. These `Smart Homes' comprise of appliances and devices that actually communicate with user. Let's explore the concept of `Smart Homes' in more details.What is a `Smart Home'?Smart Home is gaining lots of popularity in Real Estate sector in recent years. So, what do you mean by `Smart Home'? Smart Home, also called Home Automation or Domotics, is a technology that is being implemented to provide comfort, convenience, energy saving, and security to the homeowners. The Smart Home comprises of various devices and appliances that are usually controlled from smartphones. These smartphones are configured with a smart home app that actually controls the devices and appliances as installed in the Smart Home.The Smart Home system is built on the internet of things (IoT). This enables devices and appliances to operate together, sharing consumer usage data among themselves and automating actions based on the homeowners' preferences.Every devices and appliances being used in a `Normal Home' has its `Smart Home' alternative. Here we are going to explore some conventional and unconventional `Smart Home' devices and appliances. Smart Lighting SystemLights are an important component of any Home. Now Lighting solutions as implemented in Smart Homes are auto-adjustable to Condition and Occupancy in the building. For example, Occupancy sensors installed in the Smart Homes can switch on or off the lights automatically based on whether any persons are present or not in the area. Similarly Light sensors can adjust the brightness of indoor TCIO INSIGHTSSMART HOMES: NOT TOO DISTANT REALITY By Amit Bhatia, CIO, Jaquar Grouplighting based on the amount of available ambient light i.e. how bright/dark it is (also called daylight connection).Furthermore, the Smart Lights can also be manually controlled from smartphones. The user can switch on/off lights; dim/brighten the lights; etc. all from their smartphones.Smart Air ConditioningThe main objectives of installing Smart Air-conditioning technology is to improve the comfort conditions of its occupants, reduce energy expenses and also put lessen workload on facilities staff. But what is Smart Air-conditioning? The Smart Air-conditioning, like other Smart Technologies, has sensor embedded within it and is integrated with the home automation system. These sensors monitor temperature, humidity, air velocities, presence of occupants in the house and based on the data received from the sensors fine-tune them to optimize comfort while reducing energy consumption. For example, if there is no person in a room, the `Smart Air-conditioner' will automatically get switched off. These devices also record the owner's behavior and adjust its settings accordingly to provide maximum comfort and efficiency. These `Smart Air-
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