Smart Home World Magazine | October 2021

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CONTENTS

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A complete overview of smart kitchen industry and kitchen technologies

Cover Story An exclusive interview with Sachin Motwani, Director, Osum

Featured Interviews Conversations with the eminent personalities, immensely contributing to the smart home industry

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Ongoing Trends

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Trending Tech For The Movie Buffs

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Industry Story

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An insightful story on the smart building industry

Bring home the theatre experience...

Case Studies Detailed illustrations of smart home projects

News Latest updates on the global smart home industry

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FROM THE EDITOR

Cooking Is Love Made Visible!

Kitchens have always been the heart of a house. This is where food is cooked and memories are made. However, due to hectic work schedules, kitchens of the new-generation nuclear families were used mostly by house culinarians till the pandemic hit the world. Due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus, people were compelled to stay at home.

This locked-down phase not only changed the lives of the working SNEHA KANRAR SOM

professionals but also restructured the thought process, perceptions and priorities. Due to the absence of house help, people were bound to get involved in activities and perform certain chores that are unavoidable if staying at home all day long. One of the primary chores is cooking. But soon, people realized that it is not easy to manage kitchens with office work simultaneously. This is when people started feeling the need for automation in kitchens. Smart kitchens, decked with automated kitchen appliances like smart ovens, refrigerators, coffee machines, which are among the basic kitchen implements, started getting immensely popular among the nuclear urban families with all working members.

Kitchen appliances with AI(Artificial Intelligence) remarkably help people to balance their office work and daily chores seamlessly. With smart ovens, you no longer require to worry about the lasagne, put on bake, as the oven will notify you once it is done. Smart refrigerators are able to make a list of the ingredients that are about to get over and send you a notification on the same. Hence, smart kitchens are steadily becoming a part of almost every contemporary house these days. Good food is what we have always longed for, convenience is what we all require in the current fast-paced world and smart kitchens are favourably bringing together both!

Editor: Sneha Kanrar Som sneha@smarthomeworld.in

Marketing Head: Sandeep Singh sandeep@smarthomeworld.in

Associate Editor: Adora D’mello adora@smarthomeworld.in

Assistant Manager - Sales: Monika Agnihotri monika@smarthomeworld.in

Published by: WORLD MEDIA & EXPO LLP. WORLD MEDIA & EXPO LLP

505, D-Definity, Jay Prakash Road no.1, Goregaon(East), Mumbai- 400063 | www.smarthomeworld.in

Smart Home World thanks the various companies that have submitted information. For any editorial submissions, please contact Ms. Sneha Kanrar Som, Editor, at sneha@smarthomeworld.in. The information published in News, Ongoing Trends and Product Gallery is as per the details furnished by the respective manufacturer/distributor. It does not reflect the views of Smart Home World or of the management of WORLD MEDIA & EXPO LLP.

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INDUSTRY STORY

An elaborate review of the Smart Kitchen industry and Technologies backing it!

Gone are those days when your cooking plans used to get scrapped at the last moment after realizing that your fridge is running out of ingredients!

Smart kitchen appliances, today, act like responsible partners who never fail to inform, before it is too late, what all needs to be stocked in the refrigerator, for executing a sudden cooking plan!

A kitchen is often considered the heart of a house. This is where our tummy-satisfying and mood-uplifting delicacies are prepared.

In Indian households, cooking has always been an inevitable daily chore, carried out either by members of the family or by the house culinarians. However, after the pandemic hit the world, even the working professionals, living in nuclear families, were compelled to step into the kitchen on a regular basis due to the absence of househelps.

Supporting the above statement, Sukriti Sharrma, Partner, plüsch, says, “The market for smart kitchens and tech kitchens is growing in India. Post Covid – 19 a lot of 10

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family members have taken to cooking and using the kitchen spaces themselves so they are now keen on adding high tech features to the kitchens”. A desire for having a kitchen with digitally controllable appliances has been there among the new-generation homeowners for quite a long time. But, the Indian masses have started understanding the necessity of smart kitchens that feature IoT enabled smart appliances while adapting to the WFH(Work From Home) culture that became prevalent since the pandemic hit the world and all of us got locked down in our homes.

“In every situation we need to learn and adapt and move forward. The pandemic

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INDUSTRY STORY

Images: Plüsch

Sukriti Sharrma, Partner, plüsch

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changed the way we work making working from home a permanent solution for a lot of companies. Due to which individuals are investing in bigger houses, better interiors to make it a sanctuary where they will be spending more of their time together”, adds Sukriti.

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INDUSTRY STORY COVID-19 pandemic as the majority of the population work from home, so more time is spent at home, requiring multiple devices to perform tasks compared to traditional methods that can do it quickly. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, most people focus on basic equipment. Therefore, such consumer sentiment is expected to hurt the retail sector and the smart equipment market. In addition, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the production capacity of all regions affected by the cessation of production and product delivery from producers to end-users has decreased drastically”.

Shweta Rangra-Kale, Head - Content & Marketing Strategy, Häfele India Pvt. Ltd.

Speaking on the pandemic effects, Shweta Rangra-Kale, Head - Content & Marketing Strategy, Häfele India Pvt. Ltd., conveys, “The pandemic gave rise to a forced trend globally called “cocooning”. Cocooning means huddling up in a given space and making sure that you have all that you need within that space. As a result of cocooning, homes are being looked at very differently now – they are doubling up as schools, playgrounds, offices, theatres and whatnot.

The need for enhanced convenience within homes is being felt now like never before.

People want to change their homes to improve the living quality within them. While the basic level changes can be of the nature of space-optimizing solutions within kitchens and other areas of the home where you get maximum storage and utility space; the next level will be smart homes and kitchens where everything is well connected and can be managed through a single interface. So when it comes to home improvement and development, the pandemic has been one of the strongest triggers ever seen”.

Further explaining the aftermath of the pandemic, Rahul Thakkar, General ManagerHousing Business- India Operations, Panasonic Life Solutions India Pvt. Ltd, says, “The COVID-19 pandemic has had both positive and negative impacts on the smart home appliance market. The demand for smart devices such as refrigerators, washing machines, and others is increasing due to the

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In the “Work From Home” scenario, managing office work and kitchen work simultaneously is a tough task indeed!

Imagine one super busy Monday afternoon, when you rush to the refrigerator to get yourself some eggs for a quick lunch, open the door and remember that eggs got over a couple of days back and you forgot to put it on your shopping list! This is when, one wishes to have a smart refrigerator that can send notifications to your smartphone, on what recently got over or is about to get over. A smart refrigerator can also prepare a grocery list for you. In India, smart kitchens mostly comprise refrigerators, ovens, hoods, blenders, coffee makers, cookers and dishwashers, that can be connected to wireless Internet or Bluetooth and remotely controlled/monitored through smartphones or tablets.

Rahul Thakkar, General Manager- Housing Business- India Operations, Panasonic Life Solutions India Pvt. Ltd

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INDUSTRY STORY

In homes with digital assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant, one can access kitchen appliances through the smart speaker system. For example, you can ask one of these assistants to read out recipes for you, like a cooperating and non-demanding cooking guide, who is ready to repeat the recipe as many times as you want it to, without any complaints. Offering utmost convenience, a chance to multitask and guidance, smart kitchens are able to make both cooking and cleaning easier yet quicker.

“The growth of disposable income, rapid urbanization, technological advances in household appliances and products, and the easy availability of these products in both developed and developing countries, are the main factors driving sales growth in the smart kitchen segment. Smart kitchen apparatuses are items intended to save energy and time. Their essential objective is to be both harmless to the ecosystem and useful. They’re a blend of advancements, smart plans, and eco-accommodating materials. Cooking is becoming more well known, and gear is often utilized for an assortment of capacities. With the fast development of innovation, kitchen thought has undergone a considerable change, with 16

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a solid spotlight on upgrading productivity in the kitchen and bringing down the time spent cleaning and cooking”, affirms Rahul.

Market Scenario: Numerous surveys say the smart kitchen appliances market lies largely untapped in India with many households yet to switch to smart kitchen appliances. Elaborating on the current market for smart kitchens in India, Shweta says, “Smart Kitchens is a subset of the holistic smart homes concept and comprises of a unique solution where all the electric and electronic components of a kitchen, like the appliances, lighting etc., are integrated into a single interface that can be managed through a phone application.

Since such a solution needs a common interface that can link these components together, the concept of the smart kitchen is still at a very nascent stage in India owing to the limited interface solution providers in the country. There is still a national player missing that can provide a holistic smart solution to Indian customers, however, we see small players emerging in different parts of the country. Smart homes and smart kitchens need a rounded technological evolution that will take time before the

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INDUSTRY STORY

Images: Panasonic Life Solutions India Pvt. Ltd

concept firmly sets in and is aggressively used by Indians. Currently, there are facets of the home and kitchen that can be called “smart” like an intelligent fridge that tells you the stock levels of the consumable groceries stored within it or a digital lock that captures records of all access instances to a home. But the integration of all such devices into one interface can be a challenge as these devices may come from different brands and the protocols used to design them may or may not be compatible with a single interface that can link them together. International brands are working on creating solutions that will be compatible for a holistic smart integration and this is happening as we speak”. “Currently the smart home and kitchen trend is native to the larger metros of the country as the IT infrastructure in these cities is more evolved than that of smaller towns or Tier-II cities’’, adds Shweta.

However, research says, smart kitchen appliances in India are estimated to increase revenue at a cumulative annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.8% and unit shipments are expected to increase at a CAGR of 10.5% during FY2019-FY2026. With rapid technological advancements and innovations taking place at a considerably brisk pace, the concept of kitchens has undergone a radical change.

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Today, kitchens are more about increasing efficiency, reducing the time spent in cleaning and cooking. Kitchen appliances, these days, are enhanced with smart sensors and IoT enabled technology, which is highly anticipated to drive market growth in the coming years. “IoT forms the very crux of smart kitchens. To be able to connect all the gadgets, devices and components within your kitchen to a single interface, you need a common platform that is enabled by IoT technology. And this is where the main evolution lies and will be the future for homes”, says Shweta.

Smart technology is slowly and steadily becoming the key feature for numerous kitchen appliances ranging from dishwashers to refrigerators, providing customizable functionalities as per the preference and convenience of the users. Also, these highly sustainable smart appliances immensely contribute to energy conservation, which eventually leads to lower electricity bills.

The United States is a growing market for smart kitchen appliances in North America.

The factors promoting the market growth in the USA, are the higher technological acceptance and purchasing capacity of the consumers. Research says, North America held the highest share in 2020, but Asia Pacific is inferred to grow at the highest CAGR over 2021- 2026.

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INDUSTRY STORY

Technological Aid: A network of physical objects/appliances embedded with electronics, software, sensor and connectivity to allow objects to exchange data with manufacturers, operators and connected devices, IoT(The Internet of Things) seamlessly connects everyday objects like smartphones, sensors and actuators to the internet, where the devices are smartly linked together initiating communication between things, users and between themselves as well. Also, with the help of IoT, objects get easily sensed and controlled remotely across the existing network infrastructure. Providing accuracy and comfort, IoT allows the user to avail connectivity from anywhere and anytime.

Researchers are currently working on how to enhance the internet-oriented approach with a semantic oriented method, which are needed to develop practical, complex IoT applications.

“The integration of devices, lighting and appliances into a single interface has already been seen and tested. The next level of solution integration that will soon be seen is that of furniture. Global players are now making smart fittings for furniture units like drawers, overhead cabinets, sliding doors etc. which will be intelligent and compatible with IoT technologies. This means that very soon, you can also open the drawer in your kitchen through your phone app while you are walking towards it”, says Shweta.

“Unsurprisingly, the household Internet of Things revolution could have started in the kitchen, and it is already happening. Smart gadgets and gadgets have started to invade the kitchen to make our shopping and cooking life easier. So, it’s no wonder that the kitchen is quickly becoming a hot trend in the era of the Internet of Things. Businesses 20

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big and small are starting to use apps, the cloud, sensors, and additional technologies to make kitchens more agile and skilled.

Popular brands are considering creating tags. Smart fridges let you scan receipts after shopping to keep an inventory of your items and notify you when items are out of stock or out of stock. It can offer recipes based on stored content, and if you wish to exchange an item, you can order online using the refrigerator’s LCD screen. Now more and more companies are focusing on kitchen utensils, which is the latest trend”, adds Rahul.

Way Forward: “Safety is one aspect in the kitchen which is very crucial. For example, today, automatic stoves are available in the market, which automatically shut off in case the stove has been on for too long. There is a pyrolytic cleaning feature in the ovens where the oven locks itself to heat up and clean the residue in the oven. Furthermore, there are smart fridges that can tell you details inside the fridge. You can save your customized coffee in your coffee machine settings so that you get the perfect brew every day.

The kitchen cabinets can be automated to open and close without you having to bend lower or reach higher. You can even have an automatic vacuum attached to the skirting of the kitchen. There are many ways in which technology is contributing to the next-gen solutions”, says Sukriti.

“Today with more nuclear families where both the wife and the husband have fulltime jobs, convenience is a luxury. That is the backbone of the smart kitchen industry. I believe, the more appliances and technology make life simpler the more people will invest in it”, concludes Sukriti.

COVER STORY

In Conversation With Sachin Motwani, Director, OSUM

“Nowadays, people like to flaunt their switchboards, whereas, earlier it just played a functional role.

However, now it plays a decorative role as well!”says Motwani.

Sachin Motwani, Director, Osum.

Starting a few years back, the trend of voice commands/recognition technology immensely helped the smart home segment to be widely recognized. “I foresee the voice command trend to take over India in the near future. The mobile application and the voice application are the current trends that appear to be catching up in the Indian market. And slowly people will understand what are the other benefits of Automation. These two are the stepping stones for the Indian Public into the world of Automation”, says Sachin Motwani, Director, Osum.

With rapid technological advancements, the IoT industry is booming all over the world. OSUM, the leading luxury brand for Smart Homes solutions that aims to provide a human-centric personalized living experience to the users, OCTOBER 2021

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COVER STORY

has a section dedicated to the Internet of things.

“What we have in OSUM, a brand endeavouring to deliver True Smart Automation for residential and commercial spaces is the world’s first Hybrid IoT-based switch which controls everything in a house, the lights, fans, your curtains, your ACs, your geysers etc in a smart manner. It is a made-in-India product made for the Indian environment. It is a unique solution for the Indian market”, adds Motwani.

Home automation is a growing and competitive space, with foreign brands entering the Indian market. How does OSUM plan to stand out?

We are facing competition from international, including European, Asian, American brands as well as homegrown brands. However, we feel we are in the space right now where “Made-In-India” is the trend. Besides, any international technology or brands that are coming in, haven’t really focused or been developed for the Indian market. There is a lot of difference between the Indian consumer and an American consumer. We have been in this market for the last 5 years. We feel that our focus is on the upper middle segment. We are designing our product with international standards. While we cater to Indian consumers, we are also eager to take our products to the international market.

The COVID pandemic has greatly affected many industries. What are your views on its effect on the smart home industry, and will smart tech help us in avoiding similar infections?

The first couple of months were obviously very tough with the lockdowns. But, in the last year, people have coped with working and schooling from home. In the pre-COVID era, people kept neglecting and putting off the home space. But now people prefer to spend quality time at home. Therefore, they have to adjust to the same environment by playing with interiors and automation.

For example, with smart lighting controls, the lighting in the living room can be changed to a romantic setting with a single touch or even a voice command. Also, when it comes to home theatres, it is easier to convert the space into a multi-functional place with smart devices. With movie theatres being shut, the home theatre industry is rapidly booming. It has been a good year so far.

To build an excellent smart home both in terms of the technology used and the aesthetics involved, requires great co-ordination between Architects 22

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COVER STORY

available, no professionally installed solutions are available yet. We have our, syne controller and our smart drivers that can communicate with each other with very simple wiring, allowing the users to save 80% on wiring costs. Also, they can control their home lights more efficiently. Lighting control is our forte. We also offer end to end solutions like Vrv control and other Acs, curtains, door locks and AV controls.

When talking about business in India, which Indian cities is OSUM’s focus on? Any plans for pan India expansion?

Yes, of course, we are present in more than 15 cities right now, with offices in Delhi and Mumbai. We have our channel partners and technical teams in Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Raipur, Chandigarh, Indore, Agra, Surat, Ahmedabad, Pune, and Jaipur. Recently we launched an experience centre in Faridabad.

or Interior Designers and home/building automation Companies. What has OSUM’s experience been?

When we started, people didn’t understand what automation was all about, but now slowly people are understanding. We haven’t really been pushing our product to the masses yet, but we have been constant in our approach and focussed on architects and interior designers. We are not going full barrel in the market, so the market is still not completely ripe, but at the same time we are in touch with our clients and continuously bringing interesting products for their use.

For example, instead of having multiple switchboards, we have designed the “one wall one switch”, which really helps the end-user to trigger things with one touch. Simultaneously, we have gotten rid of bulky switchboards.

We have different finishes and various shapes that seamlessly integrate with numerous aesthetics. This is what the Architects and interior designers are excited about. For example, our circular control.

What are the other offerings that OSUM prides itself on?

Our focus has primarily been on lighting control.

Recently, we have developed smart drivers, where it is possible to dim and tune the lights. There are few solutions that can tune the lights from cool white to warm white. Though there are random solutions OCTOBER 2021

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INTERVIEW

In Conversation With Ar. Reza Kabul, President, ARK Reza Kabul Architects “The scope with technology is unlimited, and the industry has potential for growth”says Ar. Reza Kabul.

Smart Homes offer a beautiful blend of convenience and technology which has been sought-after by the elite for the last few decades. Media awareness and aspiration levels have also added to the demand for Smart Home Solutions.

“It appeals to an audience across the demographic in terms of convenience, security, and lifestyle. While it was initially perceived as luxury, the development in the industry and the competitive market pricing has opened this segment to a larger audience. It is gaining popularity right from home-owners, to property developers, commercial offices, and the hospitality industry”, conveys Ar. Reza Kabul, President, ARK Reza Kabul Architects.

“End-users today are selective about their requirements when it comes to Smart Homes; right from the lights, fans, and airconditioning, to televisions, blinds, sound systems. The possibilities are endless with the option of connecting any electronic device that can be attached”, he adds.

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INTERVIEW

Products of which category (lighting, security, entertainment etc.) witness maximum demand when it comes to integrating smart home devices while doing the interiors? Why? While all three categories (lighting, security, and entertainment) offer a large variety of products and solutions, major homes within metro cities in India focus on lighting and security as a musthave in automation. If their budgets allow, then automation in entertainment is also incorporated in their interiors.

What according to you are the major benefits of Smart & connected homes in the current “tech-savvy-era”?

In my opinion, I would list the following factors as the key benefits of incorporating smart home technology into design: - Universal control of home functions - Increase in energy consumption efficiency - Remote access - Increased home security

In which sector(hospitality, commercial, residential), according to you, traditional devices and techniques are getting rapidly displaced to make room for smart devices and systems, aided with the latest technologies? And why?

Luxury Hospitality has been at the forefront of integrating automation to offer an added level of convenience to their guests. Right from keyless entry, to in-house apps to control the airconditioning, lighting, and curtains module; the industry uses state-of-the-art devices to provide their guests with a seamless experience.

The commercial design has also incorporated automation in the level of effectively managing and controlling operational costs and overheads.

From sensor technology to illuminate and temperature control busy areas, to offer a more effective and productive environment for their employees.

As for the residential segment, several clients opt for smart home automation to create a sense of comfort and convenience in their spaces. However, this percentage is on the lower spectrum and is limited by monetary restraints.

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INTERVIEW

In what ways do you think the concept of smart homes has contributed to the lifestyles of working professionals?

The convenience of integrating Smart Home technology into the homes and lifestyle of working professionals offers an added level of convenience and security while they go about being their best productive version. For instance, after a long day and a heavy commute back home, the option of remotely activating the home cooling system to walk into a pleasant experience is a priceless convenience. At the same time, given their busy schedules, remotely monitoring home devices such as cameras, lights, heaters, adds a level to the sense of security to the home.

Do you see any challenging factor(economic, social, environmental etc.) that has the strong potentiality to restrain the smart home industry?

What, according to you, are the possible solutions?

Budgetary constraints in design, often limit the end-users extent to which they integrate Smart Home technology within their spaces. It comes down to a selection of the must-have integrations, to the ones that can be skipped.

How do you foresee the Smart home industry 5 years down the line?

Smart Homes as service and technology is still in 26

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their nascent stage. With the competitive pricing, and base-level integration with third-party devices like Apple Home, Google Assistant, and Siri, there is a large extent of growth.

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INTERVIEW

In Conversation With Arshad Lakdawala, VP, Sales & Marketing, MZ Audio Distribution, India.

“Today, a home cinema is not only considered expressive but also Avant –grade, which offer an experience of luxury”says Arshad Lakdawala.

India is moving ahead to match the global standards in the audio-video segment.

Today, home theatre systems are gaining rapid popularity as people can no longer gather in cinema halls due to restrictions imposed by the government to fight COVID-19. There was a time when home cinemas were restricted to only a niche audience, the uber-rich class. But, today, everyone wants their home to be equipped with a home cinema. “Pandemic was the major push factor for the growth of the high-end audio-video industry in India, where the customers are building an exclusive home theatre in their homes making it a necessary commodity in their lives and the ones that had, have upgraded it. The market will see an upward trend for the coming years”, says Arshad Lakdawala, VP, Sales & Marketing, MZ Audio Distribution, India.

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INTERVIEW

How would you describe the current market for the high-end audio segment(Speakers and Subwoofers) in India? What are the company’s latest launches or partnerships in this segment?

The high-end audio segment (Speakers & Subwoofers) is witnessing enthusiastic sales this year. The reason is that customers, belonging to the upper class of the societies, are demanding premium products and services. With the growing number of millionaires in India, the high-end segment is expected to grow 17.5 USD Billion by 2025.

We have recently tied up with Episode Speakers a brand from SnapOne. “Episode” offers the best speakers in the industry. These are made with premium material for our custom integrators. Episode speakers look and sound like no other speakers available in the market.

Which cities or zones, in India, witness maximum sales and why? People of which segment are the primary buyers of high-end home audio-video solutions?

The large metros including Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata hold the top five spots in the rankings, in terms of highest sales of the high-end audio solutions. Tier 2 & Tier 3 are also witnessing growth opportunities. The main reason for the growth in Tier 1 cities is well established retail stores, presence of high-end brands. This evaluates the optimal level of penetration. The uber-rich class was once the main buyer of high-end audio-video solutions, but now it is gaining popularity among the mid-income group as well.

Would you like to speak on the company’s distribution channel? How does it benefit the

associated brands?

Mz Audio does a market analysis and constantly searches for new opportunities to achieve peak sales performance. We try to build a strong relationship with our channel partners and take the responsibility of making sure that products are moving from our channel partners stores.

Brands that are associated with us have always grown exponentially in the Indian market due to our strong market presence, which connects Indian resellers and integrators with the finest brands from all over the world.

Would you like to run us through the company’s journey and experiences in the luxury audio-video industry till now? What are the challenges the company overcame on the way?

MZ Audio Distributions (India) was founded in 1997. It OCTOBER 2021

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INTERVIEW

started as a distributor for luxury audio – video brands.

Since then, it has been aiming to connect Indian resellers and integrators to the finest audio-video brands from all over the world. MZ Audio diversified its brand portfolio over 20+ years, emerging as one of the leading names in the industry. There are people in India who manufacture speakers or assemble them, which often gets confusing for the end-users. But, the clientele in India knows which quality of speakers to buy.

One of the challenges that we have recently faced, was fulfilling the supply against the strong demand from the consumer. However, we are overcoming that. Also, the price that had recently gone up due to the high rise of freight on import, is getting a hike in product prices.

What are the latest innovations in the residential audio-video segment? How are they revolutionizing the lifestyles of the urban mass?

The high-end audio-video industry is competitive where new technologies have entered the market to hold its position. Streaming technology has been quite revolutionizing. This made people switch to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth compatible devices and demand wireless networking systems (Custom Made Cinema) at homes.

MZ audio distribution is known to have leading brands under its portfolio, how does MZ 30

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differentiate itself from its competitors?

Mz Audio Distributions (India) is honoured to distribute the finest brands in India and each of our brands have its unique audiences across India. We, at Mz Audio, work on different promotional activities for our products and organize big launch events for our upcoming products. I believe this makes us stand apart in the industry.

How would you define the growth graph of the industry 5 to 8 years down the line?

India is expected to capture a significant share of the high-end audio-video market due to increasing technological advancements, innovation and presence of the leading audio video brands in India compared to a few years back. It looks very promising and with this momentum, I anticipate the industry to reach 17.5 USD Billion by 2025.

INTERVIEW

In Conversation With Ar. Sonali Bhagwati, President, DesignPlus Architecture “As automation takes away the dependency on human beings , it is the way forward for most working professionals!”- says Ar. Sonali Bhagwati.

A building management system is also known as a building automation system is a computer-based control system installed in buildings that control and monitor the building’s mechanical and electrical equipment such as HVAC, lighting, fire systems, security systems, elevators etc. These are used in larger projects as they help save energy and offer improved efficiency of systems.

“Automation in the building industry started many years ago with BMS(building management system ) being used mostly in commercial buildings. Automation in homes came much later as homes were of a different scale and needed a different approach. Along with energy-saving, it needed to address the needs and comforts of the user.

Automation in homes started with control of simple appliances but with the advancement of the electronic industry, it can now control any equipment installed in the home that can talk to the central hub”, says Ar. Sonali Bhagwati, President, DesignPlus Architecture.

“In a typical urban nuclear family with all adults working and reduced domestic help, automation started playing an important role. For example, a VDP enables the homeowner to remotely see who is at the door and grant access if required. It aims to ease life by enabling chores which would otherwise require a human being to do”, she adds.

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INTERVIEW

Who(consumer groups) are opting for smart homes the most?

It’s mainly the urban nuclear families that are opting for home automation. Earlier it was the prerogative of the wealthy who could afford to install the expensive hub and fancy equipment. It was more a status symbol and an element of luxury. But now like the Maruti car, it has come to the mid-market segment and basic automation related to overall controls and security systems is used extensively.

What according to you are the musthave smart home products in today’s contemporary homes?

According to me, safety and security is of prime importance. Hence, video door phones, biometric locks/CCTV are important. Then comes energy control. And lastly the comfort factor.

What role does system integrators play when it comes to designing a smart home? How important is their role?

An integrator plays a vital role in home automation.

There are several products in a home from various manufacturers like lighting, HVAC, curtain motors, fire alarm, CCTV etc., and system integrators integrate all the devices into a hub/control system, which is quite a crucial task. Without an integrator, each system remains independent and would require separate controls. This would be like having 10 remotes, each one for different controls. The integrator combines all these into a single digital ‘remote ‘ on the phone.

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Products of which category (lighting, security, entertainment etc.) witness maximum demand when it comes to integrating smart home devices while doing the interiors?

Why? The most popular products being used in smart homes today are: ... lighting ... HVAC ... curtain control ... entrance door security ... music ... home theatres.

These address the basic needs of most users. Lighting controls enable different moods through the layering of lights. The AC can be turned on/ off or temperaturecontrolled remotely. Curtains can be programmed to open and close on set timings. Access control and CCTV can help ensure the utmost safety of a house.

Music can be zoned in various areas of the house enabling different users to play different genres.

Recently, home theatre and home entertainment systems are gaining immense popularity as well.

What according to you are the major benefits of Smart & connected homes in the current “tech-savvy-era”?

In today’s nuclear urban families, where domestic help is limited, automation has become an integral part of their lives. Programming a washing machine, switching on the oven to have the roast ready at a certain time to getting floors vacuum-cleaned in your

INTERVIEW

absence, are some of the aspects that are getting popular among the tech-savvy millennials. Home automation is all about reducing manual chores.

How would you define the current demand for smart home integrations?

The current demand for home automation is rapidly penetrating the mid-market segment. Most homeowners aspire to have some basic smart features like lighting controls, HVAC and security controls. But expensive systems from brands like Crestron, which requires extensive cabling etc, might be still beyond the budget. Hence simple Wi-Fi-based systems are preferred which can be retrofitted.

In which sector(hospitality, commercial, residential), according to you, traditional devices and techniques are getting rapidly displaced to make room for smart devices and systems, aided with the latest technologies? And why?

All the segments are moving towards automation. It is no longer a luxury. However, each building category requires different solutions. A commercial building with smart elevators, lighting and HVAC controls in public areas can save a tremendous amount of energy. The same goes with integrating solar power.

Automation takes away the dependency on a human being for performing routine tasks.

However, in residential properties, the emphasis is more on comfort and security than energy saving.

Do you see any challenging factor(economic, social, environmental etc.) that has the strong

potentiality to restrain the smart home industry? What, according to you, are the possible solutions?

Besides the economic factor, I don’t see any factors to restrain this industry. No matter what social background one is from, everyone uses digital media.

Today, everyone aspires for a smart home, a smart office, smart retail, smart public space and essentially a smart life. It’s only limited by what one can afford.

How do you foresee the Smart home industry 5 years down the line?

The phrase “work for the masses and eat like the classes’ is appropriate for this industry. Simple, easy and economic systems are the future. Like the Maruti car, it’s the aspiration of the common man. Air Conditioning was a luxury 25 years ago, but today it’s a part and parcel of most homes. Similarly, I believe, the luxury of today will be the necessity of tomorrow.

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ONGOING TRENDS

Technologies Making Buildings “Smart”, Preserving The Environment And Inducing Comfort To Human Lives!

Buildings in this tech-savvy era are not mere shelters made of bricks and cement. Today, buildings are a complex integration of structures, systems and technology. Building components like lighting, security, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are being immensely upgraded these days, for the building owners to select and integrate into a system. However, more than just comfort, builders all over the world are concerned about the conservation and amelioration of “Mother Earth”. The solution is raising buildings that minimize energy costs, support a sturdy electric grid and diminish harmful impacts on the environment. This is what pushed forward the conceptualization of smart buildings with technology that ensures spaces consume energy more efficiently.

Smart buildings are backed with systems that effectively control water, electricity and air circulation with the help of smart sensors. Intelligent building solutions are capable of considerably reducing the carbon footprints by saving energy and eliminating harmful emissions into the environment.

“In my opinion, any building or any ecosystem which makes our lives easier and also helps make our planet greener is’’Smart ``. Today almost 40% of energy is consumed by buildings. So it is imperative on our part to reduce the energy footprints in buildings without compromising on the comfort levels or safety of users”, says Huzefa Poonawala, Country Manager, GIC Theben.

“At GIC Theben, our prime object is just that. We are providing simple solutions which increase the comfort levels of the users, without compromising on

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Huzefa Poonawala, Country Manager, GIC Theben

ONGOING TRENDS Challenges: However, there are certain barriers the smart building industry is still struggling to overcome. Upfront purchase costs are one of the major obstacles to investments in smart building technologies. For owners of small and medium-sized buildings, managing the initial investment costs is quite challenging as they have less capital than giant real estate companies or builders. Besides, the financial and insurance industries have yet to accept the valuation of smart building features for accurate appraisal and underwriting. Also, the building operators need a lot more awareness or knowledge about the whole concept and the latest technology and its use. Cybersecurity threats are a growing concern today due to the easy availability of the internet and the high dependency on it. Also, internet connections or Wi-Fi networks in India are often unstable. Therefore, a lot of people are still sceptical about buying a smart apartment/home.

Speaking on challenges the industry is currently facing, Santosh Tatte, Country Manager, HMS Industrial Networks India Pvt. Ltd, says, “A single smart device or piece of equipment can’t make a building Intelligent or Smart. Different building devices communicate on the basis of different communication protocols such as water meter (M-bus), power meter (Modbus or BACnet), lighting (DALI), Thermostat (KNX). Each HVAC manufacturer has his/her own communication protocols. To consolidate all these protocols and interface with BMS, it requires additional devices like Gateway / Protocol Converters.

With new technology and devices being innovated

safety and also saving energy. Our solutions are on “KNX Secure” which ensures complete data security of the customer. The wired KNX system also ensures reliability of the system making it independent of the network.

Simple, easy to use and install movement and presence sensors can cut down one’s energy consumption in any commercial or residential building. No need for any complicated wiring or programming to install and commission these sensors.

We need to ACT TODAY to save our TOMORROW and the only way forward is to minimize the use of energy in every possible way”, adds Poonawala.

Using information and communication technologies (ICT), smart buildings enhance the dwellers’ comfort while using less energy than a conventional building.

Smart buildings use ICT to connect building systems together to optimize various operations and the overall building performance. Besides, smart buildings can communicate with the power grid, a feature that is becoming increasingly important for utility demand response deployment.

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ONGOING TRENDS and added into smart buildings such as Electric Vehicles by guests in the hospitality industry, smart buildings solution suppliers are also required to be in tune with the technology trend, capable of supporting new devices and by all means, new protocols”.

Benefits: “Smart building is a trending concept of TBS (Total Building Solution) or IBMS (Intelligent Building Management System) which integrates building automation, security, fire detection, energy management, facility management etc. into one single platform to achieve energy efficiency, comfort, safety and sometimes controls as well. With smart buildings nowadays, users get to enjoy a smooth experience from the moment users step into the building and while comfort is achieved, safety and security are not compromised. Smart buildings will learn human behaviour and turn them into automated adjustment such as switching on lights, resume escalators, air-conditioning, contactless visitor registration, temperature setting, crowd alert, ventilation etc. Such automated actions and control will help to save energy, operating cost, operational effectiveness & efficiency and at the same time will avoid any human dependency”, adds Tatte.

Besides, smart buildings are incredibly efficient. They enable a reduction in maintenance costs by more than 15 per cent, which ultimately reduces the overall energy consumed by the building, making it a safe haven for the environment. “A smart building uses systems and programs that continuously monitor and adjust the energy consumed in relation to the climate and weather. Smart Buildings include a pretty efficient HVAC system that not only allows for optimal thermal comfort but also reduced energy consumption. Since the pandemic, physical and psychological well-being has become of priority in designing homes. Smart buildings are able to control the indoor air quality and lighting to make a comfortable environment for the users to savour. The most significant benefit of a smart home is the ability to retain data. It collects extensive data on air quality, humidity, lighting and more to aid in making informed decisions. It also possesses the ability to calculate real-time cause and effect, hence making it easier to predict some of the anomalies in nature. Smart technology, if implemented successfully, can efficiently provide safer, healthier, and more comfortable living spaces”, says Amit Gulati, Founder, Design 21.

Quantifiable insights and real-time information IoT generates data that becomes quantifiable components. It gives an in-depth understanding of the way everything functions within the building, ranging from occupants to how the space is being utilized. Today, real-time information is essential and effective governance of the facility revolves around 36

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Amit Gulati, Founder, Design 21

the data and how quickly one can gather the desired information on the current status of a building. A smart building allows one to keep an eye on the realtime data and make essential changes and upgrades promptly.

Reduce Energy-consumption In a smart building, optimal HVAC management via sensor-controlled solutions and motion-sensitive lighting induce energy efficiency, which benefits the environment as well as the dwellers by reducing electricity bills. Research says, individual smart technologies like smart thermostat(5–10%), smart plugs(50-60%), advanced lighting controls(45%), webbased lighting management systems(20-30% above controls savings) automated window shades(21-38%), smart glass(20-30%), cloud-based energy information system(EIS)(5-10% of whole building), etc. offer substantial energy savings. An upgrade to a single component or isolated system can lead to 5-15% energy savings and with integrated systems, a smart building can do energy-saving of 30-50% (as per research reports by ACEEE.ORG).

Heading towards an intelligent future: “Smart and sustainable buildings have been designed, built and utilized in order to consume less energy, facilitate efficient building operation, and improve the comfort, health & safety and productivity of users. A Smart Building minimizes energy and water consumption, minimizes waste and maximizes recycling, provides healthy living conditions and promotes environmental performance”, says Tatte.

Smart buildings impact the security of all resources ranging from humans to capital. They create a platform for accessible information and turn buildings into fundamental power generators. A key unit of the future, smart buildings aim to amalgamate information technology and human ingenuity to head towards a truly intelligent low-carbon era.

TRENDING TECH

Trending Tech For The Movie Buffs, The Home Theatre.

Bring home the theatre experience...

Cinema fans across the world have felt the effect of the Covid -19 pandemic, with movie theatres remaining closed across many nations. While the true Cinephile among us, have been wise enough to invest in a home theatre system.

Who can deny the experience a home theatre system grants the owner?

After a long work week, binge-watching one’s favourite show or a movie or two is perhaps one of the best ways to spend the weekend.

The technological advances made in the A/V industry, have brought the best cinema experience to our homes. With new streaming OTT platforms to soundbars and speakers with the best surround sound experience, home entertainment is better than ever before. The value of good television or display screen has long been established, but the need for a complete cinematic experience was greatly felt in the pandemic.

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TRENDING TECH

Smart Home World presents home theatre systems with powerful surround sound, to multiple your viewing pleasure.

SONY Blu-ray Home Theatre System with Bluetooth - BDV-N7200W

Yamaha YHT-1840

Enjoy 5.1 surround sound and stunning HighResolution Audio from magnetic fluid speakers.

Stream with built-in Wi-Fi®, and mirror any Miracast-compatible phone on a smart TV. By converting analog sound to digital at a higher rate than standard conversion, the S-Master HX digital amplifier reduces distortion across the frequencies.

The High Definition, 5.1 channel surround sound delivers rich, immersive audio for all entertainment, even when streaming from online.

With built-in Wi-Fi®, and connections with other DLNA-certified items and Bluetooth® which allows for simple wireless connections.

General Specifications: • High-resolution audio • Magnetic fluid speakers • One-touch mirroring with selected Xperia™ devices • Full HD 3D • 5.1 channel surround sound • Speaker system : 2 way • Band (fm/am) : fm • Preset station (fm/am): 20(fm) • Power output : 1200 w • Input and output terminals: Analogue Audio Input: PIN Jack (1), Auto Calibration Mic Input (1), Ethernet Connection (1), HDMI in/out (2/1), Optical Audio Input (1), USB Input (1), USB Keyboard • Blu-ray disc™ :yes • Blu-ray 3d™ :yes • Dvd : yes

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The features of the Yamaha YHT-1840 include, an AV receiver that ensures that movies with loud, dynamic soundtracks will be heard in realistic surround sound. The front, surround and center speakers are high quality models capable of reproducing high-definition audio, and the subwoofer delivers clean crisply powerful bass.

It supports with latest HDMI® standards. . It also adheres to the HDCP2.3 copyright protection standard for 4K video transmission. It also supports HDR (High Dynamic Range) Video which provides enhanced picture quality by simultaneously enabling greater detail for both the dark and bright parts of an image.

Pressing a SCENE button powers on the AV receiver and selects the input source and DSP mode. Yamaha’s exclusive CINEMA DSP technology provides natural and expansive sound imaging.

The Subwoofer Trim control enhances the low frequencies by avoiding overlap with the front speaker output. This will result in a cleaner, more focused sound stage while providing seamless frequency response. The YHT-1840 on-screen display provides color icons for quick identification. Whats, even more, is Yamaha’s new ECO mode reduces power consumption by about 20%.

TRENDING TECH General Specifications: AV Receiver • Standby Power Consumption (IR only): ≤0.3W • Auto Power Standby:Yes • ECO mode:Yes • Dimensions (W x H x D):435 x 151 x 315 mm; 171/8” x 6” x 12-3/8” • Weight:7.4 kg; 16.3 lbs.

Amplifier Section • Channel: 5.1hd • Rated Output Power (1kHz, 1ch driven):100 W (6 ohms, 0.9% THD) • Rated Output Power (20Hz-20kHz, 2ch driven):70 W (6 ohms, 0.09% THD) • Maximum Effective Output Power (1kHz, 1ch driven) (JEITA):135 W (6 ohms, 10% THD) • Dynamic Power per Channel (8/6/4/2 ohms): / 110 / 130 / 150 W Package Speaker Speaker System • System Frequency Response 30 Hz–25 kHz • Impedance 6 ohms (without subwoofer) Front Speaker • ype Full-range bass-reflex • Driver 7 cm (2-3/4”) full-range cone • Nominal Input Power 30 W • Maximum Input Power 100 W • Sensitivity 83 dB / 2.83 V / 1 m

• Dimensions (W x H x D) 112 x 176 x 116 mm; 4-3/8” x 6-7/8” x 4-5/8” • Weight 0.59 kg / unit; 1.3 lbs. / unit Center Speaker • Type Full-range acoustic suspension • Driver 7 cm (2-3/4”) full-range cone • Nominal Input Power 30 W • Maximum Input Power 100 W • Sensitivity 84 dB / 2.83 V / 1 m • Dimensions (W x H x D) 276 x 111 x 118 mm; 10-7/8” x 4-3/8” x 4-5/8” • Weight 0.73 kg; 1.61 lbs.

Surround Speaker • Type Full-range bass-reflex • Driver 7 cm (2-3/4”) full-range cone • Nominal Input Power 30 W • Maximum Input Power 100 W • Sensitivity 83 dB / 2.83 V / 1 m • Dimensions (W x H x D) 112 x 176 x 116 mm; 4-3/8” x 6-7/8” x 4-5/8” • Weight 0.59 kg / unit; 1.3 lbs. / unit • Subwoofer Type Full-range bass-reflex • Driver 16 cm (6-1/2”) cone • Nominal Input Power 30 W • Maximum Input Power 100 W • Dimensions (W x H x D) 290 x 292 x 315 mm; 113/8” x 11-1/2” x 12-3/8” • Weight 5.8 kg; 12.8 lbs.

Onkyo’s HT-S3910 The powerful yet compact HT-S3910 transforms tinny TV sound into a thrilling sonic sensation with Dolby Atmos® and DTS: X® playback through 3.1.2 channels. The HT-S3910 supercharges the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X experience.

These technologies find localization cues in legacy stereo or multichannel soundtracks and upmix these elements to create immersive top-to-bottom dimensionality.

Dolby Atmos Height Virtualizer enables a more immersive listening experience, creating a virtual surround and height effect. The supplied Onkyo system is factory-matched to harmonize with the amp’s unique sound signature. These compact units are pleasingly heavy thanks to large magnets and full-range drivers. The neat size makes for easy placement on any wall.

This receiver has four HDMI® inputs and one ARC-enabled output that support 4K/60p video, HDR formats (HLG, HDR10, Dolby Vision®, and BT.2020), and the ultra-large 4:4:4 color-space.

The HT-S3910 features a High-Current Low-Noise Power Transformer, large custom audio capacitors, and discrete high-current amps that deliver the highest flows of current in their class. The HT-S3910 simplifies the home entertainment setup. Conceal the receiver and players in an entertainment unit.

A single HDMI cable links TV to the receiver for a super-clean look.

General Specifications A/V receiver • Power Output (Front L/R / Center / Surround L/R / Subwoofer):155 W/Ch (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 10% THD, 1 channel driven) x 5 ch,125 W (6 ohms, 100 Hz, 10% THD) subwoofer (passive);135 W/ Ch (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 1% THD, 1 channel driven, IEC) x 5 ch,100 W (6 ohms, 100 Hz, 1% THD, IEC) subwoofer (passive) • Dimensions (W x H x D): 435 x 160 x 328 mm • Weight: 8.2 kg Speaker System • Frequency Response: Front/surround : 80 Hz–20 kHz Center :70 Hz–20 kHz Subwoofer: 28 Hz–5 kHz • Dimensions (W x H x D): Front/surround : 98.5 x 140.5 x 106 mm Center : 244 x 96 x 102 mm Subwoofer : 230 x 389 x 331.5 mm • Weight: Front/surround: 0.5 kg Center : 0.6 kg Subwoofer: 4.6 kg OCTOBER 2021

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CASE STUDY

A Lavish Residence Fit For A Royal, Located At Queens Road.

Architect , Interiors & Automation by : Ar.Nikhil Agrawal Founder & Principal Architect of Design Atelier

A beautiful residence, having a built-up area of about 20,000 square feet.

Location: Queens Road, Jaipur.

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CASE STUDY

The Scope of Work The scope of work for this project contained the architectural aspect, landscaping, and interior design along with interior styling to suits the client’s lifestyle. This residence is designed and executed by Design Atelier right from its initial stages.

The planning and improvisation went parallel to the construction with regular inputs from the client’s end.

The Client’s Vision The clients had the initial idea of building their residence with the ultimate luxury and lavishness.

They requested for a home, which defined their status of living, with the interiors to be done in a manner that reflects their style.

Challenges Faced The planning aspect of any project is always challenging, yet a relishing task. Design Atelier was happy to accomplish the client’s

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CASE STUDY

requirements, which assisted in a smooth transitioning of the project from the initial design to the execution stage and the final finishing one.

The biggest challenge faced by the execution team was when the pandemic broke out(in 2020), and the project was at the completion stage.

It became difficult to reallocate the resources after the lockdown and bring the project back on track.

Automations Integrated The smart home automation installed in the residence was by Lutron. Design Atelier usually goes for automation by Lutron in most of their projects, as the lighting controls increase the comfort while improving productivity, and the dimmers aid in saving energy.

Being in this field for more than 10 years, with a well-trained team including civil engineers,

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CASE STUDY

consultants, site supervisors, designers, and vendors. Design Atelier was able to meet all the requirements of the whole project from design to execution and from interiors to automation giving the client peace of mind and allowing for flexibility in the project.

Eventual Outcomes By doing this residence, Design Atelier got a chance to explore the darker colour schemes, a choice that comes with more creative constrictions than lighter or more conventional palettes. The end result was successful in achieving a dark home design that feels more comfortable and accessible with extra efforts to lighting, composition, and contrasts.

Client’s Feedback This residence portrays a ‘wow feeling’ to any viewer’s eyes. The client was overwhelmed with the final result. They felt that it turned out to be a true reflection of their taste and style of signature chic.

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CASE STUDY

Final Takeaway This project will always remain close to Design Atelier’s heart, though for a designer/ architect every project holds a special place and is a unique work experience. But specifically about this residence, it allowed the team to experiment and play with the interiors in an exclusive manner which turned out to be a fruitful undertaking.

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CASE STUDY

An Extravagantly Automated Villa, Designed For High Living Architect & Interiors team : Ar Samdeep Nandwani & Ar Varsha Nandwani - Panchkula Lighting Design & Automation by : Harmeet Singh, Director of Coolways Group

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CASE STUDY

This is an extravagant residence with a built-up area of 20,980 square feet. These technologysavvy owners wanted to operate the entire house with a click of a button and through a single mobile app. They were keen on having security cameras, intrusion alarm systems, indoor and outdoor lighting, motorized curtains and blinds, and air conditioners for every room. With toilet exhaust fans, water heat pump, televisions with set-top box in every bedroom, home theatre system as well as music zones were to be set across the home.

The Scope of Work The work started from the designing stage, with consultation for the VRF air conditioning system to building a complete smart home for the clients. Eventually, Coolways provided a reliable system that could be seamlessly installed along with an after-sale service for air conditioning and an integrated home automation system.

At first, it was necessary to provide a centralized (wired) lighting automation system, which opened up the option of providing various keypads and other user interface options.

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CASE STUDY

Since there were three generation’s needed to be considered, the use of touch keypads with graphical representation was ideal.

Programming was done in a way to give the clients scheduled lighting scenes that integrated with certain movements.

Dry contact modules integrated with manual switches, such that the unfamiliar people could also operate the technology. The home theatre was operated through a universal remote, which also controlled the lighting scenes. Coolways adopted a solution-centric approach that was not brand specific. The best products were handpicked led to the successful execution of this project The clients along with their architect, got in touch with Coolways when the electrical design work had begun, as it required the incorporating of the air conditioning and home automation system.

After a brief interview, a list of the owner’s requirements was prepared.

The lighting circuits were tentatively calculated giving an idea of the electrical panel size and the rack size. After color coding and tagging the wires the physical routing was charted out with the client and the architect. The team laid the conduits and wiring while the civil work continued. The modules included actuators,

phase-cut dimmers, 0-10V dimmers, dry contact, fan control, and curtain controls. After the wall finishes, touch screens were installed and dry contact wires were connected to the modular switches. Finally, the programming was done with a very detailed discussion and inputs from the owners, which took 10 days to complete.

The Client’s Vision The client’s idea of a smart home was a luxurious experience combined with efficient home management. The smart home system should be capable of energy-saving and such that it gives the three generations easy-to-use interfaces, assuring the client’s peace of mind.

Automations Integrated The base of the entire system was the controller EA5 from Control4 along with IO Extender from Control4 which worked while seamlessly integrating the lighting system from HDL (Crabtree), Clipsal (Schneider Electrical), all the televisions, set-top boxes, and home theatre system. The intrusion alarm system was used from DSC along with its interface IT100. The IP CCTV surveillance from Hikvision was OCTOBER 2021

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CASE STUDY

connected through Araknis POE network switch.

CoolmasterNet was used to integrate the VRF air conditioning system from Toshiba. The Araknis 500 series indoor wireless access points were used throughout the house giving the client a facility to use OvrC services and a complete easy-to-use remote access to his entire house.

Challenges Faced The challenges faced during the project were nothing that Coolways had not encountered in their experience. With carefully planning, multiple checks, and supervision during installations at the site the entire project was smoothly completed.

The coordination between the architect and the client was phenomenal and raised the quality of the project.

Eventual Outcomes It was a superb experience in executing this project. One of the most important factors is that if the client is a technology lover, they love to play around with the technology themselves during the execution of the project and this results in an amazing finished product through innovative programming ideas.

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Client’s Feedback The client’s family was delighted, with their dreams being achieved. The overall look of the house (interiors and exteriors) matched their taste.

From the lighting effects to the total management of the house, the collective thinking along with innovative programming was clearly visible, this made the client truly captivated with their smart home.

Final Takeaway Director, Mr. Harmeet Singh of Coolways Group of Companies, believes that if one has the zeal to create something extraordinary, one can achieve the set goal with hard work, study, perseverance, and commitment to deliver the best. Making anything is possible, technology should not be a burden or a cumbersome job that needs continuous attention, rather technology makes life simpler. With great teamwork, trust, and no cutting corners the possibilities are endless in the smart home world.

CASE STUDY

Ahmedabad Bungalow Combines Luxury With Smart Technology Architect & Interiors team : Ar. Jayshil from Aakirna Architects - Ahmedabad Lighting Design & Automation by : Radhika Patel Founder of FUTURIZTIC, An exclusive dealer for the brand TIS Smart Home, offerings include a range of 30 – 40 different touch panels in different styles & colours.

This Ahmedabad-based bungalow features luxury and automation. The smart experience is reflected both indoors and outdoors as security and functionality are connected seamlessly with high-speed internet.

The Client’s Vision The client’s main focus was security, functionality, and luxury. They wanted the whole space well connected, such that they could unlock their front door from any part of their home.

They expressed a desire for sleek touch panels which could control everything from lights, AC, curtains, music to access control & set scenes. While everything

was to be controlled from a panel, no tablet was to rest on any of the walls.

Automation was requested to be in common areas of the bungalow, their two sons’ bedrooms, and outdoor spaces including swimming pool, gym, gazebo, garden.

The Scope of Work The FUTURIZTIC team suggested the use of a panel range called LUNA, which has elegant black touch panels with multiple pages that incorporates all the automation the client had requested.

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CASE STUDY

Challenges Faced Designing the automation layout was a bit of a challenge as the project had no scope for centralized wiring and to accommodate decentralized wiring as per zones and areas identified.

The project was at the procuring of the material stage when the COVID pandemic hit and the lockdowns began.

This threw the timeline for a toss, and work started once again after everything was opened up. The client finalized their moving-in date and things fell into place on time.

Eventual Outcomes A good vision, a good team, good electrical and other layout plans & drawings, and a good solution – is the recipe to make an engaging and easy to use smart home.

Client’s Feedback

Although the master bedroom and guestroom were not a part of the initial automation plan, the client later requested the addition of those two rooms. Since the team, had a clear plan for the wiring and future additions, the two rooms were easily managed without any problems.

The automation team worked closely with an architect and interior designing team from Aakirna Architects in Ahmedabad.

With Architect Jayshil in charge, all the specific requirements with the touch panels were executed to meet the architect’s vision.

The electrical drawings helped in determining the location of the white, warm white, and dimming lights were to be placed. All the lights were taken on Dali Protocol. The drawings were redesigned to show the exact location of panels, CCTV, sensors, routers, VDP screens, and the changes were made accordingly.

Automations Integrated The LUNA touch panel was used, it has a 4.3” touch screen and multiple pages inbuilt which can control lights, ACs, curtains, scenes & dimming. The team had also placed a bedside panel on the bedside table which had inbuilt AC control, lighting, and scene control. The clients were provided with a smart TIS remote for each room. The automation team installed 26 5MP CCTV cameras, 20 light sensors, 4 VDP screens in different locations, and a couple of routers in the bungalow as well. Networking was in FUTURIZTIC’s scope giving the team better flexibility to design the networking infrastructure, which was capable to tackle the internet-consuming gadgets and devices including the numerous touch panels in the bungalow.

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By the end of project completion, the clients and the team had become just like friends! They were very patient throughout the project and have recommended the FUTURIZTIC team to their relatives. It was a beautiful beginning for a long-term journey with the client’s family.

Final Takeaway This was a project where the client had put a lot of faith in FUTURIZTIC and allowed them to make important technical decisions . The use of smart installations in their bungalow was suggested after understanding their way of life and learning to enhance it. Any over-engineered solutions were avoided, and functionality was prioritized taking the clients on their automation journey.

NEWS

Bose Introduces The New Rugged, Portable Bluetooth Speaker, Soundlink Flex Bose has a new addition to its iconic SoundLink Bluetooth® speaker family: the SoundLink Flex. The new Flex delivers the best audio performance for a portable speaker its size in an all-new, grabbable, and ultra-rugged design. With the addition of proprietary Bose PositionIQ™ technology to automatically detect the speaker’s orientation( upright, hanging, or flat on its back) and optimized to deliver rich sound. Its IP67 waterproof and dustproof rating together with a battery life of 12 hours making it a portable workhorse.

It combines with dual-opposing passive radiators, turning vibration

dirt out and won’t compromise audio performance.

Measuring 7.9” wide, 2.1” deep, and 3.6” high, and weighing just over 1 pound, the Flex comes in three gorgeous colours: Black, White Smoke, or Stone Blue. into the powerful audio output from this compact speaker. With its IP67 rating and premium materials, the SoundLink Flex is resilient. The soft silicone back and powder-coated steel grille protect it from drops and bumps, won’t peel or flake, and are resistant to corrosion and UV light. Its tightly sealed acoustic components keep water, dust, and

The SoundLink Flex’s Bluetooth pairing connects to the phone or tablet within seconds. With the Bose Connect app, users can control the Flex, personalize settings, and receive the latest software updates. Users can also access their phone’s voice assistant or take and make calls with exceptional clarity through a built-in microphone.

Control4 Adds New Features To OS 3.2.3 • Right-to-left languages

Bringing the next wave of new features to Control4 OS 3, focused on giving consumers more control and personalization over systems and extending the life of the devices.

The added platform enhancements allow the user interface to support languages that read right-to-left (RTL). With OS 3.2.3, Control 4 will debut RTL support with Hebrew and add additional RTL language options.

The new features include:

• Personalized control

• Night mode for T3 and T4 touchscreens :

The latest OS 3 update provides fine controls for a high-resolution audio experience, adding Hebrew as a language option for added personalization and accessibility, and enabling Night Mode on the Touchscreens to conserve energy and extend the life of the device.

The new feature for T3 and T4 Series Touchscreens, called Night Mode.

This feature allows owners to schedule the hours when the screen goes blank to conserve energy, prevent unnecessary light from disturbing sleep, and ensuring the panel lasts as long as possible.

When Night Mode is engaged, the panel is ready for use, with a simple touch. Night Mode is backward

compatible for most of the OS 3 customers.

• EQ Adjustments After updating to OS 3.2.3, users will now be able to fine-tune highresolution streaming audio with new equalizer controls. Using a Control4 Touchscreen or the Control4 OS 3 App, to new manual adjustments for the loudness, bass, treble, and multi-band equalizer.

Control4 is continuously innovating additional features designed to allow its customers to enhance and personalize the smart home experience.

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NEWS

ISE 2022 -Visitor Registration Now Open.

‘Rise Up. Reconnect. Ignite The Future Of AV’ ISE 2022 is an event for the AV industry.

With a compelling show floor combined with a fiveday conference program, ISE 2022provides an ideal opportunity to ‘Rise up. Reconnect. Ignite the future of AV’.Visitor registration is now open, offering the international AV and systems integration community an opportunity to reconnect at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Vía.

ISE 2022 will safely and securely reunite the AV industry and provide attendees with the chance to interact and experience worldleading technologies and solutions in person and first-hand. A paperless approach to visitor registration in the form of digital badges issued via the new ISE app is the new development in 2022. The app will also be a rich source of additional information and content. Mike Blackman, Integrated Systems Events Managing Director, stated: “As an in-person event, we are uniquely placed to bring all elements of the industry together under one roof. In the build-up to our return to Barcelona, along with our co-owners AVIXA and CEDIA, we have worked hard to ensure that ISE 2022 offers the industry a truly worthwhile experience – showcasing innovation, becoming inspired by some of the brightest in the business, and most importantly, meeting up after so many difficult months apart.”

The show floor has been organized into five Technology Zones to provide a much-improved visitor experience.

With wide aisles, an easy-to-navigate layout, and industry-leading brands showcasing technology innovations and more.

The ISE 2022 will provide both the AV channel and end-users with plenty of inspiration and solutions.

The five Technology Zones are: 1. Audio (Hall 7) 52

2. Digital Signage & DooH (Hall 6)

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3. NEW: Lighting & Staging (Hall 7) – featuring special Lighting Demo Zone

• Digital Signage Summit (Monday 31 January)

4. NEW: Residential & Smart Building (Hall 2) – newly combined zones

• Control Rooms Summit (Tuesday 1 February – am)

5. NEW: Unified Communications & Education Technology (Hall 2) – newly combined zones.

• NEW: Smart Workplace Summit (Tuesday 1 February – pm)

“We’re excited to gather the AV community together at ISE’s new home in Barcelona, a vibrant city known for its creativity and innovation,” said Sarah Joyce, Chief Global Officer,AVIXA. “There will be many education opportunities for attendees to explore, including our CTS (Certified Technology Specialist) half-day workshops in multiple languages, along with member events such as the German CTS breakfast, Italian members’ breakfast, and AVIXA Women’s Council and AVIXA Diversity Council events. The AV Experience Zone returns with a two-day conference presented in Spanish that will explore AV in the retail, hospitality, and corporate markets. We can’t wait to see everyone at the show in 2022!”

• NEW: Live Events Summit (Thursday 3 February – pm)

Featuring expert speakers, presentations and panel discussions, the ISE Conference program comprises:

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Smart Building Conference (Monday 31 January)

Digital Learning Summit (Wednesday 2 February – pm)

NEW: Superyacht Technology Conference (Friday 4 Feb – am)

Giles Sutton, Interim Co-CEO at CEDIA commented: “Along with the whole professional home integration community, CEDIA is very much looking forward to ISE 2022 in Barcelona. The event next year marks the beginning of a new and exciting era for our the industry as we look beyond the challenges of the past eighteen months to a brighter future for us all. CEDIA will be running an extensive professional development program at the show, providing a wide range of opportunities for attendees to learn new skills, grow their knowledge and build a vibrant, fulfilling career path in the industry.

We can’t wait to reconnect with visitors from across the world at the Fira Gran Via in February 2022.”

NEWS

Juganu And Zyter Partner Up For A Digital Smart Lighting & Sensor Platform For Smart Cities.

Zyter, Inc., a leading IoT-enablement platform, announced the has formation of a strategic partnership with Juganu, an Israel-based, smart infrastructure company. Zyter will leverage Juganu’s smart lighting solutions and network connectivity framework on future smart campus and smart city implementations the world over.

The integration of Zyter’s IoT platform with the command center and Juganu’s connected lighting solutions platform, which has sensors that provide a bird’s eye view of the city. Juganu’s network connectivity framework allows municipalities to provide public Wi-Fi and data-driven insights to develop people-centered cities and spaces. Trusted by Qualcomm® to be the foundation of its Smart Cities Accelerator Program, Zyter

spaces with lighting, sensors, and communication utilizing artificial intelligence edge computing.

SmartSpaces is an Internet of Things (IoT) platform that breaks down silos of information by integrating and consolidating data from IoT devices and applications.

The platform also provides complete visibility across an entire network of connected devices and sensors, supported by advanced analytics. Juganu’s FOAM digital platform utilizes the public lighting infrastructure and covers entire

“Zyter continues to build partnerships with innovative companies like Juganu that extend and enhance the capabilities of our IoT platform and SmartSpaces solutions,” said Sanjay Govil, founder and CEO of Zyter, Inc. “Smart lighting is important because it provides a fast and economical way for cities and businesses to become smarter and greener.”

“By partnering with Zyter, we can streamline the smart city development process,” said Eran Ben-Shmuel, CEO at Juganu. “This partnership helps ensure we can deliver more comprehensive smart city solutions, with a faster lead time to achieve a better result for our end customers, cities, and communities.”

Nanoleaf Presents Smart Lights In Backlit Lines.

Nanoleaf Lines is the latest addition to smart lighting maker Nanoleaf’s ever-growing catalogue of modular LED light panels. The Lines are ultra-lightweight, colour-changing lights in a bar shape. They connect at 60-degree angles to create geometric designs with dual-colour zones, these backlit Lines can create a visual feast to any wall or ceiling.

Similar to Nanoleaf’s Shapes, Canvas, and Elements wall panels, Lines can be installed with pre-affixed, doublesided tape, making an easy setup once owners have a firm design in mind. They are powered by a large plug and have a 14.7-foot cable.

With each Line emitting 20 lumens and having a colour temperature

range of 1200K to 6500K, as well as a display of more than 16 million colours. Users can link up to 18 Lines per power supply, and control them with the Nanoleaf app, an on-device remote, or via voice control using a compatible voice assistant.

Different from the Elements panels, which are suited to more traditional

home decor, the Lines have a very futuristic vibe. The backlit look projects light back toward the wall.

Nanoleaf’s entire smart lighting range is compatible with Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, and IFTTT, allowing clients to control, dim, and change designs with voice commands or through scences.

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NEWS

Nice Expands Portfolio With Nortek Security & Control LLC Acquisition.

Nice expands its portfolio to providing complete integrated solutions for residential, commercial, industrial, and government customers. This acquisition strengthens the presence of Nice in the North American market.

Founded in the 1960s as Linear Corporation, Nortek Security & Control has a vast portfolio of products, over 200 patents, and 12 leading brands across security, access control, AV, power management, smart home, AI, and personal health.The partners of Nice and Nortek Security & Control will experience an enhancement of their current relationships through a larger organization with an even stronger commitment to the channel.

“This acquisition reinforces our strong commitment to North America and significantly expands our global footprint. Nice now employs over 3,000 people across five continents, encompassing the most diverse backgrounds and cultures with 16 R&D centers and manufacturing facilities servicing partners and customers in over 100 countries,” said Lauro Buoro, Chairman and Founder of Nice.

“With a growing product portfolio and additional resources for future product development, Nice elevates to the next level as a single-source, global provider of the most complete, integrated product ecosystem for homes and buildings and expands business opportunities

towards AI and digital personal health,” said Roberto Griffa, CEO of Nice.

“We are very excited to join Nice. Nortek Control has built a reputation for delivering innovative and industryleading platforms to the market. With the addition of the Nice product lines our consolidated organization will now offer one of the broadest and deepest portfolios of disruptive products to the market,” said Christopher Larocca, President, and CEO of Nortek Security & Control.

In North America, the portfolio of brands under Nice includes Abode, Nice, and HySecurity in addition to wellestablished gate, door, sunshade, and smart security offerings. The acquisition instantly increases reach and scales growth through existing Nice distribution channels and with those of Nortek Security & Control.

Now Available New Blustream Extenders Featuring USB Integration.

Blustream introduces not one, but two new extender solutions that integrate USB 2.0 distribution. The HEX70USB-KIT 4K HDBaseT™ USB 2.0 extender set offers the best performance and flexibility, delivering HDMI and USB 2.0 to lengths of 70m (4K 60Hz 4:2:0 to 40m). Some advanced features include bi-directional IR and RS-232, HDMI audio breakout, bi-directional PoC, and advanced EDID management.

While the UEX50B-KIT delivers USB 2.0 extension up to 50m over a single CAT cable, allowing up to 4 x USB peripheral devices to be connected to a single USB host with charging & power. It combines transmission data bandwidth of up to 480Mbps and is backward compatible with USB 1.1 devices.

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NEWS

Savvy India Brings International Premium Smart Home Products To The Indian Market.

SavvyIndia is a distribution company dealing in premium products, with brands from the world over, such as Ekinex (Italy), Loewe Technology(Germany), and a few Indian manufacturers such as Vavis, confio, GO by Raylogic, Zerve.

Having observed a major gap in the market between the international manufacturers and the partners, Savvy India was started. They are committed to working with the desired transparency and have a dedicated passion for ensuring that the right products reach Indian partners and customers.

More About The International Brands Ekinex - Italy

Loewe Technology - Germany

Ekinex is an initiative developed in 2012 thanks to a group of technical experts in automation and in particular of the KNX standard. After the development of the first set of certified products, in 2014 officially it published its website for the global market. This operation allowed the connection with the many areas of the home and building automation, including architects and interior designers.

Ekinex is directly present in 91 countries around the world by exporting its know-how and typically Italian quality design.

Loewe is a leading international brand for consumer electronics based in Kronach, Franconia. Since its foundation in 1923, the year radio was introduced in Germany, the company has been shaping the industry with its iconic products and countless technical innovations and has received numerous awards for its elegant designs. Loewe develops its products at its German headquarters and has its production facilities in Germany with an automated production line and a handmade fabrication facility for OLED devices.

Schneider Electric Presents, Flexset The New Generation Of Low-Voltage Switchboards.

Schneider Electric launches the FlexSeT low voltage switchboard, it is the biggest disruption in the switchboard market in over half a century. This latest innovation was developed in the Nashville Innovation Lab for the North American market. Combined with the new and improved PowerPacT Molded Case Circuit Breaker, customers will get a powerful solution designed to protect electrical distribution systems. Making every installation more productive, while creating a safer working environment for all.

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This new generation of low-voltage switchboards gives users the digital power to dramatically accelerate time to market and reduce lead time for consumers.

• Plug-on neutral modules for quick change orders • Digital service opportunities notifications • UL certified pre-assemblies and assemblies

Features include : • Pivot to change orders within days of shipping.

• Make quick quote-to-order conversions.

• View BIM one-line drawings in real-time.

• Assemble two sections in as few as two hours.

• Service main breaker with a swingable main section Use FlexSeT’s digitization and flexibility to: • Shorten lead times from weeks to days.

• Select UL-certified sub-assemblies.

• See price changes as with update.

FlexSeT facts , BIM-enabled design tools for easy BOMs:

• Grow markets with connected offers.

Trinnov Releases A 16-Channel Power Amplifier.

Trinnov Audio releases a new high channel count power amplifier, the Amplitude16.It is designed for immersive home theatres, with custom integration in mind, the Amplitude16 is perhaps the most versatile power amplifier available. It provides integrators with the unique ability to meet diverse channel counts and power requirements with exceptional rack efficiency.

The two 8-channel amplifiers on a single 3RU chassis, the Amplitude16 have dual power supplies, each requiring a 15A AC mains power inlet. In the base model, a 16-channel power amplifier with a continuous power rating of 200W/channel at 8 ohms and 400W/ channel at 4 ohms .

“When we set out to create a new companion amplifier for Trinnov’s Altitude processors, we recognized that just another power amp would not do. It needed to be something special to carry the Trinnov name, and the Amplitude16 indeed fits that description,” said Arnaud Laborie, Trinnov CEO. “Its unique versatility provides integrators and system designers with a 56

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great-sounding, powerful tool for optimizing dynamic power delivery by channel in a space-saving, cost, and energy-efficient manner.”

Designed in partnership with ICEpower and to Trinnov specifications, the Amplitude16 maximizes the performance of their class D modules, delivering outstanding sound quality and the best possible immersive experience in a compact form. The input sensitivity of the Amplitude16 is optimally matched to the output level of Trinnov’s Altitude audio-video processors, maximizing the system’s signal-to-noise ratio and dynamic range. Signal-to-noise performance is typically improved from 6 to 8 dB compared to power amplifiers with conventional input sensitivity. A front panel LED display identifies normal operation, channel clipping, protection, and bridge status for each pair of channels.

Trigger inputs and outputs are provided to power on the amplifier and to daisy-chain other amplifiers in the system.

NEWS

Smart & Sustainable Living Was The Subject Of Discussion At Schneider Electric’s Innovation Summit.

Schneider Electric, the leader of the digital transformation of energy management and automation, hosted ‘Homes of the Future’ track at its flagship Digital Innovation Summit 2021. The session was deliberated by Srinivas Shanbhogue, Vice President, Home, and Distribution, Schneider Electric India along with Gita Ramanan – CEO & Co-founder - Design Café, and Kavita Sastry, Principal Architect KS Designs Studio and Chairperson, IIID Bengaluru, was themed around “Smart and Sustainable Living”.

At the event, Mr. Srinivas Shanbhogue, Vice President- Home and Distribution, Schneider Electric India said “Being the leader of energy management and home automation, we are constantly working towards bringing sustainable and smart home solutions to life. Our energyefficient home automation solutions seamlessly fit into existing and new homes, providing sustainable comfort, convenience, and security.

At Schneider Electric, we have taken various measures to reduce our

carbon footprint and have further pledged to become operationally net-zero by 2030.”

Gita Ramanan, CEO & Co-Founder, Design Cafe, said: “Design Café’s consistent pursuit is to offer sustainable personalized design solutions for homes at affordable prices. Throughout our journey, we realized that there are various ways to adapt sustainability and personalize our offerings to the clients according to their preferences. For us sustainability remains our top priority right from selecting the construction material to finalizing on how to utilize the space effectively, all these decisions are taken after evaluating the long-term impact on the environment. Sustainable and eco-friendly designs and materials such as jute, bamboo, terracotta flooring, concrete flooring, wooden false ceiling and lots of plants help in reducing the carbon footprint and leads towards a high-quality design with low environmental impact”.

“Design thinking has emerged as

the need of the hour. Businesses are re-thinking their infrastructure and interiors to become more attuned to larger climate needs. With this view in mind, we are witnessing an uptick of homes that blend technology with nature and sustainability and therefore counteract the effects of increasing carbon footprints. Homes of the future will continue aligning with the needs of the environment as well as the needs of individuals and bring together innovation to sustain a clean and green living, added Ar. Kavita Sastry, Principal Architect - KS Designs Studio and Chairperson, IIID Bengaluru.

Schneider Electric’s flagship was a three–day virtual Innovation Summit and was aimed at sparking conversations around the need for integrating sustainability with business. The event’s central theme was ‘Digital: the path to sustainability with Aatma Nirbhar Bharat’ it brought forth industry leaders and policymakers to discuss the path to a sustainable future for India.

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Seoul Semiconductor’s SunLike Series Natural Spectrum LEDs Selected for LEDVANCE’s SunHome Family Products promotes Human Centric Lighting.

Seoul Semiconductor, a leading global innovator of LED technology, announced that its SunLike Series natural spectrum LEDs, which implement light that closely matches the spectrum of sunlight, has been adopted by Global lighting brand LEDVANCE for its new family of products SunHome.

SunHome is a premium product line that delivers residential lighting with the best quality of light. SunLike is the only LED capable to simulate the Sunlight spectrum from the early morning to sunset when the sun goes down. The state-of-theart automated wireless system from LEDVANCE makes it easy to control and adjust the different working modes and light spectrums to stimulate the user in the right way depending on the tasks to do.

With SunLike Series natural spectrum LEDs, the fixtures and bulbs are designed to bring out the natural colour tones of objects achieving a lower blue light peak, similar to the sunlight spectral curve, which enables the reduction of scattered reflection and glare. It also provides healthy and comfortable light, improving the environment for living, reducing eye fatigue, and displaying colours and textures more accurately with CRI 97 and TM30 = 100 for any CCT from 2200K to 5000K range.

“Seoul Semiconductor’s SunLike Series natural spectrum LEDs have three beneficial effects in contrast to conventional LEDs: Better Sleep

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– improvement in sleep quality, Better Eye Health – protection from myopia in children; and Better Study – support for students’ learning and concentration,” said Oliver Schäfer, Executive Vice President Europe of Seoul Semiconductor. “Together with LEDVANCE, we are starting a new revolution in the consumer market as we are bringing the best

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available professional light until now reserved to Museums and Premium products to the mass market. Thanks to LEDVANCE and his vision for the future for humancentric lighting for indoor design the spectrum of natural sunlight will provide beneficial effects for all humans improving their health and well-being” added him.

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