Architects, engineers see smart home technology in action

Architects and engineers met at the offices of architects Pearce McComish Tarabuku in Alexandra Park recently to see Safeguard Security's smart home technology in action.

The architectural firm had this technology installed at its offices several weeks ago, chiefly for added security, though it can be used for non-security purposes as well, such as to switch off lights or the cooker or even to check on whether the children are doing their homework or not.

"What I like about the system is that it gives you a level of control," said Murambiwa Tarabuku, who is a partner in the firm.

He said that when an alarm goes off, he receives an alert on his smart phone. He can then use the smart phone to see what is going on at the office, which is a converted house. Cameras installed outside and inside the house enable him to see what is happening.

If there should be an intruder, he can phone Safeguard and request a rapid response team be sent to the premises. If he sees the cat walking away or sitting on the table outside, he knows that it is probably the cat which triggered the alarm.

There are a variety of cameras that can be installed as part of a smart home system. In one section of the Pearce McComish Tarabuku offices there is a fixed camera with a microphone and speaker, enabling the smart phone user to see and hear what is happening and to speak to whoever may be in that room.

A promotional video that was screened at the offices shows a mother using her smart phone to view what is happening at home. She sees her son sitting watching television and tells him to go and do his homework, whereupon she is able to see him get up and go off to do it.

In another room at the Pearce McComish Tarabuku offices there is a camera which can be rotated, so that it pans the room, enabling the smart phone user to view each part of the room as the camera rotates. The rotation can be controlled from the smart phone.

Mr Tarabuku is clearly impressed with the Smart-Home package. He demonstrated its use on his smart phone to various people who approached him after the Safeguard demonstration was over.

He said it is much more than just a security system. "It is a home management system. You can manage your resources. You can use it, for instance, to switch off your lights or your cooker, if you remember when you have gone off to work that you left them on," he said.

The ability to use the smart phone to switch things on and off was demonstrated during the Safeguard presentation outside the house, when a smart phone was used to switch on a desk lamp inside it.

The Smart-Home system enables the user to switch on and off a variety of electronic devices, provided they are plugged into a Smart-Home adaptor.

As one of the Safeguard officials pointed out, if an intruder sees a light going on in the house, he is likely to believe there are people inside the house and abandon his plan to break into it. If he hears the television, he will likewise think there are people up and about.

The light and television may, however, have been switched on remotely via the smart phone by the property owner hundreds of kilometres away. The property owner may also be watching the intruder on his smart phone and may even talk to him and let him know he is being watched.

It is possible to switch lights and electrical gadgets on from wherever one is, even if one is in a different city or even a different country, and to see what is happening in the house no matter how far away one may be, provided one has an internet connection.

It is possible to remotely control alarms, security cameras, lights, air-conditioning, refrigerators, fans, electronic door locks and even the electric gate, using a smartphone or tablet, all running on one platform.

There is no need for separate remote controls for the alarm, closed circuit television (CCTV) and other household electronic gadgets. They can all be controlled from a smart phone.

The system is linked to a standard wireless router such as the router used for Wi-Fi internet connectivity. Once set up, users can download the Safeguard Smart-Home application onto their smartphone.