years in, hence none of the costs will be borne by the home buyers. Just like other devices, the fibre optic cables connecting the server and the intercom are fully owned by the project too. The owners will be issued with access cards to enjoy an array of customisable features. In case the owners are going overseas, the access cards can be disabled. If there were suspicious changes, an alert will be issued and sent to the home owner. The home alarm system also comes with vibration sensors and panic buttons where an alert message will be transmitted whenever it is pressed. All these are provided by the developer to ensure that residents will enjoy the highest level of comfortable living. Currently, there are several smart home system available in the market. For those looking for a smart home system that runs on the latest wireless technology, they can opt for those offered by Viz Interactive Sdn Bhd, which features a brain and backbone produced by a well-established European international brand, Fibaro. Viz Interactive’s managing director Ricky Tjandra said that in the past, conventional smart home system will cost a bomb. However, with Fibaro and VIZ integrated systems, people can now actually afford a basic smart home system as low as the price of an iPhone! Believing that everyone should have smarter, safer homes, the company envisages to transform any home into a smart home, providing people with a more secure, convenient and economical solution. INNOVATION AND INTEGRATION Based on the current trends, the smart home systems will be a necessity of the future. Viz Interactive sales and marketing director Derek Chong said, “Smart home is growing and just like cars which all will eventually have power steering and power windows, smart home too will be a norm in future homes.” Property developers are realising the importance of smart home system as a unique selling point. With many new developments now launching with smart home systems and many more jumping on the bandwagon, Viz Interactive is currently working with developers to build houses that incorporate a basic smart home system. Ruma Automation’s Director Jeremy Beh, the distributor of Fibaro products in Malaysia highlighted that Fibaro has produced many innovative devices. Featuring designs that are aesthetically pleasing, Fibaro products has also won numerous awards such as CES Innovation Awards, as well as IF Design Award. As there are so many brands offering different smart appliances in the market, integration is 48 I MARCH 2017 www.propertyinsight.com.my
Ricky Tjandra
Derek Chong
a need to most homeowners. Derek Chong remarked that, “VIZ Interactive comes in here to customize and integrate different preferred brands for homeowners, making it a brand agnostic solution. The integration is made possible with Z-wave certified devices and creates a harmony in the smart home system.” Voice control has been popular since the launch of Amazon’s voice assistant Amazon Echo, or is also known as “Alexa”. Amazon had sold millions of Echo, forcing competitor like Google to launch their version of voice assistant, Google Home. Through the Fibaro system, VIZ Interactive can now provide integration with both Amazon Echo and Google Home, to control all your smart appliances at home. SECURITY CONCERNS Concerns for security is shared by many smart home systems users. With Web Application Firewall (WAF) and Anti-Distributed Denial of Service (Anti-DDoS) system, the access to your home and data are protected by the highest level by Fibaro, which encrypts communication using the TLS protocol and passwords. The myth regarding smart home systems, which claims that wired systems provides a more stable connection compared to wireless ones is absolutely unfound. The Z-Wave protocol runs on a mesh network which is also a self-healing network, so that your devices work seamlessly and has higher fault tolerance. The network is automatically healed when there are failed devices and it will reroute to the most optimum network by itself. Home owners equipped with smart home system can have the advantage of knowing what goes on in their home anywhere around the globe. Sensors which records data of entry and
Jeremy Beh
People can now actually afford a basic smart home system as low as the price of an iPhone ” - Ricky Tjandra
motion, camera which shows live footage, and smart security features to scare away intruders, as well as alerts on your family members’ mobile phones are all part of the smart home wonders. Derek added that, “By installing a smart home system, the home owners will enjoy various benefits including convenience, efficiency, time saving, cost saving as well as energy conservation. Home buyers and certain business entities such as hotels, Airbnb accommodations or homestays usually install user-friendly wireless integrated devices to control the lock system, sensors, curtains, TV, or air-conditioner. People might think that installing a smart home system causes a lot of mess in the house and needs many weeks of installation. Viz Interactive is able turn your current home into a smart home with its wireless technology in a matter of days, without the hassles of re-wiring and messy hacking. As the system offers a comprehensive smart home solution based on your needs and budget, Ricky says that, “Start by implementing a small section of your house with our smart home technology, and you will realise how much you love it.”