The Hindu Business Line : Smart home concept catching up

Bangalore April 7 Home automation technology is slowly becoming a part of the everyday life of the average Indian. Though the market was largely gripped by the notion that smart home products were only for the elite till about a few years ago, awareness on the products available in the market is growing.

Companies today offer various home subsystems that enable consumers to enjoy the connected home lifestyle fully.

"The smart home concept has been talked about in the past, but it was relegated to clapping your hands and having the lights come on. But a truly smart home is quite different and in addition to providing several conveniences like appliance control and information, it also solves a multitude of issues within the home, one of the major ones being that of security," says Mr Anant Maheshwari, Director, South Asia, Honeywell Security.

Though Honeywell Security has been in the global home automation business over the last 20 years, the home systems business was launched in India in 2006.

Legrand India, subsidiary of the 3.2-billion Legrand group based at Limoges, France, manufacturer of electrical installation and information network products, has been in the smart home products space in the country since 2003.

Explaining the company's decision to enter this niche segment, Mr Benoit Lecuyer, Managing Director, Legrand India, says that there is "a sea change in consumer attitude from conventional one to an avant-garde one. It was this wave which Legrand wanted to leverage on and offer innovative solutions to home users, which would enhance the aesthetic appeal of homes, the lifestyle quotient of the home user and enhance comfort at all levels."

Another influential factor, he says, is the metamorphosis in the real estate domain. Besides, "the new-age customer is willing to invest in smart home products due to operational ease," he says.

With increased awareness and purchasing power among the upper-middle class, the demand for smart home products is catching up in a big way, he adds.

Preferred products

According to him, the new-age customer prefers security products, home automation products, mood-lighting and scenario products, and remotes as well as products that can be controlled through a mobile phone or computer.

Though there are no market studies to confirm the size of this comparatively new market or the share of demand, Mr Maheshwari says that Honeywell Home Systems has completed some marquee residential projects and is in discussions for multiple major projects across all major cities in India. Legrand India hopes to become "a major reference player in India for these products by 2008," Mr Lecuyer says, adding that it has chalked out growth plans to achieve this.

He adds that the company is continuously growing at a rate above 55 per cent in this segment every year for the last few years, and hopes to maintain this growth in the coming years, right up to 2010-11.

Mr Maheshwari says that home-systems is likely to be the fastest growing category for Honeywell Security in India for the next few years.

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