Nine in 10 Consumers Plan More Wireless Home Control in 12 Months, Says Report

Some 90 percent of consumers expect to control more of their home wirelessly in the next six to 12 months, said a Thursday Futuresource report citing results of a survey of 4,000 consumers in France, Germany, the U.K. and U.S. Nearly one in three consumers has at least one smart home device installed, with the highest smart home penetration in the U.S. (38 percent). German respondents showed the most resistance to the technology with 20 percent smart home adoption, Futuresource said. Smart lighting and smart thermostats are among the most popular categories, and home security was given most often as the first smart home device users installed. Climate control products are growing, but it’s a “fragmented” category with little brand recognition, said the research company. Two-thirds of respondents said music and AV content was important in the connected home. Users who installed one smart home device are more likely to want to automate their homes further, said analyst Filipe Oliveira. Consumers who had smart home devices installed as part of a service from an energy, telecom or security provider indicated overall satisfaction and the "overwhelming majority" planned to renew subscriptions, he said. Referencing voice-powered speakers as another driver of smart home adoption, Oliveira said music streaming was the top use case, but respondents also used the speakers for controlling temperature and lights. Consumers were open to the idea of buying a smart appliance next time they need to replace a washing machine or refrigerator, but appliance makers "need to find ways to stimulate consumer interest again," he said. Priority should be given to appliance features with clear benefits such as safety or cost-savings, said Oliveira.