Still waiting for the smarthome
19/07/2005 The Star By Brigitte Rozario

A few years ago, “smarthome” was a buzzword. Everyone was talking about houses with broadband, intelligent security systems, automatic lights, plus refrigerators that let you surf the Net.

That was then.

Today, the excitement over the smarthome seems to have died down.

People now realise that any old house can have broadband and an intelligent security system, and that surfing the Net from the fridge is not that practical in a country where so few of our grocers are online.

Plus, there was the realisation that some developers were just using the word “smart” in their brochures to sell apartments which actually only had broadband.

How smart is that
The excitement may have died down, but the smarthome concept is not dead. Far from it, says interior designer Ronnie Choong, who is the executive director of S.I. Design.

He believes that the smarthome will take off in another five years.

Choong, who is also president of the Malaysian Society of Interior Designers, says: “You will find more and more technology being used – be it in a home, office, or a retail or F&B outlet. You will find that there’s more technology – not just wireless – making an impact on interiors. That is what’s happening now and (what I believe will continue to happen) in the future.”

It is a case of technology making life more convenient, user-friendly and simple.

According to Choong, people now have a lot less equipment in their homes as opposed to their grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ time.

“Nowadays a lot of things are integrated. You have things like the Media Centre where you have a PC, which controls everything in your living room. That basically frees up a lot of space. So, instead of going into the living room and seeing a lot of equipment or trying to hide the equipment, you’ll find you have less equipment to deal with.

“The centrepiece in your living room remains your entertainment centre which is basically your TV and home stereo. However, today’s TVs are getting thinner thanks to LCD (liquid-crystal display) and plasma screens, and this affects the space that we plan and the sort of design that we have.”

Tech and interior design
People in technology will continue innovating, more so when it comes to building converged devices. Because of this, the interior design of homes and offices will keep evolving to include these items.

Choong says, “People will definitely buy converged devices and this will influence the interiors. That’s why nowadays you have smarthomes where you can control almost everything from your remote control commander, even when you’re away from the house.

“This includes your security system, air-conditioning, lighting and webcam, and you don’t even have to be at home to do it.”

Even security devices are changing the way we design our homes and how we live. Choong says he wishes that there would be a day when houses in Malaysia would not need grilles.

“That’s always a sore point with designers – you design a house with nice windows and the client says ‘I need security grilles.’ That’s a killer to the design.

“Maybe one day someone will invent a security system so good that people will feel comfortable enough to be in a house without grilles. These are technologies that we hope will happen. When it happens it will influence our homes and their designs.”

Look ma, no wires
Wireless technology is also playing a big role not just in how we surf the Internet but also how we arrange the items in our house.

Choong explains that with wireless technology in home theatre systems, people are no longer limited in where and how they place their hifi.

“Traditionally you had to determine where you wanted to put your speakers when you were renovating your house. Then you would have your wires buried either into the floor or the wall. But this does not give you flexibility because if something goes wrong with your wires, what’s going to happen?

“Now with wireless systems, an RF (radio frequency) signal is used to link the rear speakers with the AV receiver. This way if you upgrade your system, you are still okay. But the technology is not that well developed yet.”

According to reports at specialist websites, in selected wireless hifi speakers there is still a slight delay in sound and the problem of interference from other wireless devices in the vicinity.

At the moment, it seems, there is still no running away from wires and cables as hifi still runs on power.

Perhaps one day someone will build a more efficient battery that can last a lot longer so that our hifi and TV run on batteries and are not dependent on an electrical power source.

That’ll be the day when our homes will really be wireless.

The future
“I think people are moving towards smarthomes. To what extent our homes will be smart is yet to be seen,” says Choong.

According to him, current smarthome systems include security, lighting, airconditioning and window control.

Choong says that while there are still not many units of smarthomes, there will be more elements of technology seeping into our homes and making them smarter.

“It also depends on cost because right now a smarthome is expensive, so only people of a certain income group can afford it. Already there are some developers who are incorporating smarthome systems into their buildings, but these are limited in number, and usually only for prime properties. “(A smarthome) is going to cost you a lot more, so at the end of the day people will just have to see whether the convenience is justified. If money is no object then of course the convenience is justified.

“People for whom money is no object might prefer to carry a remote control so they can go to any room, adjust the aircond, the window treatment, or check and see if the security system is in place just by using a handheld device.

“But the man on the street may not mind getting out of his chair, going to the switch and switching on his lights. So it depends on what people have in terms of money. “I think the general population may not be ready for the smarthome. The price is just too prohibitive right now,” says Choong.

The early adopters of technology will have to face the high price, the fear of not getting people to service the things they have and the lack of support, says Choong.

As with everything else in technology, it is the early adopters who will help push technology forward. These are the people who will help the manufacturers finetune their products and give the product such mass appeal that the price comes down.

For the rest of us, it’s a waiting game for the day when there are no grilles on our windows, the house door opens when the security system scans our iris, and there’s a hot meal waiting for us in the microwave.