The boon of technology in simplifying our lives, making our personal lives more comfortable and our professional commitments more manageable is immeasurable. From smart phones internet banking, e-commerce to new age innovations such as wearable technology and smart homes, technological innovation is impacting our lives like it has never before stitching together people, systems and solutions seamlessly. Home automation has its roots in smart home appliances which have over the years led to the development of integrated smart homes. The segment initially largely catered to a small section of the society who could afford the acquisition and maintenance of these products that were limited to control appliances like projector screen lights fans and window blinds. Startups in the last few years have redefined the expectations from home automation products and developers are now designing wireless products that can easily integrate with existing devices, provide remote access and are affordable. As technology becomes further integrated into our everyday lives smart home startups are creating a range of products and services aimed at making our homes safer more efficient and more connected than ever before.

One such company is Mumbai based SmartSpaces Automation Solutions that works towards connecting and integrating smart devices allowing users to streamline their daily routine. The company has a team of Automation Integration Specialists who offer personally tailored services for each individual client by understanding their lifestyle requirements to provide a seamless experience. “We understand their lifestyle, needs and routines and create a solution that best fits their requirements. Our solutions cater to varied age groups, with with parental control solutions for children to easy controls for the older age group. Indian homes also have staff our solutions are easy to use for them and further allow the home owner to keep a track on their activities. For the individual, we grant them control of their home through voice control along with easy to use remotes and touch buttons. Even when the client is outside their home, we give them remote access from their phone application to prepare their home for their return or in case they forgot to turn off any appliance or light,” informs Kunal Shah, Director.

The company primarily focuses on the clients and their requirements. It has two major solutions the retrofit solution for an existing home where wiring is not possible and the New Space solution for automation from the ground up. It provides automation to homes, commercial spaces such as offices and large areas(buildings), security solutions which include biometric locks, cctv cameras, smoke detectors and motion sensors, Lighting Dimming systems, Motion lighting, Tunable white lights, HVAC heating and cooling solutions which are automated to ensure power saving and lower electricity bills, Audio/Visual Control home theatres, entertainment rooms. All of these solutions can be controlled with one app or Alexa. The team strives to bring innovation to the products, bringing the best of products from around the world that works well with the Indian market. “To craft the finest experiences, we constantly add new products to our product line. We only add those products that work with the Indian household,” Kunal says.

Besides this, SmartSpaces also offers its own product named NovusTouch Smart Mirror Z1. The mirror acts as a regular mirror when off. A touch of the mirror reveals a full android system that can run various apps. “The applications of this mirror can be in the bathroom while a person is getting ready, for those putting makeup at their make up tables, in gymnasiums and parlours. Consumers can check their newsfeed, whatsapp messages, google map traffic to work and various other apps. Make up videos and workout videos can be watched through you tube to allow someone to simultaneously look at themselves and their instructional videos,”he avers.

The Genesis
Passion is a simple yet profoundly all

encompassing narrative to describe the essence of a true entrepreneur. Following his passion for technology and the zeal to integrate it on a productive platform SmartSpaces Automation. While Kunal was pursuing his undergraduate degree in the U.S., he perceived the level of automation there and was amazed by the new technologies and the smarter way of life there. Coming back to India, he was automating his home and he realized automation in India is very expensive and has not reached the level of the western countries. Having a family member in the real estate segment with great knowledge of automation further helped him to zero in on an idea of creating his own venture to provide solutions to all kinds of customers at various price points to give the latest technologies to all homes in India. He travelled around the world and completed multiple training and certification programs being highly qualified in the automation industry. “Technology is changing rapidly. There is more reliance on technology and with that people want their spaces smarter and more efficient. This is where we come in with our innovative technologies that are future ready. Our systems update themselves and improve their abilities so customers will always have new systems available to use,” he asserts.

"Smartspaces solutions cater to varied age groups, with parental control solutions for children to easy controls for the older age group"

An Edge over Others
Understanding customers is the key to giving them good service which in turn results into strong customer relationships and new sales through positive word of mouth recommendation. However, understanding the customers’ psyche most often requires a thoughtful analysis to identify their preferences or purchase patterns so as to anticipate their needs and exceed their expectations. Team Smart Spaces abides by this. They read, comprehend and imbibe them in their working approach to engage with the customers better and ultimately serve them more. The solutions delivered by the team are quite flexible and are customized depending on the customers’ needs. They innovate by persistently adding new products to their portfolio.

Smartspaces is now venturing into the retail Space doing stores and commercial spaces with Complete automation systems

The solutions designed by SmartSpaces are directed to a large audience with custom solutions for older people audience whereas those are furnished to older people with fall detection systems SOS wrist bands and easy to use home automation systems. The audience that is most interested in automation is between 20 and 40 those who realize the potential of the automation and make use of it to the fullest. “Clients have ever changing needs the latest trend is voice control with Alexa people want to control their home with their voice so we have a complete solution that works with voice,” he adds.

The Success Saga
SmartSpaces Automation began its journey from South Mumbai area, doing projects in apartments and offices. It is currently doing projects in Thane, Goregaon, New Bombay. Also, it is now venturing into the retail space doing stores and commercial spaces with complete automation systems. “We are expanding all over India. Gujarat market would be the next expansion. We have new products and innovations in house especially designed for the Indian market. We would like to be ‘one stop shop’ for a large number of solutions smart cities, data encryption, artificial intelligence and more,”Kunal concludes.

Kunal Shah, Director & System Integrator
Kunal has 2 years of training and researching the automation market around the world. Kunal's keen passion towards automation and providing solutions for people lead him to create SmartSpaces a company that strives to provide industry leading automation solutions. Kunal has completed multiple training and certification programs making him highly qualified in the automation industry.

Mentor - Krishna Patel - Managing Director - Nesco Limited
Krishna has 15 years of experience in running The Bombay Exhibition & Convention Center and constructing Commercial & I.T. Towers, Krishna brings the most out of Automation of Public Spaces and Offices. Krishna has recently diversified into hospitality and events. He also has a keen passion for home automation which is an integral part of his Residential projects.

Embracing Several Innovations
•Smart mirror/table – bathroom, living room, gymnasium
•Trying to meet budget expectations - our systems are very competitive compared to other systems in the market. However in terms of quality they are as good if not better.
•Retrofit solutions – without making changes in the house(aesthetics)our solutions can control almost every device in a ready home without the need of wiring and have the voice control capability.
•Remote programming and diagnostics – can diagnose a problem with consumer home remotely and fix any issues they might be facing. This saves time and doesn’t require me to send my technical team to the clients’ home.
•Automate a bedroom in under an hour
•We are doing hospitality and retail solutions as well giving clients the ability to control and monitor their spaces from energy usage to employee tracking from anywhere in the world.

Client Testimonial
Akshay Popawala, Co-Founder, Togglehead
“Living in a fast paced generation, the convenience of a smart home has always enticed me I recently got my house automated by SmartSpaces, and my experience couldn’t have been better! The concept of home automation is relatively new in the Indian market, and naturally, my excitement towards it was followed by a list of doubts and concerns which were addressed with ease and patience by Kunal and his team. I’m glad they understood my needs, expectations, and tailor-made the system to suit my lifestyle.

While my research highlighted the multiple benefits of a smart house, the personalization offered helped me experience it to the fullest.”