A modern implementation of home automation solutions in a villa residence in Bangalore, India
A Home Automation Dream In Bangalore
After many months of contemplation, meticulous planning, and consideration you have committed to the idea of building that palatial dream home of yours. You are convinced that no expense will be spared and this house must be adorned with the finest luxury and comforts that will leave you wanting for nothing. After weeks of deliberation, your architect has delivered on all fronts and you can fully visualize this dream, smell the fresh paint and feel the warmth of your home inviting you in. But then you stop and think “This is the 21st century! Where is the magic? Where is that wow factor? Where is the tech?”
Most often, modern-day homeowners are oblivious to the wonders that technology can infuse into their homes. Unable to look beyond large LED TVs, surround sound systems, or double door fridges with ice dispensers, these houses soon become a dull experience failing to excite your senses while not helping you win any bragging rights. But a discerning few do their research and stumble across the fantastic and marvelous advent of smart home automation.
Building Mr. Amaresan’s Smart Home
Unwilling to settle for the ordinary and wanting the most modern outlook and features for his family’s dream home, Mr. Amaresan needed to partner with home automation experts in Bangalore. Toyama Controls stepped in and took on this task to deliver complete home automation solutions for his sprawling and luxurious 4-floor, 4 BHK villa located in Hennur, Bangalore. With a promise to make his home future-ready and ‘tech’quip it the right way Toyama set out to deliver its best work yet, and deliver we did!
Finding the Right Solutions
Unlike hotel room automation or automating standard apartment complex units, a smart home villa is all about the specifics. Understanding why the homeowner wants to automate an appliance or include a feature is key to ensuring that we are delivering all the conveniences that come with automation while not going overboard.
Mr. Amaresan’s home, a 4-floor structure, had a pronounced requirement for remote access to its users from anywhere. Not having to traverse multiple floors to simply turn on/off a light or heater adds a great level of convenience to the living space especially in a day-to-day setting. With each floor housing one bedroom and one other feature, the need to personalize each floor to be user-specific(children, elderly, guests) and utility-specific became a logical choice.
The swimming pool, gym, and home theatres also offered an opportunity to add utility and sophistication to the decor and Toyama rose to the challenge.
Using Technology like Magic
Taking into account the multi-floor setup of the home and the vast number of devices that would eventually come onto the grid, Toyama employed Control4’s EA1 controller. Being the brain of the home automation this controller would ensure that every task/command sent to it from various control devices be it Toyama’s WizHome app, switches, IR remotes or voice commands would be executed with no lags and high efficiencies. Furthermore, these controllers are compatible with smart devices like home theatres, projectors, and TVs from multiple technology brands allowing users to access deep features from within Toyama’s ecosystem which would otherwise require using device-specific remotes or physical buttons.
Pairing the controller with Toyama’s T-Gate system enabled this entire home automation grid to go online, effectively making it a vine of IoTs and allowing for seamless remote access from anywhere for multiple users, simultaneously. This also allows every switch in this setup to be controlled remotely using voice assistants like Alex and Google Assistant. Building a T-Mesh using Zigbee switches paved a robust system that comes with built-in fail-safes and reducing the requirement and dependency of wi-fi systems on each floor.
On Different Levels – Smart Switches, Sensors & Scenes
Starting off at the ground floor with the living and dining spaces, Toyama employed an integrated, sleek, 6-module touch panel to control lighting and dimming along with curtain controllers for motor-driven opening and closing of window curtains. Considering this would also be the floor that would be used to entertain guests etc it was also equipped with a 4 scene touch panel that can be programmed for various modes and scenes.
The first floor houses one more living space and a bedroom mirroring the automation setup of that in the ground floor with lighting, dimming, and curtain controls. Additionally, the bathroom in this(and other floors) have been equipped with motion sensors for automatic lighting depending on occupancy. This would help avoid unnecessary energy consumption when these spaces are not in use and brings a rather unique feature to the home which is otherwise only found in commercial spaces. The passages leading to each room on every floor also have been equipped with lighting and programmed scene panels allowing the occupants on each floor to set the scene with a single touch.
The Pool – Light Dimming Controls
The swimming pool which is located on the second floor(along with the 2nd bedroom) presented the opportunity for a glass touch panel with dimming controls. Apart from offering better hygiene, safety, and ease of maintenance under predominantly wet conditions, the dimming action could be the perfect feature to help mirror the mood of the person using the pool. Be it a lazy soak in the pool after a long day under dim lights or a few heart-racing laps during a workout under a bright and invigorating setting, Toyama had this covered.
Home Theatre Room – Smart Media Control Hub
Dedicated home theatre setups are parcels of pride for every homeowner. While even a rudimentary setup never fails to wow guests and family, a well-thought arrangement with the right bells and whistles can drop jaws and have you beaming with joy as the adulation pours in.
Enter Matterlink from Control4, a device that can communicate simultaneously with multiple devices which depend on IR or RF for control inputs. This device, located on the 3rd floor of Mr. Amaresans home theatre room takes away the need to reach for 4 different remotes, one each for the AC, TV, sound system, and projector every time he wants to settle in and watch his favorite flick. Integrated with Toyama’s home automation ecosystem, this allows his family to access all of these from the comfort of any phone or a dedicated touch device like an Ipad or tablet that can become the home theatre’s control panel along with controls to the lighting, curtains etc. The family can just sit back, relax and let the wonders of technology pamper them on movie night. Oh! Someone still needs to make that tub of hot popcorn though(as of now) but Toyama has everything else covered.
Gym and Master Bedroom – Design & Durability
Nestled away cozily on the 4th floor are the master bedroom and a gym. Being the main feature of this particular floor, the bedroom was fitted out with sleek multi-function touch panel switches to control the lighting, dimming, and curtains. This bedroom’s paneling was given special attention to match decor and design, an easy feat for Toyama, given the wide range of customization options that are on offer. The other feature on this floor, the gym, was equipped with light control panels and high-capacity power switch panels to support the power rating of gym equipment.
Get Smart, Talk to the Experts
Dream homes are just that and sometimes more. They are a reflection of yourself and embody years of wishful thinking. When done with taste, dedication, and the right partnerships, the results can go on to meet your every expectation and go beyond. It’s important that it’s done perfectly the first time as there is little scope for do-overs.
If you are planning your dream home, reach out to us at Toyama Controls. We can help add a little magic to that dream of yours because we believe that everyone deserves their happily ever after!