Your Jetsons-esque, technologically advanced
home could be closer than you think. Living
spaces in the not-so-distant future will feature
all-encompassing devices that not only control
electrical equipment but actually think for
themselves – and for you.
According to an official from a company that's
pushing the smart home agenda in the UAE,
intelligent homes go beyond just controlling a
few equipment at the touch of a button.
"Smart homes should have their own
intelligence," says VS Vinod, the sales manager
for LG's HomNet, the home solutions provider arm
of the Korean company. "It should be an entire
experience and something that is made to enhance
your life."
What the official means is that in the homes of
the future, you will have devices that warn you
if you might need a thorough medical check up,
that vacuum your house while you are gone or
those that kick-start the air-conditioning
before you return. They will also alert you in
case of a break-in while on a holiday, take snap
shots of visitors at the door or keep a tab on
monthly water and electricity consumption
through one singular device.
"Everything is converging and we cannot be
bothered with different devices that perform
different functions," says Vinod.
And if he has his way, that future, being
developed by Goldcrest Properties, is only a few
years away. To be built in Ajman, the venture,
one of a number of projects being constructed by
the company, will start at around Dh595 per sq
ft and could change the concept of smart
thinking homes here.
But the smart home concept is not new. In a
crowded real estate market like the UAE,
property developers looking for USPs have often
harped on about futuristic designs and buildings
with robotic proportions. So exactly what kind
of future home is LG proposing?
"Our solutions redefine community living. We are
not so concentrated on individual homes. What we
want to do is provide everyone in the community
a secure and convenient lifestyle with the
integration of various digital home appliances,"
says Vinod, adding that the HomNet philosophy is
"converged, intelligent, home network
solutions".
This, he explains, is achieved by hooking up all
devices to one singular device, the server,
which is at the heart of each smart home. "It's
like using your Yahoo or Google mail. You just
sign in and you can control everything," he
says.
"All homes in the community will be connected to
a central server. Apartments or groups of villas
will then have their unique IP addresses from
which they can access all aspects of their homes
from anywhere."
Through a one unifying screen, residents can
control just about anything in their homes –
from basic automated functions such as lighting
and doors to dialling home deliveries at the
touch of a button. The server is also equipped
with health devices that check your health and
send reports to the community doctor. Cameras
cover the children's playground so you can keep
an eye on them while you are up on the 30th
floor doing laundry while your door bell records
"missed visitors" when no one is home.
Syed Abedi, the marketing manager for Goldcrest
Properties, says more and more people are
looking for value-added services when investing
in a home.
"We wanted to be unique in the market and give
people options by which they can enhance their
lifestyles," Abedi says.
While the "Smart City" name is still under legal
consideration, construction is set to begin by
the end of this year and completed in 2012.
According to Abedi, 90 per cent of the
properties have already been sold.
LG HomNet was founded in 2002 and launched in
the UAE and China in 2007. The company is
already in partnership with various developers
in the Emirates to create futuristic homes.
But in an age when the technology of today
becomes obsolete tomorrow, is investing in a
hi-tech home the wisest thing to do?
"Our homes are future ready," assures Vinod. "It
is open to upgrades and can be hooked on to
other appliances and not just exclusively LG's."
LG, he adds, is a member of the ZigBee Alliance,
an association that allows multiple vendors to
create interoperable products.
So where will all these developments take us?
"We want to make technology affordable for all,"
says Vinod.
"What we are creating now is already 50 per cent
cheaper than traditional smart homes.
"That is what technology should be. It should be
accessible and affordable to all. We are not
worried too much about the future because it is
already here."
Manage your
home at the touch of a button.
