Home
Automation KeyPad or Touch Switch
Modern
homes demand smart solutions, and home automation is rapidly transforming the
way we live. Many home owners are adopting Home Automation
solutions. While going for it, the first choice user has to make is Switch
Board. Upgrading your switches from traditional tick-tock to smart looking switches.
There are two major options available for this, Smart Touch Switch or KeyPads.
Both has veriour color & design option with customisation. Lets know their
use cases and choose the right one as per your requirement.
Lifespan: Generally, touch switches
can have a longer lifespan because they have no moving parts that wear out over
time. They rely on capacitive or resistive sensing to detect touch, which can
lead to less mechanical failure. Ideally, touch switch has a life of 1 Million
operation (10,00,000 Ten Lacs).
KeyPads can wear out due to the
physical movement of the toggle. However, high-quality Metallic KeyPad can
still last for a long time, often rated for tens of thousands to hundreds of
thousands of cycles.
Durability: Touch Switch are often more
resistant to environmental factors like dust and moisture since they do not
have openings like mechanical switches.
KeyPads
can be more robust in certain applications, especially in harsh environments
where tactile feedback is needed.
Control
and convenience
Touch
switches are more user friendly as it is a straight replacement of Tick-Tock
switches that we are using since years. It allows us to on/off single Light or
item, also allows to control Fan speed from 1 to 5 level. There is a Scene
option also available on Touch Switch.
KeyPads
are designed to occupy less space, therefore it has limited buttons and so
controlling single Light or individual item from it is practically not comfortable.
But you can control bunch of things at once via Scene from KeyPad.
Touch
Switch gives feedback via changing its switch color that whether the light is
on or off. KeyPad also has light
changing feedback and also a physical feeling of pressing the button.
Socket:
In Touch switch,
many Indian Manufacturer gives Customisable option of Touch Panel with Socket,
USB, C-Type, Telephone pin etc in same panel without changing the aesthetics of
it.
While
in KeyPad, Sockets and pins have to add separately, which breaks the symmetric
look of the Switch board. Some manufacturers are giving the Sockets and pins in
same finish, but it makes switch board bulky sometimes.
Affordable
: Touch switches
are less expensive than KeyPads. Touch Switch board ranges from Rs.
2,500
to 25,000. While Keypads ranges from 5,000 to 50,000 and goes upto 2 Lacs as
well. Which is overprices looking at the product you getting in return.
Re-wiring
: Touch Switch
board comes with Retrofit and wireless, that can fix in existing home wiring
without making any changes. If at any point of time, home owner wants to return
to traditional switches, he or she can do so without re-wiring.
While
KeyPads are mostly comes in centralised wired Automation, that require to
change your regular wiring to centralised wiring and Keypad works on CAT6.
Therefore home owner has to do all the wiring again and if anything goes wrong and
he or she wants to return to regular tick-tock switches, they can not do so in
this wiring.
Maintenance:
Both products
are repairable in India. Touch switch repairing cost is less compare to KeyPad
and you can find its component and technical person near to your location. There
are many manufacturers in India for Touch Switch, where you can get your device
repaired easily.
While
for KeyPad, there is no Indian Manufacturer, therefore finding the technical
person or component of the product is difficult. You have to send it to the foreign
country for repair, which is costly and time consuming, practically not feasible.
Customization
and personalization: Both,
Touch Switch and KeyPad comes in difference color, Look, Icon and customised
icon or font engraving options. While Personalisation, Touch Switches has
limited sizes as per electrical board size, while KeyPads can come in designer
looks and pattern. Also, on KeyPad, you can set your preferred scene and can
have personalised ambience with just a single tap. This feature is also
available on Touch Switches, but it suits mote on KeyPads.
Seamless
integration : Both,
Touch Switch and KeyPad has their own eco-system in different technology. Intigration
with Security System, Sensors, Home Theatre etc.. is possible in both. In
Wireless Touch Switches, Tuya SmartLife offers wide range of Hardware and
application features Globally. While in Wired, KNX system offers all the solution
under one roof.
Energy
efficient: It
dosent makes any difference, whether you go for Touch Switch or Keypads, both are
energy efficient. Both works on DC current and has features like Dimmable
Lighting, Scheduling, Auto-Off in no one in the room.
Aesthetic
Appeal: This is
more depends on individuals personal choice. Touch Switches comes in Glass and
Acrylic material with Glossy or Matte Finish. Offers wide range od color
options, customised LED backlit, icon design & text and framing around the
EDGE to give premium look. One can have wall display or hand-held tablet to
operate it. KeyPad also comes in ABS, Metal and Glass material. Available in different
color with customised icon & texts. Touch Switches has individual switches
for each light, Fan, Socket and electrical item you use, that makes it bit
bigger to accommodate each switch in it. While KeyPad dosent gives option to
on/off each electrical item separately, instead it allows to operate multiple
item in a Group. Thus one can have more operation in compact size.
color theme and this both will give amazing experience you never had before.
Conclusion: Touch switches are very user friendly and easily accepted by all age group as it has same operation like regular tick-tock switches. In Touch Switches, User can re-programme and change the settings on his own. While Keypad can operate multiple items in a group and gives personalised user experience. But here, user don’t have full access of setting and programming part of KeyPad in his hand, thus he cant change or edit grouping & Scene on his own. If you are a person who wants each control in his hand and like to have socket, switches and operation as per his choice, choose Touch Switches. And the person who like easy operation on single click, smaller switch board and basic theme, choose Keypads. Touch Switch or KeyPad, get it customised as per your house interior and
