Home Automation:
The 101 on sexy,seamless living
You have the right to an exceptional life. Meaning you have the right to a One Touch Control
lifestyle that panders to your designer bucket list. It begins with automation of the home, and ends
with, well, in my opinion, it never ends.
Home Automation is a pretty limitless luxury that might start with a home cinema or a remotely
activated security set up, but it most de nitely does not end there.
Home Automation extends to audiovisual, CCTV, alarm systems, intercoms, lighting, keypads,
man caves, she-sheds, speaker systems, TV projectors, bars, water features, drawers, doors,
blinds, right through to mood and atmosphere. The rule of thumb: if it can rise, drop, open and
close, switch on and o , all by itself – then it can be automated; programmed to operate from an
app on your phone or tablet, or on a timed schedule.
The scope of design for a fully integrated smart home is in nite – and hot. Damn hot. In South
Africa alone, smart home penetration is sitting at 4.1 % with a forecasted increase to hit a massive
9.9% by 2023. That hot. More and more home owners are waking up to the bene ts of seamlessly
put-together integrated homes, for their living tastes, and for the comfort of the family.
To better appreciate the luxury of a one touch lifestyle, I like to break it up into the 5 Key C’s of smart
home living.
1. C isfor…Communication
When you go smart, things get real. Like real real. Yoursmart home is no longer just a static, inanimate
spot of shelter on the corner of Wellington and 5 th. It’s a living, breathing, perceiving thing that hasthe
ability to observe, detect,smell and predict your next move. With seamless connectivity, and a black box
of brain tech signal, you and your home are practically having a conversation every minute of the day. It’ll
switch on and o for you as and when you need it to, because you said so. Because you trained it to. The
only thing it won’t do (for now) is pack away yourshorts.
2. C isfor …Centralised
Everything comes back to centre. An important part of Smart Home Integration Technology is keeping
things cool, calm and centralised. Your CCTV, yoursound system, your alarms, your voice assistant such
as Alexa for example, are allsubsystems of a greater ecosystem of automation. Home Integration means
centralising your automated subsystems into one interface, forthe most seamless and organised
experience.
3. C isfor…Control
Take the wheel of your home, and drive it the way you like it. Home automation exists for the sole purpose
of enabling homeowners to gain complete control of their homes. From unlocking the door for a dogwalker {while you’re in Barcelona, sorry} to adjusting climate control inside the house to closing the blinds
from the sun while you’re listening to Bach, to checking on the kidsin the Pajama lounge, to activating
yourlights as a thief deterrent while you’re slaying a llet steak at The Grill House. Like I said, control. All
of this conveniently operated in real time, live streaming from your tablet.
4. C isfor …Customised
Thisis where the real fun begins. Your smart home lets you programme any device that’s hooked up to
yourintegrated system, to accommodate daily routines for the whole family. You can programme the kids’
TV channel to turn on as soon as they’re sitting in front of the home cinema screen; you can programme
the co ee machine to have a fresh cup made at 6:30pm {every night}, you can schedule your lights in the
downstairs TV room to gradually brighten at 2am to wake you, in case you’ve fallen asleep watching
Narcos {again}. This technology is an ecosystem of uidity in your home that exists purely to
accommodate your best, easiest life.
5. C isfor …Cutting Edge Comfort
Doessuch a thing exist? Oh yesit does. With the right smart home design partners, it’sincredible what
humans can achieve and innovate purely driven by the desire for comfort. Automating functionality in the
home is an art, that ultimately frees up space to enjoy your time here, there and away. The core essence
of Home Automation isreally to design an improved way of living that will keep things comfortable, plush
and deservedly premium.
Nick Caripis isthe founder of BNC Technology – CEDIA Awards Winners 2017/2018/2019. BNC
Technology has been delivering state of the art, home integrated systems since 2008, and is an
accredited CPD training facility for architects and designers of futuristic design. For more
information on BNC Technology visit www.bnctechnology.co.za