The "Internet of Things" is the idea that the items we use in and out of home are all connected together and communicating; creating one network of physical objects that is controlled centrally from a mobile device, like a smartphone or tablet.
Current trends suggest we are not too far away from a world where you can control the key appliances in your home remotely; turning on the oven, and controlling room temperature.
A lot of this technology already exists through apps, and Google-owned technology firm Nest has already launched a smart thermostat that can be personalised and controlled from a smartphone.
Google bought the company for £2 billion in January and has since launched a partnership with Npower in the UK, involving Nest, looking to capitalise on disquiet over the increasing cost of energy bills.
The ever-increasing pace of the digital revolution is a key factor in the Dixons-Carphone Warehouse merger, with smartphones and synced devices integrating into more of our everyday lives.
Technology already exists that supports this idea, with a number of apps and programs making it possible to remotely control different aspects of your home.
Sky has apps on the Apple App Store that enable users to remotely record programs on their Sky+ box direct from their smartphone, and lifestyle technology manufacturer Phillips has created a series of lightbulbs that can be dimmed to a personal preference via an app on your mobile.
The future could be an extension of this, with connections between your smartphone and the devices in your house meaning that when your alarm goes off in the morning, a signal is automatically sent to the kitchen to turn on the kettle for your morning tea or coffee.
Other technology firms also think the intelligent home is an inevitable part of life in the future. Samsung UK president Andy Griffiths has already spoken of how the technology giant sees this as the major industry trend over the next decade.
"There has been a huge change in the way the connected world is established, and so to take that forward 10 years it's interesting to note that the main trend we believe by then will be the connected home," he said.
"There is a level of acceptance that you're seeing now about digital items in your life and that plots further forward to a home that is driven by machine-to-machine communication ... for your energy needs - maybe for lighting, or locking the doors or switching the heating on, " he added.
"All the items do talk to each other, so this connected home by 2024 this could be the standard or the expectation," he stated.
