TECH SPECIAL........... THE SMART(ER) HOUSE

THE SMART(ER) HOUSE   It doesn't cost much to make your existing home smarter: apart from the convenience it offers, it also gives you bragging rights because each of these retrofit solutions is something you can do yourself ­ lighting, home automation, security and home-wide music. BOSE SOUNDTOUCH `19,013 onwards SoundTouch is the name Bose gives to its range of wireless, multi-room music systems. Rather than use a complicated wiring setup, the SoundTouch systems simply piggyback on your existing WiFi network. You can place multiple systems in your home and rename them on your network (living room, bedroom, kitchen and so on). After a 2-minute setup, each music system will be visible in the free app (Android & iOS) and you can control them from anywhere. They can all play the same or different music. You can play music from your portable device, from a computer on the same network or just internet radio. And, multiple family members can get the app and gain control. It's a no-nonsense, home-wide, wireless audio system that works the way you want it to. XIAOMI XIAOYI SMART CAMERA `2,500 onwards Think of a regular security camera and how diffi cult (and expensive) it is to set up. Xiaomi's solu tion is a tiny, `smart' camera that you can place in multiple locations inside your home. Each one is connected to your WiFi, has a 720p resolution, micro SD slot for video storage, a 111 degree wide-angle lens with 4x zoom, IR LEDs for night vision, and the ability to make two-way voice calls. The feed from any cam in your house will be viewable on your smartphone. Plus, it has features like intrusion alert (if you're away from home, the app will alert you if it detects movement) and recording capabilities: it can be set to auto record when it detects movement, giving you a dated footage in case of any incidents. The usb powered version is cheaper but if you prefer, you can get units that plug into a wall outlet for `3,500 each. One camera is enough to cover a full room. PHILIPS HUE `16,995 onwards The Hue lighting system from Philips is something you can install yourself within a few minutes. You can change col ours and intensity at will ­ even automating this proc ess using numerous third-party apps. An interesting application is `scenes': a combination of colour temper ature and intensity. Lighting can affect your mood, and scenes can help with this. In the starter kit, you get three multicolour LED bulbs (each rated at 9 watts) and a controller pod. First, you need to connect the controller pod to a power source and to your WiFi router. Then you install the bulbs (it's the screw type E27 base though ­ not the more common B22 bayonet type) and use the free iOSAndroid app to pair each bulb with the controller. You can buy additional bulbs for `3,895 apiece. Each bulb communicates wire lessly with the controller. INOHO `11,999 onwards There can be a lot of variation in the type of wiring, switches and electrical modules in your home ­ but as long as they run 220 volts, you can use Inoho to automate them. The starter kit includes a home controller and a 5.1 switchboard module. The home controller connects to your WiFi router and controls each switchboard wirelessly. For additional rooms, you will need to buy more switchboard modules as needed, whenever you want to expand the functionality (these are `5,499 each).Each home controller can control up to 500 additional switchboard modules. With the app, you can control all lights, fans and even heavy appliances like water heaters and air conditioners. A cloud-based system lets you log in remotely from anywhere. ET 10OCT15