Door Industry Journal - Summer 2019

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 72 THE door industry journal summer 2019 Domestic Garage Doors How to Upgrade Your Garage Door Sales with Home Automation from SWS UK SWS UK have recently added home automation to their extensive security product offering. They tell us how speaking to your customers about home automation can upgrade your sales and ensure long-term customer satisfaction. The smart home and home automation sector is undoubtedly on the up – according to Market Research Engine, the sector is expected to nearly double in value from USD 39.93 Billion in 2016 to reach USD 79.57 Billion by 2022. The growth of the sector may not come as much of a surprise – perhaps you have your own Amazon Alexa or Google Home, or you have noticed that your neighbours have programmed their lights to switch on when they arrive at their front door. So why is home automation becoming so popular and what can you do to profit from this rise? What Is Home Automation? First off, it’s important to understand what home automation is and understand the capabilities. It is, essentially, what you would expect – the ability to automate parts of your home or command different elements to do something (usually on/off or up/down) from anywhere in the world. When you consider this in the context of what people are able to use it for – ensuring their heating is turned off, checking their door is locked, or getting an alert when unusual activity takes place – it is easier to understand how it has become so popular for security and cost- effective reasons and is no longer just a luxury for the few. What Are the Capabilities of Home Automation? With SWS UK and Somfy Smart Home, there are a range of different ways to create scenarios and programme actions. These are based on timers, sensors and scenarios. Scenarios With scenarios, you can manage different devices to perform an action based on what you want them to do. Want to close your blinds, windows, garage, as well as switch off the lights when you leave the house? You can create a ‘going out’ scenario. Better yet, your scenarios can be voice-activated due to Somfy products being compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Timers Does your eldest arrive home from school at the same time everyday but always seems to have misplaced his keys? You can unlock your front door at 4pm on weekdays. Sensors By installing sensors, you can also control different aspects of your house to perform an operation when a difference is detected to ensure complete comfort. Have too much sunlight streaming in through the window? A sensor can detect this and close your blinds for you. Want to keep potential intruders at bay? An outdoor movement detector can connect to other products when there is unexpected motions outside – allowing you to set alarms, turn lights on, or activate cameras. What Should I Know About Home Automation Systems? The biggest drawback that can come with home automation is that by purchasing from different smart home suppliers you can find that there is a different control system for each part of the home. This can make things complicated and less automated than customers hoped for. To combat this, you can start the conversation with your own customers about home automation products from SWS UK and Somfy. By choosing a Somfy motor for their garage door, customers can choose to automate other parts of their home in the future without having to invest straight away. The starter system from Somfy is the Connexoon. It has fewer functions than the comprehensive Tahoma system, but does allow for control of garage doors, gates and lighting. By upgrading to the Somfy Tahoma, however, homeowners can add products as and when they wish and automate completely different aspects of their home using one control and hub. The Somfy Tahoma is compatible with smoke detectors, temperature sensors, cameras, wall plugs and door sensors (with the likelihood of other products becoming available from Somfy) for a truly smart system. How Do I Install Smart Home Systems? Installing Somfy products is very straightforward, all you need to do is connect the Tahoma box to the internet using the supplied cable, activate it online and install the free app to begin linking products. If you’re interested in becoming a distributor for SWS UK and Somfy, please get in touch with info@swsuk.co.uk or call us on 01524 772400.