Smart Home Technology Mostly Used for Both Convenience and Security

Adding smart home features typically adds value to a property, as more and more consumers invest to make their lives easier.

Ninety-one percent of respondents in a recent survey from Frontier said they own at least one smart home device. What products are most desirable to people? Three-quarters of respondents said their most-wanted feature is the ability to turn the lights on, while 61% said playing music. More than half (55%) of consumers wish to control the thermostat, while 45% want the ability to lock the doors from elsewhere in the house. Monitoring home security is important to 44% and 36% said controlling the light based on time of day and another 36% said controlling appliances.

Hands down, Amazon was the most popular smart home brand, according to 75%, followed by Google at 59% and Sony and LG, both at 21%. When searching for a smart home brand, consumers are most likely to depend on quality first, said 83%, followed by reliability, said 74% and affordability, according to 54%. Forty percent said they use smart home devices for both security and convenience, while 33% said just convenience and 27% said just security.

However, with any technology, people have their concerns, according to 59%. Nearly two-thirds worry about having sensitive information stolen from their device, 61% fear being watched and 55% are concerned about having their financial information accessed. Consumers also have complaints about their devices, 47% said their device has limited functionality and features, 41% said it was expensive and 38% cited poor data privacy and security. Amazon customers were more likely to be concerned about poor data privacy and security and Google customers were more likely to not like their product’s limited functionality and features.