The connected home attracts the attention of Spaniards but its cost slows down adoption

Energy management services, safety and well-being or health are the main drivers that encourage the adoption of the connected home in Spain. Cost is the main barrier to installing these solutions as revealed by Ericsson's latest ConsumerLab report.

the 92% of Spaniards are committed to having a connected home and consider that the most interesting services are those related to health and well-being (39%), energy and utilities (35%) and security and surveillance (33%). This is one of the main conclusions of the latest ConsumerLab report by Ericsson about 'Connected Homes', that analyzes the opinions of users on this topic.

The report, based on 5.000 face-to-face and online interviews conducted in Spain (Madrid and Barcelona), United States, Chile, Russia and Sweden, reveals that almost half of users are very interested in having a truly connected home. one 92% of Spanish respondents said they had a high or moderate interest in having this type of service.

By categories, communication (62%) and remote control of household appliances (59%) are the main needs for Spaniards, in both cases above the average of the countries analyzed.

It also highlights that Spaniards value comfort (one 13%, more than double the average) as a reason to be interested in having 'connected services'. Swedes and Americans place much more value on the state-of-the-art factor or home control when they are not at home.

On the contrary,, in Spain and Chile the cost factor prevails among the reasons for not being interested in these services. one 19% and 21% consider them too expensive, being triple that in Sweden.

The report shows that families may not be taking advantage of services that would be particularly useful to them.. currently, connected home services are mostly used by single men living alone, while the group that could benefit the most are families with young children. Among the advantages would be a more efficient way to approach household chores and remote access to housing by family and friends.

There is a wide variety of connected services that help save time and ensure well-being at home but, often, its use involves the installation of a large number of equipment and devices that require specific cables and applications.

This complexity is, according to the report, is one of the main reasons for the slow adoption of the concept of truly connected home. Report shows consumers are calling for greater simplification and support. Most would like to have more assistance and advice when using them.

Other articles on Ericsson