What Is Your Smart Home IQ?

by ServiceLive

Do you know what an actuator does, or how geofencing can benefit your heating bill? If not, you’re not alone. In a survey by the Consumer Electronics Association and Parks Associates, around 2/3 of consumers polled expressed a distinct lack of knowledge regarding smart home products and where to get them. Of the respondents, here is the breakdown of responses:

62% not familiar with smart home services
62% not familiar with smart home products
72% not familiar with where to buy smart home services
69% not familiar with where to buy smart home products

Although the industry has been abuzz about smart home technology for several years now, the trickle-down effect to consumers is apparently taking some time. According to a survey by The Harris Poll, the most commonly used technology in U.S. homes is wireless speakers, occupying 17% of households. Smart thermostats are next at 11%, and security systems come in third, being used in roughly 9% of American homes.

Consumers’ understanding of technology also seems to rely upon how the question is phrased. While 64% of Americans polled by Harris stated that they don’t know very much about “smart home technology”, in Nielsen’s Connected Life Report 53% of household decision-makers said they know what “connected home technology” is. Smart home and connected home mean the same thing, so apparently comprehension on the subject is partly just semantics.

A Trend on the Upswing

These numbers aren’t such a surprise when you look at the smart home industry landscape as a whole – of all the individual components that make up connected home technology – thermostats, appliances, security, lighting, audio, and more – no one category is utilized by more than six percent of the American population.

These numbers are on the rise, however, and just as with personal computers through the 90s and 2000s, smart home literacy is sure to skyrocket with increased availability and use. According to market research firm Berg Insight, by 2019 28% of North American homes will contain some smart home technology.

We won’t leave you hanging about the terms mentioned previously: an actuator is a mechanism triggered by a sensor, such as a motion detector connected to a security system. Geofencing allows a device such as a smart thermostat to detect when you’re returning home so it can fire up the heat or air conditioning. Now that’s smart.

Installation and Setup Made Easy

As prices drop and popularity rises, more and more people will be looking for simple installation solutions. ServiceLive, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings, connects customers with qualified service providers to facilitate smooth, reliable, and convenient installation of home improvement and upgrade projects.

ServiceLive not only carefully screens its participating providers in a comprehensive process involving extensive background and criminal checks, but we also hold our contractors to a specified level of customer satisfaction so that you can be totally confident in your decision to connect with our installers. If you’re unhappy with your service, you can contact our customer service department so that a solution may be achieved.

There is no requirement that you purchase your products through Sears. You may provide your own home automation devices, or feel free to choose from our wide selection of quality products in the Sears Connected Solutions Store.

We know the new world of high-tech home convenience and security solutions can be overwhelming, and not everyone has the technological know-how to install even devices that are marketed as DIY. Miscommunications in the server aren’t uncommon, and sometimes particular settings must be calibrated to get everything functioning together smoothly. ServiceLive prides itself on providing simple solutions to your installation and setup needs.

Sources:

http://www.propertycasualty360.com/2015/10/09/fact-of-the-week-americans-dont-know-much-about-sm

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Whats-Makes-a-Smart-Home-Most-People-Dont-Know

http://www.t3.com/features/the-smart-home-guide

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