A new survey has found that four out of 10 consumers in Germany are currently using smart home applications, with big price tags and technical concerns deterring others.
The survey from Bitkom, Germany’s most important IT association, found that the desire to use smart home applications in everyday life is higher than the 40% already using them.
Three out of four consumers said they would like to enjoy an automatically brewed coffee when they get up in the morning, and every other German would like to control all the technical devices in the house on a single network.
According to the survey, the most important aspects for the majority of users in Germany (72%) is that the smart home offers them more comfort and quality of life. Also driving demand, 65% of Germans want more security in their smart home applications, while 52% want to see more energy-efficient living.
“The home of the future is smart,” said Bernhard Rohleder, managing director of Bitkom. According to Rohleder, most consumers no longer want things such as a lamp controlled through an app or a lawnmower that automatically keeps the grass cut short. He continued: “For most, it is about the end-to-end networking of the devices, and controlling all devices via a common platform.”
Security and cost are big deterrents for many German consumers; the study revealed that many of those who have not yet used a smart home application are interested in them but haven’t purchased any smart devices due to financial reasons or because of technical concerns.
Forty-two percent consider the current offerings to be too expensive and 41% consider the usage of smart home solutions to be too complicated.
“These findings shouldn’t surprise anyone who is familiar with the current situation,” added Ulrich Grote (pictured right), chairman of the ULE Alliance. “If manufacturers genuinely want to offer smart home solutions for everyone, they have to ensure that the solutions are actually affordable and manageable for everyone. The best way to do this is to use an open smart home standard. Users must be able to pick exactly those components that suit their needs and budget best, regardless of the manufacturer.”