HDB resale · Local-first smart home

A local-first smart home for your HDB resale flat

Older wiring, older aircon, and a family already living there. We plan around all three, and the system runs from a hub inside your flat rather than someone else's server.

Home-A-Genius designs, installs and supports local-first smart homes for HDB resale flats in Singapore, including older flats whose wall boxes have no neutral wire. The system runs on a hub inside the home rather than on an overseas cloud server, so lights, aircon and scenes keep working when the internet drops. Many resale retrofits are done without a full renovation, and complete packages start from S$4,150 including GST, fully installed.

What goes wrong with cloud-first setups in a resale flat

• No neutral wire at the switch. Many older wall boxes only carry live and switched wires. A lot of off-the-shelf smart switches need a neutral, so they either won't fit or need rewiring.
• Older aircon without Wi-Fi. Cloud kits assume every appliance is "smart". In a resale flat, most aren't, so you end up with a mix of apps and remotes.
• Retrofitting around a lived-in home. Box-by-box setups get added one gadget at a time, with no plan for coverage or scenes, and the network struggles as devices pile up.
• Parents or helpers who won't use an app. If the only way to control the flat is a phone app that depends on the cloud, the people who most need it are the ones locked out when it fails.

What Home-A-Genius does differently

Design and install details we plan for in a resale flat

• Wall box survey. We check which switch points have a neutral wire and which don't, and plan switch types accordingly. Warranty is two years on neutral-wire switches and one year on non-neutral.
• Existing appliances. We work out which of your current aircon units, fans and TVs can be integrated, and how.
• Coverage. Older layouts and thick walls get a Zigbee mesh for devices and, where needed, access points for Wi-Fi, planned from your floor plan.
• Minimal disruption. Where no renovation is planned, we favour options that avoid hacking walls or ceilings.

Automations that work well in a resale flat

Which package fits your resale flat

Setting up a flat for older parents? Read our guide to ageing in place in an HDB flat, or how to turn an older home into a smart home.

Resale questions we get asked

My resale flat has no neutral wire. Can I still have smart switches?

Yes. Where a wall box has no neutral wire, which is common in older flats, we use wireless switches that bind to the circuit instead. Non-neutral switches carry a one-year parts-and-labour warranty; neutral-wire switches carry two years.

Can you install without a full renovation?

Often, yes. Many resale retrofits need no hacking or rewiring. We survey the flat first and tell you honestly what is and isn't practical without renovation works.

Will my older aircon work with the system?

Units without Wi-Fi are controlled through a local infrared blaster for on, off and temperature, with no internet needed. Daikin iSmile and Mitsubishi Electric units with Wi-Fi get deeper integration, including fan speed, swing and two-way feedback.