As technology evolves, our homes continually improve their capacity for security, functionality, convenience and — let’s admit it — straight-up “wow” factor. We here at Lockly aren’t alone in that belief. The World Economic Forum expects the number of households equipped with smart tech to rise from about 130 million in 2022 to as many as 335 million by 2027. Whether you’re already part of that growing number or ready to jump in, these cutting-edge gadgets embrace the virtually limitless potential of the connected home in 2023.
What Is a Connected Home?
You’ll often hear the terms “smart home” and “connected home” used interchangeably, but there’s a subtle difference in their meaning. A smart device is a gadget that’s usually connected to a network, such as Wi-Fi, or other devices — think smartphones, tablets, your Apple Watch, or your Wi-Fi-connected smart TV. A connected home focuses on the interconnectivity and interoperability of those devices.
The smart home market is expected to reach $98.05 billion in 2023, up from $80.45 billion in 2022. More than just a house full of smart devices, a truly connected home leverages a variety of smart devices, as well as their related apps and services. As Gartner puts it, “These services and apps are delivered over multiple interlinked and integrated devices, sensors, tools and platforms. Connected, real-time, smart and contextual experiences are provided for the household inhabitants, and individuals are enabled to control and monitor the home remotely as well as within it.” In short, smart homes improve the efficiency and capabilities of your household.
How Are Smart Homes Evolving?
According to Forbes, the concept of the connected home itself is one of the biggest emerging trends in smart home tech. Simply put, household smart gadgets are getting more connected and more integrated with tech that exists both in and out of the home.
The innovative smart home solution, Matter, is an interoperability standard for smart homes that launched in 2022. As we progress into 2023, Matter will expand the categories of devices it supports and controls so your smart home elements can communicate effectively. Though smart locks aren’t currently Matter support enabled, the Lockly Flex Touch Pro, Lockly Vision Elite and Lockly Secure Pro might all receive Matter updates this year.
Top Essential Connected Home Gadgets for 2023
The connected home starts before you step into the front door and keeps going all the way out into the backyard. In 2023, you can opt for smart, connected devices in every room of the house if you’d like. Here are a few of our favorite types of connected home tech this year.
For the Living Room
Smart speakers are nothing new, but with connected homes trending in 2023, these devices are now serving as the voice-controlled hub of the smart home. Smart speakers aren’t simply for music, either. Both Alexa and Google Home smart speaker systems are compatible with Lockly’s Wi-Fi enabled smart locks. Via Alexa’s voice recognition, you can open and unlock your smart locks without even having to touch them.
With utility bills rising in 2023, smart thermostats are becoming increasingly essential for homeowners. These devices work with voice controls and remote sensors to allow you to monitor and customize individual room temps from anywhere. Energy consumption tracking helps you stay eco- and cost-conscious.
One of the most affordable and versatile components of a connected home, the latest smart plugs give any outlet in the house remote control capability via your Wi-Fi connected devices or voice commands. Save power, save hassles.
For the Kitchen
Touchless faucets with motion sensors help chefs with messy hands, improve kitchen hygiene and promote water conservation, especially when sharing data and integrating with other water-using devices in the home. The newest smart faucets come equipped with app, voice, and sensor controls.
Even coffee makers can now leverage Wi-Fi and smartphone app controls to help you concoct all sorts of different coffee beverages from the same beans. Of course, the newest smart coffee makers are wirelessly controlled, support auto-brewing schedules and remind you when to clean the machine, too.
From food recognition to remote cooking, smart ovens can do it all in 2023. No more manually adjusting the temperature mid-recipe, smart ovens can do it for you. The latest smart ovens this year are also Wi-Fi connected, so you can control your cooking via app or voice commands.
For the Bathroom
You didn’t know you needed smart mirrors. The smart mirror market is projected to reach $5.9 billion by 2027. Today’s smart mirrors have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connection that enables them to display the date, time, news, weather, traffic reports and even customized beauty and skincare routines, built just for you. With more and more of us working from home, smart mirrors can display essential information, such as news updates and the weather, in widget form to help busy individuals multitask while staying informed.
Smartphone connectivity allows you to get the smart shower running in advance, while multiple user profiles control temperature, duration and water pressure. The global smart shower market is expected to reach $1.8 billion by 2028. As household water and energy conservation become significant globally, smart showers can help contribute to both. Plus, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity pipes in music, soothing lights and even aromatherapy.
In recent years, even smart toilets have gained popularity, with today’s models boasting hands-free operation and wirelessly controllable features like bidet cleaning, air drying and seat warming.
For the Bedroom
Smart lightbulbs can be used just about anywhere, but in addition to supporting sleep with pre-programmed bedtime and wake-up schedules, they add ambiance to bedrooms with app-controlled color variations, remote activation and granular dimming. These gadgets work with your smart speakers to add light shows to music and respond to voice controls, too.
Position control, temperature zones and firmness customization are just a part of the smart bed experience — detailed app tracking also helps you develop and maintain healthier sleeping habits. In 2023, many smart beds use app integration to seamlessly control temperature, track sleep and adjust position.
Keeping your most prized belongings safe is the Lockly Smart Safe. Launching in 2023, the Lockly Smart Safe offers in-app tamper alert notifications and full smartphone control, including access history and remote opening from anywhere with Wi-Fi, ensuring the ultimate safety for your belongings. It even integrates with your Lockly smart locks with the iGenie mode, allowing you to open the safe from your door’s keypad via a special emergency access code.
For Outside
With the connected home at the center, we’re also starting to see smart home technology expand its reach beyond the traditional techie devices you’d expect, and in a big way; long story short, connected smart appliances are blowing up in 2023. Also this year, more connected home devices are interfacing with offsite networks, such as local utility grids, to make for more eco-friendly and cost-conscious energy usage.
What’s more, as Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, your smart devices will require less and less of your time to program. Lockly’s Vision Elite Doorbell Camera Smart Lock, for example, relies on AI motion-sensing technology that autorecords when triggered and sends alerts straight to your smart phone.
The connected home is about more than just convenience; it’s about the safety and security of your family. That’s where smart locks come in.
Lockly’s newest arrival and 2023’s most ambitious smart lock, the Lockly Vision Elite, revolutionizes the smart lock by providing a two-in-one solution of smart lock and video doorbell. With the Lockly App, users can create and share digital keys as well as generate offline keycodes that owners can revoke at any point. Unlike many video doorbells, there’s no subscription fee to see recorded videos. What’s more, the hub can hold up to 91 hours of video on the 32GB of storage and can act as a Wi-Fi bridge for smart home integrations while working with Amazon Alexa and Google Home. The synergy between smart locks and doorbell cameras captures the essence of the connected home.
Launching in 2023, Lockly’s Access Touch Pro integrates with the Lockly App and your connected home’s voice hub for remote access and real-time monitoring from anywhere. Our Flex Touch Pro, also launching in 2023, even allows you to convert a manual single cylinder deadbolt into a smart lock at an affordable cost. That’s a connected home, step one. Both locks come equipped with additional wireless security sensors, which you can attach to anything that opens in order to receive open/close alerts.
Smart grills bring smart oven features like app-powered temp monitoring and control to the backyard. Tap in recipes on your phone for bespoke temperatures and cook times, and get an app alert when the hotdogs are done. Mankind just keeps improving the invention of fire.
Outdoor irrigation systems feature independent watering zones, can be scheduled via apps and use collected data to only water your lawn when needed. Wi-Fi connection also allows these systems to skip watering depending on the weather.
Time to Get Smart with Lockly
As exciting as these cutting-edge connected home gadgets are, they’re only a taste of what 2023 has to offer. From your morning cup of coffee to your head hitting the pillow, connected home technology can not only personalize your living experience, but it can also protect your home seamlessly. And that makes it a lot easier to rest easy in your smart bed at night.
Ready to elevate your living space with a connected home experience? Lockly can help you start right at the front door.
Dan is a Dallas-based freelance and small business writer with more than a decade of experience. In the tech and business worlds, he’s been fortunate enough to collaborate with Samsung, Verizon, Motley Fool, USA Today, Linksys, Vizio and many more.
Sources
World Economic Forum - The Market for Smart Home Devices Is Expected to Boom Over the Next 5 Years
USA Today - Smart Home vs. Connected Home: Is There a Difference?
Gartner - Gartner Glossary: Connected Home
Forbes - 5 Smart Home Trends That Will Elevate Your Life in 2023
Finite Solutions - 2023 Smart Home Trends
Good Housekeeping - The Best Smart Home Devices of 2023, According to Experts
