Smart Home Device Users Face Technical Difficulties

In 2Q 2022, 50%+ of consumers in US internet households said they had increased their broadband usage, and 92% use Wi-Fi at home, according to Parks Associates. Technical Support Issues are on the Rise. As households adopt an ever-increasing number of connected devices, reported technical issues have also increased.

Additionally, there was a 13-percentage point increase in users who experienced two or more technical issues between 2018 and 2022. The increase in the number of technical issues is partially attributable to the rise both in the number and diversity of devices in the household. Among those who experienced a technical problem with a smart home device, loss of wireless connectivity is the number one difficulty, followed by technical issues resulting in poor device performance.

The degree of installation difficulty varies widely based on device type. For example, only 23% of smart thermostat self-installers say the installation was “very difficult," compared with 55% of smart sprinkler system/controller self-installers. On average, 71% of smart home devices are self-installed, with some categories like smart light bulbs reaching near 80% self-installation, reports the research firm.

Growing technical difficulties with smart home devices are felt the most by those using smart home devices at a high rate. Parks Associates data demonstrates that households with heads of households ages 35-44 years old are the most likely to experience technical issues with their devices. This age group also strongly correlates to above-average smart home device ownership rates. Download Parks Associates’ complimentary whitepaper, “Self-Service Support: Improving Home Automation,” in collaboration with RouteThis for more insights on support needs across the connected home at the network and device level and strategies to address technical issues.