There has been a big increase in the usage of smart technology both inside and outside the home according to new research from the Central Statistics Office.
The Smart Technology 2024 Report shows that the use of smart home security solutions such as internet-connected home alarm systems, security cameras and doorbells has almost doubled since 2022.
In the first six months of 2024, 30% of people used smart solutions for home security, compared with 17% in 2022.
Nearly three in ten of those surveyed use smart solutions such as thermostats, smart meters, and light controls for energy management in their homes, up six percentage points from the same period in 2022.
One in seven use smart home appliances for both inside the house, such as robot vacuums, ovens, coffee machines, and outside, such as internet-connected lawn mowers or garden irrigation systems.
This compares with just 6% of people in 2022.
More than four in ten internet users use a virtual assistant, such as Google Home, Alexa or Apple HomePod, which is unchanged from 2022.
Over three-quarters of people use internet-connected TV, including connection via Chromecast, up six percentage points from 2022.
Nearly four in ten use internet-connected game consoles and a further 37% use a home audio system or smart speakers.
Today's CSO figures also show that more than half wear smart devices such as a smart watch, fitness band or activity tracker, while one in nine use smart solutions for monitoring, for example, their blood pressure, sugar levels or body weight.
"As our everyday lives become more virtual, we are increasingly using the Internet of Things (IoT) to connect devices and objects to the internet as part of our daily lives, both inside and outside the home," said Maureen Delamere, CSO Statistician in the Social Analysis Division.
"Whether we're turning on the smart lighting or heating system, or smart air fryer on the way home, using our smartphones or other devices, or monitoring our home security remotely, or using smart gas or electricity meters to manage our home energy consumption, or operating the robot vacuum using our smartphone while sitting on the couch watching our smart TV, we are increasingly using smart solutions, both inside and outside the home, to make our lives easier, and more at our fingertips," Ms Delamere said.
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