By Belinda Cooper
Issued by Lion’s Wing Brand
Communications on behalf of Sphere Custom Design
One of the most exciting
aspects of living in the modern age of technology is that the gadgets and
developments that are only available to the very high-end consumers today soon
trickle down to the financial reach of the general populace. It is therefore insightful
to notice trends in the higher end of the tech market to gain a glimpse on what
will dominate the market in the future. One such emerging trend is the move
towards home automation.
Christiaan Beukes, managing
director of Sphere Custom Design, a Cape Town-based home and office technology
automation specialist, states that three crucial trends in the consumer
technology industry has meant that affluent consumers are adopting smart
technology to bring their homes and lives online to a greater degree than ever
before.
Says Beukes, “Over the past
three years South Africa has seen significant development in bringing more
people online, either through Wi-Fi, ADSL or mobile connectivity. This access
has meant that more people are exploring exactly what this access to
information and connectivity can mean to their lives. In addition to this, the
cost of this connectivity has been driven lower and lower, meaning more people
are able to adopt data-intensive services, such as data streaming and downloads.
The most significant trend supporting this was the introduction of ISPs
charging for speed rather than data usage. The third trend we have seen is the
lowering of the price of technology gadgets, primarily in the mobile market,
but also in the mobile accessory market, including those products associated
with the security, home utility and entertainment industries.”
This combination of
increased access, lower cost of connectivity and lower cost of devices means
that home automation is becoming increasingly possible. For lower-end
consumers, there is the advantage that they do not need to automate their home
in one fell swoop, they can add components of the technology as these products
fall to within their price range.
Companies such as Phillips,
Belkin, and Parrot have all developed products that link the home to the smart
phone through applications that sync with home gadgets. These range from the
Belkin NetCam series which provides direct access to live streaming of cameras
installed in your home and linked to your home Wi-Fi, to a series of drones
also controlled by mobile applications and which record and store data in the
cloud. In addition, both Phillips and Parrot have developed home utility
gadgets that allow for the remote control of lights, audio systems and other
home appliances.
“At the top end of the
market, we are also seeing a significant adoption of more integrated home
automation systems,” says Beukes, “While these three trends may be influencing
the gradual adoption of basic home automation services, the higher end of the
market has already adopted this full integration of home installations during
the design and build phase of properties. The spend at the higher end of the
market is significantly more, often running into the millions of rands. These
consumers demand the best in the market, viewing the integrated automation of
the property as more of an investment than a luxury. Higher-end consumers have
seen that globally, properties on the top end of the scale are increasingly
being marketed as fully-automated and that this feature is becoming a standard
for property buyers in the highest brackets.”
High-end realtors are also
starting to find that their customers are waking up to the possibilities of
home automation.
“A new trend is emerging
where people are starting to ask about home automation, either in terms of it
already existing in the property or the possibility to retrofit it where the
previous owners have not installed it already,” says Andrew King, owner of
Kings Estates, which operates in the affluent Parks areas of Johannesburg.
“Most queries around tech centre around whether there is ADSL, fibre to the
home and decent mobile phone reception.
“General consumers are not
that interested in home automation as yet, because they are still on a learning
curve with regards to its functionality and costs. However, those who are tech
savvy, or have experienced home automation on their travels to the northern
hemisphere, are asking for it. I foresee a lot more homebuyers enquiring about
this technology in the near future as it starts to trickle down. Currently, it
is restricted to the very top end of the market, where homeowners spend between
R500 000 and R1 million on a kitchen renovation. As the houses in these
affluent areas are already established, home automation is currently focused on
retrofitting rather than building a new home with automation front of mind.”
Cape Town based Mariel
Burger, Emerald Circle Realtor at Pam Golding Properties also states that home
automation in the property sector is starting to be of interest, but within a
small tech-savvy group of home buyers. He states that, “the property will sell
for a certain price regardless if it had the tech in it or not. This feature
would just be a nice-to-have. However, security, privacy and entertainment
space are the three main concerns for home buyers, and home automation
technology certainly has a role to play in this area, which could enhance the
sales appeal of the house.”
Beukes concludes, “As the
cost of internet access decreases and more products that automate our lives
reach the consumer, South Africans will appreciate the ease and comfort
technology brings to their lives, increasing their overall sense of security
and catering for the ever increasing want of personal entertainment
experiences. It will not be long before we see more South African consumers
adopt higher degrees of automated lifestyles”.
