As the smart home market expands into the mainstream, there is more urgency than ever to deliver on the integrated, automated, intelligent vision of the smart home.

A compelling reason to adopt the smart home beyond camera devices is the use of automation to add convenience and match tech use cases to lifestyles. These automations can be set up as routinesthat can trigger multiple actions based on time of day, human presence, or other criteria. Parks Associates set out to understand what routines appealed to consumers, and what triggers they would prefer. The research found that 40% of US internet households with connected home devices have at least one multi-device integration or routine established today. The remaining 60% of households with smart devices are using them as point solutions, and much value remains unlocked. 

Those owning security systems are particularly likely to coordinate smart actions, with 53% of security system owners with smart home devices currently integrating multiple devices together in some sort of coordinated action.  Smart access control households (those owning a smart door lock or smart garage door opener) are also more likely than the average smart device owner to have coordinated routines set in their home. Smart access routines also rank among the most appealing actions tested, where locks and garage door openers coordinate with cameras/doorbells, lights, thermostats, and security systems. These routines are designed to enhance household convenience, security, and energy efficiency. 

Routines are also appealing based on certain times of the day or lifestyle factors. Unfortunately, there is an enormous gap between the appeal of routines and actual use. 82% of US internet households find a smart home device-enabled bedtime routine appealing, but just 16% of smart home device owners set bedtime routines today. 65% of US internet households find an entertainment routine appealing, but just 21% of device owners set such a routine today.  The process for setting routines is not intuitive, made worse by the deep fragmentation of brands, ecosystems, and protocols in use across the home.

The industry is also working toward supporting routines as a compelling smart home case. One recent example is Samsung's SmartThings platform. SmartThings recently announced  a range of updates to improve the smart home experience, including updates related to routines:

•    Shareable Routines allow users to distribute their automated tasks, like morning routines, to friends or family via a QR code, simplifying setup on other SmartThings platforms
•    The Hub Manager allows the creation of Hub Groups and Hub Backup for home configurations 

Making routines sharable is a simple but clever way to help smart home users onboard others in their household who may not have been involved with the initial setup. 

There is also potential for generative AI to help consumers inquire about, set up, and start routines in a more intuitive way. However, both smart home device owners and those without smart home devices prefer to manually start a routine today, such as manually starting a routine from the app, or setting a pre-programmed schedule. Smart devices and systems making decisions in an automated or predictive way distinctly lag. This shows a gap between consumer comfort levels and industry movement towards more AI-driven automations.

This is an excerpt from Parks Associates’ monthly Smart Home and Security Tracker subscription service. This service provides market intelligence on the competitive US Smart Home and Security landscape by sizing and forecasting the overlapping markets and providing an analysis of key industry trends, market shifts, and player announcements on an ongoing basis.

Market Trends & Competitor News – The monthly report covers announcements from major industry players and highlights the potential impact it will have on the market.
•    It helps competing brands understand how the actions of different companies may impact their own bottom-line.
•    It includes insight on the activity of major tech giants in the smart home space, Amazon, Google, Apple, and Samsung
•    It includes insight on the activity of and the major smart security providers and platforms ADT, Alarm.com, Comcast, Brinks, Vivint, SimpliSafe, and others.

The Smart Home and Security Market Tracker helps companies stay informed with Market Sizing and Quarterly Updates focused on the smart home market.

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