Smart home technology may offer major benefits like convenience, increased safety and improved energy efficiency but as The Conversation recently noted, it’s also downright fun.
And make no mistake, that fun side of things is a factor when it comes to the increased adoption of smart home appliances and infrastructure.
So, let’s take a look at the lighter side of living in a smart home along with the other more tangible advantages of embracing smart technology.
Recent report findings
According to recent research by RMIT as reported in The Conversation there are three main reasons people invest in smart home technology:
- To facilitate care and protection
- To improve productivity
- To provide pleasure.
Known as the 3Ps, they are broadly defined as protection, productivity and pleasure.
Protection
In terms of protection, RMIT’s interviews with 31 households who were early adopters of smart home found “technology users expressed a desire to care for and protect the home and its occupants”.
The type of technology they sought extended from smart cameras and monitoring to caring for those with vulnerabilities such as the aged or disabled.
“Smart technology provided safeguards against potential vulnerabilities by, for example, allowing people to remotely unlock doors for visitors, or monitor the room temperature and health of children with special needs,” researchers noted.
Productivity
Small conveniences that served to alleviate mundane everyday tasks was another reason people were willing to employ smart tech, the researchers found.
“Automated or voice activated lights, heating, doors or blinds became significant and normal parts of everyday life. Householders doubted whether they could live well without these conveniences once they become accustomed to the benefits.
“Smart home technologies also improved productivity through coordination and multitasking. In particular, voice assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home, freed people’s hands to do other tasks, making households feel more productive.”
The researchers went on to note: “One research participant was living with a disability that made small everyday tasks extremely difficult and exhausting. She described productivity as a way of conserving her energy for other tasks, making smart technologies “absolutely brilliant and invaluable” for people with disabilities.”
Pleasure
Finally, researchers reflected the smart home was also very much about pleasure, with a number of interview participants noting: “Smart lighting and speakers were a major source of this enjoyment, generating sensory experiences to affect ambience and mood. Automated water features also generated sensory pleasure”.
“We found householders created a relaxing and pleasurable home environment to replicate the experience of going on holiday or living in a resort. Home cinemas, audiovisual systems, pools, and outdoor and indoor entertainment areas were all common pursuits seeking this vacation-style pleasure.”
And sharing this enjoyment with others was also a driver of smart tech adoption.
“For the predominantly male smart home initiators we interviewed, pleasure also came from implementing and “tinkering” with their smart systems. Further enjoyment ensued when sharing these smart devices and experiences, and showing them off to others.”
The upshot
So yes, the smart home offers tangible lifestyle benefits like increased productivity and improved protection, but it’s also darned good fun. And it’s fun that can be shared with friends who also get to enjoy all the benefits when they come to visit the all-new, all-improved smart home.
About Lera Smart Home Solutions
Lera Smart Home Solutions is a leading installer of smart home technology in the greater Sydney region. Our team boasts over 20 years’ experience in IT networking, programming and the electrical industry.
We have sourced the most reliable and cost efficient solutions from around the world to provide the very best in smart home solutions, and work with our clients to understand their needs.
You can learn more about transforming your house into a smart home here, or contact us directly for further advice.
