2020 and 2021 saw some giant leaps in the world of smart technology, but can we expect similar advancements in 2022? Here are seven exciting home trends to keep your eye on in the new year.

1. Remote Work Improvements

   Remote work has become the norm for many people in recent months due to COVID-19, but we’re still a long way from optimizing the work-from-home experience. 2022 should see significant improvements in this area.

   Noise-canceling headphones and video chat filters were a good start. In 2022, we could see all kinds of smart home appliances working together to enhance your focus and productivity, from virtual assistants to ventilation systems.

2. AI and Internet of Things

   You may be wondering what technology makes all these smart devices work. The answer is twofold: artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). They work together to sense and analyze the activity in your house and slowly understand how your home can operate the most efficiently.

   Thanks to AI and the IoT, smart devices learn the habits and tendencies of a house’s occupants. They can eventually monitor most of the rooms and utilities without human supervision.

   People often believe these technologies are magic bullets that evolve independently, but that’s not entirely true. While they can improve over time, they still need raw data to support the changes they make.

   2022 can be a big year for these technologies. If you invest in new smart devices, make sure to practice the proper habits so they can identify and help solve problems in your home.

3. Access to Smart Home Appliances

   We’ve seen smart home appliances advance from one speaker to entire households full of artificial intelligence in just a few short years. Alexa and Siri were the pioneers of touchless voice-controlled devices. With new technologies such as Google Assistant and Amazon Echo, we can control our houses’ heat and electricity with ease.

   We should also expect to see smart technology imbued into essential tools all around the house, including refrigerators, ovens, toilets and showers. The best part: setup is quick and easy. All you need is a phone, an outlet and a stable internet connection for most smart devices.

   However, with every device in your house listening to you, security and privacy become even more pressing issues.

4. Advances in Automated Security

   Security is another vital part of our home lives that should experience big advancements in 2022. Along with recent improvements such as smart alarms and high-definition CCTV cameras, we will be able to monitor and control our homes from anywhere.

   Privacy has also taken priority, with data breaches and hacks becoming a more pressing issue due to the expanding reach of technology in our homes. Security systems manufacturers are working on solutions to protect from cyberattacks and keep your information safe.

   One new feature of smart security is a complex light sensor system, which can detect activity levels in any given room based on changes in light and even identify potential intruders due to their movement patterns. Setting up an advanced lighting system can be tricky, but some standard practices have developed over the years.

   Automated security systems combine the efforts of lighting, sensors, alarms and remote controls to make your home as secure as possible.

5. Energy-Efficient Technology

   One of the calling cards of smart home technology is its sustainability. Setup is easy, and it uses your utilities in the most efficient way possible.

   Smart thermostats and lighting can change temperature and brightness with ease. Sensors that detect leaks in your plumbing system are also available. These devices do all the monitoring for you, so you spend as few resources as possible.

   Imagine if your house used its heat, water and electricity only when necessary, and how much money it would take off your monthly bills. That could become your reality in 2022, with advancements in energy-efficient home technology.

6. More Reliable Internet

   Gone are the days of slow connections and Wi-Fi dead zones in your house. Smart home devices throw the singular router out the window and create a web of internet connections, so you have reliable access throughout your residence.

   This new mesh Wi-Fi technology allows you to scale and customize your internet. For example, if you need a faster connection for your home office, you can set up one of your mesh routers in that room and move them around at your discretion.

7. Health and Wellness

   The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us to take our health and wellness seriously, and new advancements in smart home devices reflect that sentiment.

   Smart thermostats can regulate air quality as well as temperature. We could also see the release of new sleep-monitoring devices that can detect bad habits and even conditions such as depression.

   Smart water filtration systems can determine poor water quality and even keep you updated on your diet and digestion based on the contents of your waste.

   With a lot of gyms closing for good in 2020 and 2021, a lot of at-home exercise technology is in the works as well. The Mirror, Peloton and Samsung Smart Trainer, among other devices, bring fitness classes into your home and allow you to maintain your healthy habits, regardless of the pandemic’s severity.

Smart Home Devices Need Our Help

The AI and Internet of Things that make our smart devices work can only improve if we interact positively with them and provide the data necessary to improve.

Touchless technology, voice-controlled devices and complex sensors are great additions to any home or business in 2022, but only if we use them as intended.

For more details on Propel’s role as a custom home / residential architect, please visit this page.