One major impact of smart home solutions is that they are swiftly changing the way we interact with computers.

When Bill Gates built his smart house, “Xanadu 2.0,” in the mid-90s, it was viewed as futuristic and out of reach for most consumers. After all, Gates could change artwork on the walls with the touch of a button and adjust each room’s lighting, music, and temperature with a touchpad. Many likely believed the technology wouldn’t make it into ordinary homes for decades – or at least, not at a price they could afford.

Fast forward 20 years, and technology is catching up to the Microsoft founder’s vision. Today, there are smart light bulbs that memorize your living patterns and turn on, off or change to a different color automatically. Smart locks enable you to share virtual keys with visitors to your home, while smart cameras allow you to see who is knocking on your door, even when you’re away.

But it’s not just lighting and security. A rich field of startups is dedicated to developing new types of smart home devices. These solutions will monitor your baby and your pets, play your music, water your garden, clean your home, and make sure you take your medicine. For example, French hardware company Netatmo recently partnered with Velux on connected windows that, using sensors, will open or shut depending on the weather.

Tech companies big and small are recognizing that the market for smart home solutions is promising. The market for smart home solutions is promising as nearly half of people consider themselves to be tech-savvy. ReportLinker conducted a survey on the technology to answer four questions:

• Are people ready to adopt smart home solutions?
• What are the main benefits of these devices?
• What attracts people to turn their houses into smart ones?
• And what are the main drawbacks?

Key findings show that:

• 41% of people already own smart home devices
• Consumers’ favourite smart devices are connected appliances (20%), thermostats (16%), security (12%) & lighting solutions (10%)
• 36% of people who own smart homes said it makes their life easier, while 27% mentioned making savings on their energy bill
• Almost half (48%), manage their solutions via an app, compared to other who use a wall-mounted terminal or a tablet.
• For voice assistant owners, the most popular uses are playing music or videos (63%), getting the weather report (47%), or listening to the news (32%).

Finally, for those who are more reluctant:

• 29% mention the high cost
• 26% don’t see the benefits of such devices
• And 25% have privacy concerns about their data.

See more from the survey at the link below: