Smart technology in the home has been becoming increasingly popular in recent times, with many new and exciting technologies being introduced into our living spaces with varying levels of success. With some becoming genuinely helpful, and others falling under the category of a gimmick.

The increasing amount of technology being designed to assist us in our living spaces has led to the advent of the term ‘smart-home’, this being a home that is host to a large number of interlinked smart devices which can interact in order to effectively work together and improve the users day to day lives [1] – this, of course, all being done through Wi-Fi.

The topic of smart-homes can’t be talked about without first mentioning the ‘smart-meter’, a device that has been making its way into British homes since 2011, and as of early 2020 it has been estimated that there are 21.5 million smart meters currently installed [2], meaning nearly all households own one (~27 million households in the UK) [3], these devices have the ability to measure gas and electricity in real time to allow for more accurate billing and saves money on bills through providing more accurate readings than traditional meters [4]. Similarly, there are smart chargers for electric cars which also allow for savings on bills, as they are able to find the times of the day where electricity charges are cheapest, while also being able to be controlled by a mobile app [5]. These are some of the best examples of smart technology making modern life easier, however, there are many more technologies that are focused on making recreational activities more accessible or perhaps even improving them.

One example of an innovation which makes modern living easier and can be used for recreational purposes is the smart speaker, these devices are usually voice controlled and possess the ability to stream music, often even without a smart phone or computer some models are even able to control a rooms lighting, and even contain a personal assistant able to make notes, order items online[6]. These gadgets originally gained popularity in 2014, with the release of the Amazon Echo, and at present there are around 200 million in homes across the globe, with 100 million of these being Amazons’ version [7].

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Possibly the most well-known innovation of smart technology is the smart phone, and they have had an overwhelming impact on how we live our lives, and reshaped the way we communicate with each other, as they have allowed users to access social networks, video call, message and share images, from a platform that is small and incredibly portable. The seemingly endless utility of these devices has led to an estimated 3.8 billion active smart phone users worldwide as of 2021 [8].

Of course, with such a large volume of products targeted at this market there were sure to be a considerable amount of ‘flops’. The most infamous example of a misstep is Samsung’s Smart fridge, a product that has been mocked by the public since its release, a product which overcomplicates its ‘dumb’ predecessors’ original task through the introduction of unnecessary features. The inflated prices of these models also appear to have hindered its success. The inflated prices of these models also appear to have hindered its success, though the shortcomings continue with shorter predicted lifespans compared to conventional fridges [9].