Why have Home Automation retrofit solutions not been successful in India yet?

In the previous blog post, we covered the present state of the Indian Home Automation market, here we speculate on what may happen in the coming years

Growth in Automation Market in India (2018-22)

The next phase for the Home automation market will occur based on a few key improvements in the technology available in Automation, such as improvement in Wireless Automation solutions as well as lowering of price points as the market begins to accept Home automation usage in larger volumes. Some trends that we foresee for this phase of the industry are

• Big companies like Philips, Siemens & Schneider will eventually bring out fairly mass market automation products with appealing user interface but at a lower price point than today, and more people will be able to afford the products
• Solution offerings will slowly move to a more user friendly design, where aside from a few key components, users will be able to buy and use the Automation products themselves without the aid of any technical expert
• Some foreign players will have niche in high end automation and focus on the premium market (>20 Lakh ticket size).

Commodification of Automation market (2021 onward)

As with any industry, as Automation for residences become common place, the market will eventually be crowded with several players, multiple product offerings and competitive pricing. The market for just Home automation is estimated to be 3.2$ Billion by 2020. If IoT were to become common place, then we’re looking at a multi-billion dollar opportunity in the Indian market.

• We foresee that all major players will have a presence leading to competition in prices and lower margins
• The products themselves will reach a ‘plug and play’ type of usability, where users can simply purchase pieces from the store and use it themselves without any support from professionals
• Many (most) houses will incorporate some aspect of Automation in the home, from Lighting, security or HVAC elements. Home Automation will be as commonplace as having a Fridge or Television in the house.

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Current Market (2016-2017)

The estimated market size for Home automation in India is currently 300$ million, some characteristic features of the offerings available in the market today are
•Current suite of Offerings do not cater to the mass market: Automation products are not manufactured widely, nor are they branded or positioned to fit the needs of the average middle class Indian consumer. It is still considered a Niche High end add-on for the home which is currently only targeting HNIs or buyers of premium villas/apartments
•Designing and installing Automation in a home is still a technical process and cannot be done by the consumer themselves. Most typical electricians in India would lack the know how to use controllers and the programming involved to set up the protocols.
•Products having good specs and finish are expensive: Some Global companies like Crestron have good solutions with excellent finish and technical specifications; however they are all priced beyond the reach of most Indian consumers.
•Lower priced solutions have shabby look and build: Some Indian startups and companies have some offerings in the tens of thousands Rupees price points, which despite their compelling value offering, do not have a classy look and finish due to which they have not been embraced by the market.

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Multiple factors have contributed towards the growth of home automation, entertainment and security systems, namely the growth of smart phones, penetration of mobile apps, coupled with the rise in income levels of the middle class. The popularity of home automation and controls has been on the rise due to greater simplicity and affordability through connectivity using Wi-Fi-enabled devices such as tablets and smartphones.

India is the fastest growing market for home automation. The industry has been witnessing an annual growth rate of 30-40 per cent. Given the burgeoning demand for electricity in India, conserving energy also becomes an imperative for the future. And herein lays the opportunity for automation systems, which control the basic functions of a home automatically or through remote access of a computer and improve the standard of living, while ensuring energy efficiency.

The home automation market is worth about $300 million as of today and the growth potential of the sector has been pegged at Rs 20,000 crore ($3.2 billion) by 2020. In the current market, the surge of smart phone usage will contribute significantly to Home automation usage in the upcoming years.

One of the main buzz words everybody has been mentioning in the last few years is the Internet of Things (IoT). The Internet of Things is the network of physical objects or “things” embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and connectivity to enable objects to exchange data with the manufacturer, operator and/or other connected devices based on the infrastructure of International Telecommunication Union’s Global Standards Initiative. IoT will allow objects to be sensed and controlled remotely across existing network infrastructure, creating opportunities for more direct integration between the physical world and computer-based systems, and resulting in improved efficiency, accuracy and economic benefit.

The Internet of Things revolves around increased machine-to-machine communication; it’s built on cloud computing and networks of data-gathering sensors; it’s mobile, virtual, and instantaneous connection; and they say it’s going to make everything in our lives from streetlights to seaports “smart.” IoT devices can be used to monitor and control the mechanical, electrical and electronic systems used in various types of buildings (e.g., public and private, industrial, institutions, or residential).

Internet of Things

The current Automation systems are developed by MNCs such as ABB or Schneider which are highly upmarket products (in their build, finish and positioning), you could argue that India is not the primary market they’re aiming to serve, so any such product you procure will most likely have been imported.

The organizations that make these have massive overheads/R&D departments that need to function for these materials to be developed and refined over time. After all, you don’t question why bottled water costs 1000X of what it should cost, or why any FMCG product costs 25X of what it should.

Thirdly, home automation systems are still a nascent field in India and there are several Indian firms which are aspiring to make much more affordable products keeping in mind the spending habits of the Indian buyer segment. Give it a few years and you’ll see Home Automation products across all price categories and segments.

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Some of the drawbacks (at present) of a Home Automation system are;

1. There aren’t any flawless retrofit solutions available yet: If you’re building a new home, then wired solutions work great but for customers with existing homes there hasn’t yet come a solution to have them on-board the ‘Smart Home’ revolution

2. Home Automation is still an expensive product, by Indian consumer standards, and there’s a lot of scope of the prices to be whittled down by an order of magnitude at least in the next few years. This will happen as more Indian companies manufacture the key components of Automation systems (controllers, Gateways etc) and economies of scale takes over.

3. For now, Smart home solutions work well in silos (Lighting, HVAC and Audio/Video automation works very well currently) but can be made a lot more holistic to include all the gadgets in your home. This should be possible in the next 3–5 years as more appliances become ‘smart’ and new strides are made in the IoT space

Below are the Typical Stages of construction of your Home theatre

1. Deciding on a Theme: Once the room has been finalized, a contractor can help you with the theme, colour combinations, as well as seating layout for your theatre. The possibilities here are limitless, and you can pretty much choose any combination you want as your final look. You also have to consider acoustic panels; Using patterned fabrics or decorative print material, these panels will add an edge to your theatre’s look besides enhancing the audio effect. 
2. Blueprint/Diagrams: This is the step where your architect or contractor lays out the blueprints for the room specifying the dimensions and specifications for the construction of various elements of your home theatre.

As you can see in the sample plans, every minor aspect has to be included here to ensure perfect execution of the theatre. Some little details you’ll want to check at this stage are if you have any special requirements, maybe a custom wood panelling directly into one of your walls, the design proposal has to encompass these aspects.

3. Wiring/ Panelling (Framing)/ Drywalling: Once the design is complete,Wiring is completed for all locations (speakers/AV receiver/Projector/Screen), while contractors simultaneously work on the wood panelling (over the concrete walls) or drywall installation and also the multiple layers of flooring (raised seating levels for recliners at the back etc) in the theatre.
4. Insulation & Acoustics: The insulation material (to be discussed further in the next article) is now added along with the carpeting, and inspections are made to ensure minimal sound escapes the confines of the theatre, and also that the audio quality is optimal.
5. Installation of speakers/AV equipment: All the speakers/Woofers/projectors/other fancy AV equipment you have purchased will now be slotted into their positions and tested.

When is the best time to call a Home theatre expert while constructing your home? Simple Answer: The earlier, the better. Planning for your home theatre during the blueprint stage itself allows you to dedicate a room for the theatre and ensure proper wiring/cabling/wood work/Finishing. However, if you’ve already ventured partway into construction, then don’t fret; we can still re-work on a bare room that has been partially/fully constructed.

If you’d rather have an expert design and deliver the best Home theatre solution for your home, do speak to our experts in any of our experience demo centres in Bangalore (JP Nagar, KR Puram or Sanjaynagar). For address and contact details, visit www.thasmai.net and check out our great budget personalizer as well!

HTA 10- Acoustics in the Home theatre

It’s time to dispel a commonly held notion; that the most important component of your theatre’s auditory experience is the brand of speaker you purchase! While it’s true that buying a high performing speaker can greatly enhance your Theatre’s audio quality, the sound from the speakers is only a fraction of the overall sound ‘effect’ in the theatre. The room itself plays a vital role in the final sound you hear from the speakers, this is where you will encounter an important term- Acoustics.

Acoustics

refers to the interaction of sound waves with the room’s surfaces, the final sound you hear combines the direct sound that travels straight from the speakers to your ears, and the indirect sound — the sound from your speakers that bounces off the walls, floor, ceiling and other material in the room before finally hitting your ears. All the objects react differently to different frequencies of sound depending on what material they’re composed of, and their shapes. Hence, every speaker system will sound different in different room setups.When sound hits a surface, some of it is absorbed, while some part of it is reflected &some is transmitted through the surface itself.

Do not confuse Acoustics with sound proofing, the latter deals with minimal sound loss/shrinkage from the Theatre itself, but Acoustics deals with how to best get optimal sound within the Theatre. Acoustics mainly deal with reducing/eliminating echoes in the room, as well as managing different frequencies to give you the best sound for that room.

Typical Acoustic treatments involve using absorption material like Foam or Wool, and Diffusers, and keeping a balance of smooth surfaces with uneven material/designs to ensure sound travels evenly to all parts of the room, and avoid emphasizing one range of frequency while damping out the others.

In general, the design should have about 50-60% of the surface area – wall, ceiling, and floor area, absorptive, most of these absorptive surfaces should be in the part closer to the screen. The rear end of the room (away from the screen) should contain more reflective surfaces; this helps diffuse the sound from the rear speakers more effectively.

If you’d rather have an expert design and deliver the best Home theatre solution for your home, do speak to our experts in any of our experience demo centres in Bangalore (JP Nagar, KR Puram or Sanjaynagar). For address and contact details, visit www.thasmai.net and check out our great budget personalizer as well!