The first fully connected homes brimmed with smart appliances and fully autonomous home systems are still “10-15 years away”, industry insiders have claimed.
Despite the first smartphone connected appliances and home gadgets, such as the Nest Protect connected smoke and CO2 alarm, already doing the rounds, insiders have predicted that the futuristic dream of a truly smart and fully connected home is still just that, a dream.
Speaking exclusively with TrustedReviews, Nick Underwood, Buying Administrator for Large Electricals and connected home authority within retailer John Lewis, has suggested that “the first connected homes will emerge within the next 10 to 15 years among early adopters.”
Predicting that the notion of truly connected and automated homes, which have featured in many a cartoon and film, are still some way from being a standard, Underwood reservedly added: “It may take a lot longer for fully connected homes to become the norm.”
Highlighting some of the early connected home products already in the works, Underwood stated: “There are a number of home automation gadgets in development which will continue to help us to live smarter, and we’re excited to see these new technologies hit the mainstream over the coming years.”
He added: “We predict that smart connectivity will truly take off once it becomes commonplace on electrical appliances and consumers become more familiar with the technology.”
Detailing where the first widespread breakthroughs are likely to come, he added: “It will likely be the simple things which consumers adopt first, such as controlling appliances or home lighting via tablets, voice or motion control, which will undoubtedly grow in popularity over the next few years.”
With many areas of the market to develop simultaneously, the electronics buyer has predicted that standalone smart products and more multipurpose home automation systems will grow side-by-side before eventually merging into one fluid market.
“We believe there is an appetite for both standalone home automation devices and smarter home appliances in the market,” Underwood told us. Looking at early adopters he added: “We have seen a really positive initial reaction to the launch of home automation and connected home products.
“These products are proving really popular with our customers and we’ve seen sales rise by 156 per cent since the same period last year.”
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