What does the future have in store for our homes? Curious to find out? Keep reading below to find out the five smart home technology trends slowly but steadily crossing the threshold.
Imagine this: Smart clocks that scan your schedule and adjust the alarm clock. Showers that automatically turn on and warm the water to your preferred temperature. The groceries you’ve ordered online land at your front door, delivered by a drone. And an electric car parked on your driveway, ready to go as you get out of your home in the morning.
That’s the future of our homes. Or, it will soon be pretty similar.
Data from Business Wire shows that the global smart home industry is expected to reach $135 billion worldwide by 2025 from $78.3 billion as it was worth in 2020. That’s a CAGR of 11.6%.
This growth is driven by a number of factors, including the increasing number of Internet users, the growing adoption of smart devices, and even thanks to the rising disposable income in developing countries. But that’s not all. Smart home technology is also on the rise as it appeals to homeowners who are becoming more eco-friendly and look for energy-saving and low-carbon emission-oriented solutions. Moreover, entertainment is becoming an important part of modern individuals’ busy lives as it provides relaxation. For this reason, smart home entertainment devices are in great demand these days.
Want to learn how your home will get smarter in the future? Keep reading below! In this article, we’ll outline the five smart home technology trends that are emerging right now and will likely be part of every home pretty soon.
- Voice assistants integration
- Focus on security
- Smart heating technologies
- Expansion of AI
- Smart home technology for pet owners
1. Voice assistants integration
While asking Alexa or Google Assistant to tell you the weather or play your favorite song isn’t a new trend, assistant control is a trend that has started to unfurl at an unprecedented rate over the past couple of years. More precisely, according to data from Statista, the total number of smart home devices supported by voice assistants increased from 30,000 in October 2018 to 90,400 in May 2019.
Today, it isn’t easy to find a connected appliance or system that can’t be controlled by Alexa or Google Assistant.
These voice assistants can provide some really unique experiences. Google Home and Alexa can both learn and detect unique voices. They can check your calendar, dictate your commute times, what’s the weather, and also control other smart home appliances and gadgets as you tell them to.
2. Focus on security
Smart home tech is also focusing on enhanced security. In fact, according to Statista, the security area of the smart home market is expected to become one of the most rapidly developing sectors in the industry. That’s why we’ve lately seen a rise in connected security devices such as smart locks, smart doorbells, and cameras.
Smart home security devices use your Wi-Fi network to connect to various sensors, sirens, cameras, and other devices such as smart door locks, smart thermostats, security cameras, and smart video doorbells.
Yet, as our homes are getting smarter, keeping them secure becomes increasingly important.
Think about it: every device that connects to the Internet is a potential target for hackers. These are the devices that collect and store your most personal and sensitive data, meaning that cybersecurity is going to become more important than ever.
3. Smart heating technologies
What can smart heating do for you? Make your life so much easier. It can cut down your costs, warm your home before you get back from work, and help reduce your footprint on our environment.
One of the most popular heating technologies is smart thermostats. They are an emerging trend that allows homeowners to control heating on the go from their smartphones, tablets, or other devices. These thermostats connect to the Internet to allow you to control them remotely.
In addition to smart thermostats, homeowners can also use home automation leak detectors. This system features intelligent home water sensors that automatically shut off the water when it detects a leak or water system malfunction so that you don’t have to worry about looking for the building hot water shut off yourself. The device simply shuts off the water for you until you repair the issue that led to the leak.
Smart heating technologies can save you a lot of money on your energy bill each month.
4. Expansion of AI
AI is everywhere these days. Not in the form of evil robots that want to exterminate humankind, as we’ve all seen in Hollywood movies, but as smart technologies with plenty of capabilities to complete certain tasks that only humans could do before.
AI in smart home devices can do anything from complicated tasks like gathering data and predicting your behaviors as a homeowner to adjust your smart home appliances to make your home’s smart security devices work. AI technology can also identify products in your fridge, build a shopping list, which you then receive on your smartphone, and make your voice-controlled smart devices understand your speech.
5. Smart home technology for pet owners
You are wondering what your cat/dog is doing all day long while you’re at work? Are they sleeping, chewing on your favorite shoes? Or maybe they are barking all day long until you come back home? Why keep on wonder when you can know for sure using smart home technology focused on pet owners specifically.
Most pet owners see their pets as more than just animals. They see them as family members. So, they want to stay connected with their furry-friends and make sure they don’t get bored while their owners are at work. Luckily, smart home technology for pets allows that. We’re talking about smart pet feeders, automatic pet doors, self-cleaning litter boxes, smart pet trackers, and interactive wireless cameras that allow pet owners to see and play with their pets when they are away from home.