As he walks me through Buckingham Gardens, a new property at Kanathur, Paul Jacob of Modarchs Architects puts me through a what if? questionnaire. What if you want to cool the house before you reach there, or choose the music for special occasions? What if an elder has a medical emergency or there's a fire alarm at home? What if there's an intruder attack? The solution, he offers, could be in your cellphone. Home security, he repeats, is in your hand, at the press of an easily identifiable icon.

Your mobile is your security weapon, say vendors like Smart Living Solutions. Get CCTV, burglar-alarm security alerts to your mobiles through door sensors when forced open, says their website, listing automatic siren activation based on motion-detection, bio-metric security locks, lighting automation as some up-end security options. Now you can remote-control your lights, iPad, tablets and iphone with an Android-enabled hand-held with Internet connectivity. Of course, customising a room (temperature/sound/light) with a few phone clicks is a given. Systems like these are installed in many large houses in Chennai and in some of the upcoming apartment complexes.

But architects? Do they provide tech solutions for a safe home? We have designed data centres with high security needs, says Paul. We are one of the few architects who can talk tech. We aren't dependent on vendors for design inputs. It's better to keep security solutions non-vendor-specific, he says. What if you have to re-wire? What if the vendor folds up?

Entering one of the high-end villas I try to get a hang of how it works. The idea seems to be to keep off trespassers, give access only to a pre-approved group, know what's happening in your home 24/7 and control your state-of-art gadgets from wherever you are. So go ahead and instal monitored fencing, access-controlled gates and boom barriers, and access tags on vehicles to ensure seamless entry. At home, instead of the visually painful grills, opt for vibration sensors for opening windows, a magnetic contact-based sensor for doors, and infra-red-wave-based motion detectors for larger openings.

At the perimeter, you verify people and vehicles with a device that captures video images and beams it in for approval. The images are recorded for future use. For people staying within the premises, effective identification is the fingerprint-based one. The cost of these products has come down, says Paul. It does away with the hassle of carrying cards, remembering PIN numbers. At the block level, the solution changes. (What if you have multiple owners? What if an authorised individual enters a non-authorised zone? Or brings in someone?) A video-approval-based access control followed by a flap barrier/turnstile will ensure only the approved are let into the block. As for your multi-crore home, you view the visitor from inside or get a message/visual clip on your cellphone if you are away.

Lean back in your chair and control lights, appliances, AC everything you have installed. You can dictate temperature/fan speed, record TV programmes, and set the time for all these. Emergency call devices can send alerts to family members, hospitals, ambulance services or the police. There is a solution for every crazy scenario, the options are unlimited. It is up to the user to take it to any level. How is the only question. Plan the e-system and get the right gadgets.

So, you drive your car into a crime-free compound? It depends. First, the system should be customised for a need+user skill+usage combo. Next, the user must be serious about learning to work the arrangement, not add it as another showpiece. And surprisingly, it is the human interface that will make or kill it, says Paul.

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Home security in your hand

This weeks Smart Living roundup features ADTs investment towards the development of a new security app, AT&Ts expansion of its Digital Life smart home platform into new markets, and the emergence of a new smart home model.

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Life360, an app that helps people keep track of the whereabouts of other members of the family, recently received $50 million in a Series C funding, led by ADT, a home security and automation company.

ADT invested $25 million in the round, which will provide a valuable lead generation source for ADT and enable the development of innovative, co-branded mobile security applications to provide greater safety and security services to families.

Aside from the monetary investment, ADT and Life360 will be collaborating on a new mobile app, integrating ADT Chaperone with Life360s security offerings to provide direct access to ADTs 24/7 monitoring centers that can connect users to police, fire and emergency medical responders.

Life360s mobile apps are free to download, but to access additional features included in the premium package, which includes 24/7 live advisor, roadside assistance, location of feature phones, stolen phone insurance, users pay a monthly fee of $5.

. Apples Worldwide Developers Conference will be kicking off next week and the latest rumors suggest that the Cupertino giant will be unveiling the iOS 8 platform, an update to OS X, an upgraded version of the Apple TV, and a smart home platform.

According to reports, the connected home platform will allow iPhones to be used as remotes for connected devices, and the upgraded Apple TV will serve as the home base of the system. If rumors are true, it will put Apple in a prime spot to once again compete with Google which acquired Nest, the smart learning thermostat, earlier this year.

Apple moving into the home automation market isnt that surprising as it already had a headstart with AirPlay and Apple TV. iOS is primed for home automation services, considering the existing number of smart home apps crafted just for iPhones. Apple stores also present a distribution retail opportunity for several smart home products, including the Nest thermostat.

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Apple, home automation service providers expand reach + products

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Apple is reportedly getting ready to launch a new "smart home" system that will allow users to control their home's lights, security system, and other connected appliances via their iPhone or iPad.

The Financial Times reports the platform will be unveiled at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, which is scheduled for June 2-6 in San Francisco.

The idea is to streamline the process of setting up and controlling devices throughout the home, according to the FT. Among other features, the system could reportedly be set to automatically turn on the lights when an iPhone connected to it enters a building. That's in line with ideas Apple outlined last November in a patent filing for a home automation system, as CNET detailed at the time.

The new platform would be Apple's latest attempt to challenge competitors Samsung and Google for the emerging market in smart home technology. Samsung recently debuted of its Smart Home line of refrigerators, washing machines and TVs that can be controlled from its smartphones and watches, while Google spent $3.2 billion earlier this year to acquire Nest Labs, maker of the Learning Thermostat and the Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector.

Apple is also pushing to expand smartphone technology into other aspects of modern life.

The Apple CarPlay system, demonstrated at the New York International Auto Show last month, incorporates Siri voice command to make calls and get directions, while also offering in-car music and other entertainment. In addition, Apple's iBeacon location-sensing technology, which debuted late last year, is already in use for enhanced shopping, indoor navigation, ticketing, and location-specific sales promotions.

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Apple to unveil new "smart home" system, report says

The smart home market is heating up, with news Tuesday that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is preparing to enter the world of home automation with software that lets users control residential lighting, appliances and security systems via their iPhones. Reports say Apple will debut thesoftware Monday at the much-anticipatedWorldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Apple aims to collaborate with other companies to produce products specifically created for the popular phones "smart home" capabilities, though each will undergo a number of privacy stipulations and quality tests,the Financial Times said Tuesday.

No details were given on exactly how the iPhone will interact with the home systems, but the Financial Times report said the iPhone may be able to perform a number of tasks, such as the ability to automatically turn on lights in a room when a resident with a paired iPhone enters.

True to form, Apple is entering the market after its competitors.

Rival Samsung last monthlaunched a smart home servicethatgives users the ability to control and manage their home devices through a single app by connecting electronic products like smartphones, TVs, digital cameras, refrigerators and washing machines through an integrated server.The service even lets you monitor the temperature of your washing machine cycle and adjust the coldness of your fridge.

Google-owned smart thermostat maker Nest may be acquiring Dropcam, a company that makes cameras that let users stream footage to a mobile device or car, as part of a larger plan to enter the home security space.

The Goji smart lockallows smart home fans on a budget to secure their houses from remote locations using their smartphones. Founder Gabriel Bestard launched the lock last year, which -- for less than $300 -- gives users the ability to view and allow guests in to their home from any location in the world.

But they're all years behind Rockleigh, New Jersey-based Crestron Electronics, which has been in the home automation and audio/video control business since 1968. Consumers can obtain a home automation system through Crestron that allows them to close blinds, turn off lights, adjust temperatures and power off televisions with the single click of a button. No smartphone necessary.

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Apple Working On Smart Home Functions For IPhone

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