By: Yanika Liew
Accessing smart technology is easier than ever, but do Malaysians know that?
In this day and age, smart technology has been embedded in everyday life. Social media is abuzz with fancy new gadgets that will make your life easier, using platforms like Facebook, YouTube and TikTok to sell a dream lifestyle to the public. But is smart technology all that is needed to make a smart home? And how much of this lifestyle is accessible to the public?
According to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), smart technology is defined as Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology, which allows remote control and monitoring of other devices.
Smart homes are homes connected to appliances such as ventilation, air conditioning, entertainment, as well as kitchen and cleaning ware, all of which can be utilised through a single app.
“Smart home in my definition means the electrical appliances in the home can be controlled by the apps on the mobile phone. It allows home users to control their energy usage properly just by controlling using the apps connected to the electrical appliance. Also having smart homes enhance the security of the house by having connected CCTV, alarms and locks,” Kith and Kin Realty co-founder Joseph Chan said.
“Just imagine, you can remote control the equipment in your house. Does it look cool? But first, we need to ensure that an Internet connection is available. Smart Home Technology gives us a lot of benefits, such as keeping our eye on kids or ageing parents at home and protecting the surrounding of the house,” Tech Realtors Properties business director Sebastian Siew said.
“They can choose what kind of smart home they like,” said Siew.
Ruma Automation, a smart home installation company, business development manager Jeremy Beh observed that common purchases of homeowners tend to be lighting fixtures, TVs, air conditioners and motorised curtains.
“Smart speakers like Google Home, Apple Homepod and Amazon Echo are very popular as well since they are very affordable and packed with many functions in one gadget. On top of controlling your smart home devices using voice command, they can be your personal assistant,” Beh said.
Beh noted that smart homes did not necessarily need to be a system of devices. He elaborated on a different understanding of a smart home, which is any technology or device put into a house to make one’s life easier.
“It could be very old technology such as clapping hands to turn on lights as long as it fits the habit of the house owner. Surprisingly when I tell others I’m doing a smart home, dozens of people have asked me whether it is clapping hands to control lights over the past few years. So yeah, you can call a house a smart home as long as there are devices in the house that can make one’s life easier,” Beh added.
It took a while for the general public to catch on. While smart devices started appearing in the 1960s, smart homes’ popularity only accelerated in the 2000s with the number of smart homes forecast to grow and surpass the 350 million mark by 2023.
According to Statista, a leading provider of market and consumer data, the number of smart homes worldwide is estimated at 258.54 million in 2021 with a value worth of US$99.41bil (RM437.85bil).
A majority of clients who look for smart homes are from the middle-
upper class, said Chan.
“The most common question I get regarding smart homes is what are smart homes all about? Many are still not aware of the benefits and features of having smart home devices. And another common question is asking about the pricing of installing smart home devices. These days, there are so many options to choose and they are relatively affordable,” Chan said.
Siew describes the process of turning your home into a smart home, stating that it depends on the range of systems and devices used, as well as the platforms and brands that are being sourced from. The cost of the products and installations will depend on these factors.
Nowadays, with the popularisation and evolution of technology, Siew noted that demand for smart homes has become the norm.
“We can’t say smart homes are only for rich Malaysians, as the consumer can look for something based on their affordability. They can choose what kind of smart home they like,” he said.
It is estimated that a partially automated home will run for around a few hundred to thousand ringgit, while fully automated homes are estimated for RM5,000 to RM20,000. Luxurious options might run up from RM30,000 to RM100,000.
Those who are really attached to the smart home concept were between 25 and 43 years of age, and their average income range was estimated to be around RM48,000 to RM120,000 annually, Siew said.
DIY smart homes
“You don't have to be a millionaire to buy it,” Nicholas said.
Alistair Nicholas, 23, installed his own smart home device, connecting various appliances in his apartment to his phone. He had stumbled across smart switches online while looking for new switches. Thinking it was interesting, he looked to YouTube for tutorials and found a plethora of guides and videos, making the process quick and simple.
“You don't need any wiring knowledge to install the smart switch. Smart switches are basically WiFi switches that can be turned off and on using the Internet just on your phone. And then upon doing more research, I found out that everything, from smart switches, smart bulbs and IR blasters, can be connected to a single system called the Google Home,” Nicholas said.
Google Home is a free mobile app, which can act as a central control system, connecting to smart appliances such as Nicholas’ smart switches. For those who are interested in voice-activated appliances, there are speakers called Google Home Minis or Google Nest Minis that can also be bought online.
“These smart speakers can work as music players, daily reminders or even a recipe book. As it is voice-activated, you could say a command like, OK Google, turn off my lights, and your lights would turn off if they have smart switches,” Nicholas said.
In addition to connecting his air conditioner to the network with smart switches, Nicholas had also utilised smart bulbs, IR blasters and smart plugs.
“Smart plugs are basically a way of letting you turn on and off plugs at home. Let's say you want to charge your phone while you're sleeping. You can schedule your smart plug to turn off after 2 hours so that you don't overcharge your phone and can save some electricity as well. So, I connected all these objects to my Google Home on my phone, and using the Google Nest, I use my voice to control all these smart objects,” he said.
“You don't have to be a millionaire to buy it. There are many options for smart objects. The smart switches that I bought cost only RM30. Smart bulbs also cost RM30. It is very affordable and there are not that many parts to install as well. The IR Blaster that I got was RM50. So it's all around that price range,” Nicholas added.
Regardless of its cost, the concept of the smart home is still viewed as a luxury. Chan noted that a majority of clients who look for smart homes are from the middle-upper class.
“Most of them belong to the T20 income group. There’re also some young graduates who are passionate about tech gadgets,” Beh agreed.
While it is agreed that the smart home concept has greater accessibility in today’s modern day, it is undeniable that it is still perceived as a luxury good. Those with more urgent needs on their mind are unlikely to consider smart homes as a necessary expenditure, and there are possible disadvantages to such technology.
“The second common question we get is about security and privacy, consumers are concerned about the potential of their personal data leaking, due to some of the devices may capture user lifestyle behaviour data,” Siew said.
Smart home enthusiasts look forward to a better quality of life as their common goal. While it is certainly true that smart home devices are accessible to a majority of people, it is the lack of knowledge of this accessibility that has cultivated such an image.
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