Pakenham’s Travis Robbins can control anything from the kettle to the airconditioning from his lounge room couch thanks to new digital smart home technology.TRAVIS Robbins sinks into his plush lounge to settle down to the latest release movie.
But upon hitting the point of ultimate relaxation, Mr Robbins realises he forgot to put the kettle on.
In any ordinary house, Mr Robbins would leave his newfound calm and, most likely in a disgruntled state, walk to the kitchen and put the kettle on.
But in Mr Robbins’ digital smart home in Pakenham, the television remote control allows him to turn the kettle – and any other electrical appliance – on and off.
Mr Robbins’ house appears normal from the outside, but on the inside it is driven by the latest advancements in technology.
When Mr Robbins enters a room the light flicks on for him. When he leaves, it switches off automatically.
If his alarm is triggered and Mr Robbins is out and about, he can use his mobile phone to monitor the images from his home security cameras to see if it is a false alarm or not.
A media centre PC feeds highdefinition broadcasts to a widescreen LCD television. The same computer allows Mr Robbins to adjust the airconditioning, heating, and to monitor energy usage in his new smart home.
Such a setup can cost up to $10,000, but as little as $2500 if one buys only part of the package.
But Mr Robbins is a strong believer that the technology driving desktop PCs will find a place in most Australian homes in the near future.
Mr Robbins, an electrician who can fit the home automation part of the package, is offering people tours of his digital smart home.
He is working in conjunction with MediaHub, the company pushing the technology, particularly to new home owners.
To learn more about the packages available, or to take a tour, contact Travis Robbins on 0438 314 459.
