No Watchmen, No Guards: Homes are smart enough to guard themselves

Gone are the days when you were bothered for the security of your home and the commodities. Now you don't need to look into the magic-eye to look for the entrant. No need to run after the children from parks to the playground. Here are the smart and intelligent homes to solve all your problems.

The digital revolution has morphed our lifestyle and the latest in a high tech world, promising ultimate luxury, is home automation. No one would have ever imagined the conveniences offered by a home, even a decade ago. It is the integration of all the home appliances into a single system controlled through a remote control. This system collects data from various appliances. All the appliances work as a sensor that process and send their data to a central processing unit. In such a way, the standard home gadgets like the toaster, television, home theater and geyser are able to respond to individual commands.

Securing the entry
The visitors to your home can enroll their fingerprints and gain access to the home. On pressing the doorbell, a personalized message of welcome will be heard on the door and the door will automatically open if there is an authorized visitor. The cameras at the society gate will take a picture of your guest and let you know of your visitor's arrival over the phone connected to the digital home gateway. As the visitor approaches your home, the door camera will detect his motion and show live video, with beeps calling your attention. Then it is up to you to open the door or not.

Out of home: No probs!
When you are out of home, and someone visits, the images at your apartment door or at the society gate will be available for you to view from wherever you are. So you know who visited and can call him later. In case an intruder tries to enter your home, an alarm will make the watchmen at the security gate alert, and you will het an SMS or a voice call on your mobile.

Control appliances from anywhere
You will be able to control various appliances, like the gas, lights, water from your mobile or over the Net. Just pressing a key will put the home in locked mode, with lights, gas and water switched off and other configurable actions performed. You are on the way back home and want the appliances to be ready, you can get them ready even before reaching home through your mobile phone. You can switch on the oven for 10 minutes, switch on the air conditioning and get hot water ready for the shower. If an emergency like a water leak or power failure occurs at home then the telephone system would automatically connect to your cell phone number.

How much to pay?
The cost of such customized comfort will depend on an individual's personal needs, which can led to price variations. The simplest version of total automation could cost between Rs 3 lakh and for the premium ones you might have to pay around Rs 15 lakh and more.