Qubo looks to on-device AI to widen smart home adoption in India: CEO Nikhil Rajpal

Homegrown smart devices maker Qubo is betting on on-device artificial intelligence (AI) to make smart-home products more accessible to Indian consumers, as it expands beyond security cameras into a wider range of connected appliances, the firm’s founder and chief executive Nikhil Rajpal told ET AI at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026.

According to Rajpal, the company has developed AI models that can identify people and detect potential threats on its smart cameras, some priced at around Rs 2,500.

“Many of the models we’ve built actually work for free on your device,” he said, explaining that Qubo does not entirely rely on cloud-based processing.


However, Qubo’s website shows that advanced security features and cloud storage come with its paid AI Guard plans, priced at Rs 149, Rs 249 and Rs 399 a month. A free base plan is also available.

AI Guard’s features include person and motion detection, instant alerts, automatic alarms and zone-based monitoring.

“The devices we build anticipate and act on your behalf,” Rajpal said.

For instance, an air purifier could switch on automatically when air quality deteriorates, while a security camera could trigger an alarm when it detects an intruder. The broader ambition, he said, is to move beyond devices to allow users to monitor their homes.

Qubo’s customers can store recordings on a microSD card or opt for subscription-based cloud storage, which the company says is hosted on Indian servers.

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Building for Indian homes

The company’s focus on locally designed products stems from differences between Indian and Western homes, Rajpal said.

“The fundamental reason we built Qubo was that we felt products made for the West are not necessarily right for India,” he said.

Differences in building materials, family structures and household security requirements can affect how smart-home devices are designed and used, he said. In India, use cases may include monitoring visitors, checking on children and domestic workers

The company claims to use its own IoT technology stack, cloud platform, mobile applications and AI models to integrate its connected products. Hero Electronix, Qubo's parent company, describes the business as focused on smart and connected consumer products, with capabilities spanning design, engineering, software and manufacturing.

A smart camera that streams video to a phone costs around Rs 2,500, Rajpal said, adding that Qubo sells a couple of thousand units a day on Amazon. He estimated India’s smart-home penetration at below 2%, compared with 30–50% in the West and China.

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From cameras to connected appliances

Qubo — which already sells smart cameras, video doorbells, smart locks and dashcams — is expanding into smart environmental appliances, with plans to launch smart heaters and robot vacuums this year and potentially a water purifier, Rajpal said. The company entered the air-purifier category a few years ago.

The aim is to bring different devices together through a common ecosystem, allowing consumers to add products as their needs evolve rather than having to invest in an entire smart-home setup upfront.

The company is also exploring international markets. Rajpal said Qubo was recently launched in the Middle East and is considering expansion, including the US for dashcams. He added that India remains a significant opportunity because adoption of smart-home products is still low.

India needs more product engineers

While India’s manufacturing ecosystem has improved over the past decade, the country needs more engineering talent to design and develop products, instead of focusing on manufacturing, Rajpal said.

“We can manufacture, we can do parts of it, but still not enough people who can design and build world-class products in India,” he said.

Qubo has an in-house tech team of about 100, Rajpal said, adding that such companies could groom talent to launch more product businesses.


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