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Smart home gaining in popularity
14. October 2020 Published by Jana GreylingPeople live smart in Germany and want to continue to do so in the future. That’s how the results of a survey by the digital association Bitkom could be summarized. Whether it’s connected security systems, robotic vacuum cleaners or smart radiators, acceptance of smart home solutions in Germany is rising steadily, and every second person controls their smart home by voice command.
4 out of 10 consumers (37 percent) use smart home applications – that’s six percent more than in 2019 (31 percent) and eleven percent more than in 2018 (26 percent). Every second person (49 percent) would also ideally like to connect all the technical devices in their own four walls with each other and control them digitally. The main reasons for using smart home applications include greater convenience and quality of life (72 percent), more security (65 percent) and the desire to live more energy efficiently (52 percent).
Control by voice
Every second user (52 percent) already controls their smart home by voice command – among them a large majority of 85 percent by stationary voice assistant such as Amazon Echo, Apple Home Pod or Google Home. Three quarters (74 percent) of those using voice control do so via voice assistant on their smartphone.
The details are based on a survey conducted by Bitkom Research on behalf of the digital association Bitkom in June/July 2020. 1,465 people in Germany aged 16 and above were surveyed by phone, including 547 users of smart home applications. The survey is representative.
Most smart home users, however. still usually operate their devices by fingertip in a smartphone app (78%); every third person (31%) uses a remote control.
“The smartphone continues to be the most important control center for the smart home,” reports Bitkom CEO Dr. Bernhard Rohleder. “But voice control can make the devices much easier to operate, providing support for older people or those with limited mobility in their everyday life.” The graphic shows that the smartphone as the control center for the smart home is still ahead of voice commands.
What is clear, however, is that younger people make far more use of Alexa and the like to operate the smart home. 71 percent of the 16- to 29-year-old smart home users use voice commands, as does every second user aged 30 to 49 (50 percent). The figure for the over 65s is considerably lower at 33%.
And another result is surprising: Many of the respondents can imagine also using smart home solutions in personal areas. Almost three quarters (72 percent) would be delighted if their home would automatically make the coffee when they get up. 48 percent would buy an oven that learns how crispy the occupants like their roast. 27 percent would live in a home that recognizes parcel couriers and tradespeople, and automatically lets them in when no-one’s home. Every sixth person (12 percent) could even imagine having children or older people looked after by a smart home that, for example, entertains them, prepares food for them, or ensures that they don’t hurt themselves.
“The smart home is no science fiction: Smart home solutions can already make life more convenient, safer and, most of all, more climate friendly,” stresses Bitkom CEO Dr. Bernhard Rohleder.
Security is in demand and Gigaset delivers
And it’s slowly becoming apparent that the smart home can do more than just switch lamps on and off or listen to music. Even though 23 percent of respondents still use the solutions to operate lamps and lights, the use of smart radiator thermostats and smart plugs is on the rise.
The area of security has also caught up massively. Digital technologies in this field are extremely popular, with 18 percent of respondents owning a smart alarm system and 16 percent a smart system for video surveillance. Security is important especially for women.
And Gigaset offers an unbeatable solution with coordinated elements and modules. The smart home alarm systems from Gigaset enable exactly the convenience and security that users expect today. Motion sensors, an alarm sirens and surveillance camera, as well as a smoke detector make sure of that. The Gigaset app shows the user whether all the doors and windows fitted with sensors are properly secured, and informs them when smoke has been detected. That way, the Gigaset Smart Home alarm systems offer protection against burglary and damage by the elements, and provide additional living comfort, for instance, through convenient voice and lighting control in combination with Amazon Alexa, Google Home or Philips Hue.
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