Home automation starter kit for a Gurgaon flat: what you actually need (and what to pre-wire)

A practical, no-hype list of smart home devices that make a difference in a Gurgaon apartment, in order of value: smart switches, a smart lock, a video door phone, sensors and smart lighting, plus the wiring your electrician must do now if you want to add more later.

By JP Pro Supply · Published 2026-10-19 · 5 min read · Gurgaon & NCR

Home automation in Gurgaon has split into two markets: full wired systems installed by integrators at several lakhs, and the far larger group of flat owners who want their lights, fans, AC and front door controllable from a phone without rewiring the flat. This guide is for the second group. It lists what is worth buying, in order, and the small wiring decisions that keep your options open.

Start with the wiring, not the gadgets

If your flat is being wired or rewired now, three things cost almost nothing and make every later choice easier:

1. A neutral wire at every switch box. Most Wi-Fi smart switches need a neutral to power themselves. Older Gurgaon wiring often has only the live loop at the switch. Pulling a neutral now avoids "no-neutral" modules later, which are less reliable and limit load.
2. Deeper and larger back boxes. Touch panels and retrofit modules need depth. Ask for 60 mm to 75 mm deep boxes in the main rooms instead of the standard 45 mm, and consider 8-module boxes where a 6 would normally go.
3. A wired network point near the router location, in the living room and in the study, with CAT-6. Wi-Fi handles most devices, but a hub, a TV and a work-from-home desk are better wired.

These three items are a few hundred rupees of extra material on a fresh job and several thousand rupees of chasing and plastering afterwards. Our 3BHK material list includes them.

The starter kit, in order of value

1. Smart switches for lights and fans

The highest-impact item. Replace the switchboards in living room and bedrooms with Wi-Fi touch panels, or fit retrofit modules behind your existing modular switches so the look stays the same. Either gives app control, schedules, scenes ("all off" at the door) and voice control through Alexa or Google.

• Retrofit modules (fit behind the existing switch plate): cheapest, invisible, keep your existing switch series. Need a neutral and a box with some depth. 2-, 4- and 6-gang versions with a fan-speed channel.
• Touch panels (replace the switch plate): cleaner look, glass front, usually 2 to 8 touch points with a fan slider. Brands: Legrand, Schneider, Havells, Anchor, Wipro, plus app-first brands such as Tata Power EZ Home, Keus and others.

Budget for the fan-speed channel on bedroom boards; on-off only for fans is the most common regret.

2. Smart door lock

A fingerprint-plus-PIN-plus-app lock on the main door removes the key problem for maids, deliveries and family, and logs every entry. Choose a lock with a mechanical key override and battery low-warning. Confirm the door type (wooden, flush, panel thickness, single or double) before ordering; most returns are door-fit issues.

Brands available through authorised channels in India: Yale, Godrej, Qubo, Europa, Ozone, Samsung, and the lock ranges of the switch brands.

3. Video door phone or smart doorbell

In a society with an intercom this may feel redundant, but a video door phone that rings your phone when you are out is what most owners end up using most. Wired VDPs (Panasonic, Hikvision, Godrej, CP Plus) are more reliable; battery smart doorbells are easier to retrofit.

4. Smart plugs for the geyser and AC

A 16A smart plug on each geyser lets you switch it on from bed twenty minutes before a shower and schedule it off. An IR blaster per room controls the AC and TV. Both are cheap and need no wiring.

5. Sensors

• Motion sensor in the passage and bathrooms that turns lights on and off, the single most-used automation in most flats once installed.
• Door sensor on the main door for an alert when it opens.
• Water-leak sensor under the kitchen sink and behind the washing machine, cheap insurance against the most expensive accident in a flat.

6. Smart lighting

Smart bulbs in bedside lamps and smart strip or downlight drivers in the living-room cove for dimming and warm-to-cool white. Dimming is where smart lighting earns its keep; colour-changing bulbs are mostly a novelty.

7. Curtain motors

Battery or wired motors on the living-room and master-bedroom curtains. A luxury, but the one most visitors notice.

Hubs and protocols

Most entry-level devices are Wi-Fi and need no hub. Zigbee devices need a hub but are more reliable in large flats and do not clog the router. Matter, the new cross-brand standard, is appearing on new devices; if a device offers it, prefer it. Whatever you choose, use a decent dual-band router with a mesh node if the flat is over 1,500 sq ft; most "smart home is unreliable" complaints are Wi-Fi coverage.

Budget tiers

• Entry: retrofit modules in three rooms, two smart plugs, one IR blaster, one motion sensor.
• Standard: touch panels in living and three bedrooms with fan control, smart lock, smart doorbell, smart plugs on geysers, passage and bathroom motion sensors, leak sensors.
• Full: all of the above plus smart dimmable lighting throughout, curtain motors, a wired VDP, a Zigbee or Matter hub, and a pre-wired network.

Buying

Buy the automation devices together with the switches, boxes and wire so the module counts, box depths and neutrals are checked before anything is installed. We supply smart switches, locks, VDPs, sensors and lighting alongside the electrical list across Gurgaon and NCR; see the home automation supply page.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make my existing flat smart without rewiring?

Yes, mostly. Retrofit modules or touch panels replace switchboards without touching the conduit, smart plugs and IR blasters need nothing, and battery sensors and locks are wireless. The one condition is a neutral at the switch box; if your flat lacks it, use no-neutral modules or have an electrician pull a neutral to the main boards.

Which smart switch brand is best in India?

For reliability and spare availability in Gurgaon, the established electrical brands (Legrand, Schneider, Havells, Anchor, Wipro) are safe. App-first brands often have better software and lower prices. Whichever you choose, keep one ecosystem per flat so scenes and voice control work across rooms.

Do smart switches work during a power cut on inverter?

Yes, as long as the circuit is on inverter backup and the Wi-Fi router is too. Put the router on the backup socket; it is the most-forgotten device during a cut.

How much does a basic home automation setup cost for a 3BHK in Gurgaon?

An entry kit of retrofit modules in three rooms with a couple of smart plugs and a sensor is a modest spend compared with the flat's electrical budget. A standard kit with touch panels in four rooms, a smart lock and doorbell is more, roughly the cost of a good set of designer switches. Get it quoted brand-wise with the electrical list rather than priced per device.