Majafela talks automation system

With a strong desire to use technology to simplify people’s daily lives, Kgotla Majafe started Sebatek automations last year. According to Majafe, the company enables clients to control and monitor what is happening in their homes and offices using their smart phones. “It introduces people to a secure life, where a home automation system hears, sees and smells in their houses and offices for them. A home where your family feels safe,” says Majafe. He reveals that not only would clients be able to monitor their home security from anywhere in the world but that they would also be able to avoid misfortunes such as fire in the home or flooding due to water leakages. “The monitoring and controlling is done to work together that if one prompts the other and devices are connected to communicate with each other, they can control when a monitoring device prompts action,” he explained. As an example, he gave a scenario in which there would be a tap leaking in the tap inside the house with no one there to close it. The water sensor would sense the leakage and send a notification to the house owner’s smart phone. From wherever they are, they can send a command back to the tap to close more tightly to avoid water dripping. Other examples would be a command given to curtains to open or close themselves, the gate opening or closing itself, and the front door opening or closing itself. Premises could be also be commanded to sense motion so that if for example, an intruder comes inside the house when the owner is not there then the camera, would be prompted to start recording. At the same time, a notification would be sent to either the owner or people whose devices have been programmed to receive such information and are asked if they want to see the surveillance feed. “If you see that the feed is questionable or requires action, you can from your smart device, allow the system to carry out the subsequent emergency response which would sound the alarm and commission other preprogramed events. If you cannot attend to the prompt the system will therefore as programmed trigger the events on your behalf. This takes care of the security function of the automation system,” explains Majafe. All phones in the house could be linked to the system so it is not one specific phone that they would use in the controlling of the automation as desired by the owner of the house. The notification could also go in a form of an SMS to the owner thus catering for mobile devices which are not smart phones. Asked what happens when a person moves out of an automated house to one that is not, he explained that Sebatek devices do not connect permanently to building’s infrastructure. He states that it is not a problem if a client wants to redecorate their apartment or take down some walls and change the interior design. Any given module from the wall, he states, can be taken and installed into a new location. Issues of privacy and ethics might arise for some people interested in having their offices and homes automated. To this, he informs that after they have installed their devices, they do not have access to particular premises but that clients do the monitoring themselves. Furthermore, when they automate a house or office for the first time, they show the owner how to do it themselves and then the owner creates login details (Username and Password), thus giving them full control of the system. Sebatek automations had a chance to display at the recent Youth expo and Majafe reveals that they got a positive response from people who visited their stall.