Safer and Smarter Home: a new consumer guide

Leading companies in the smart home technology sector have created their second in a series of guides, helping consumers in the UK when buying and using smart technology in their homes.

The new guide builds on its predecessor Your Guide to a Safer, Smarter Home to highlight to consumers examples of the benefits of smart home devices and to dispel some common myths that consumers may have. It was produced and published by The Smart Technology Product Safety Stakeholder Group, which was established by Electrical Safety First and DLA Piper in March 2019 to discuss topics that are relevant to product safety in the IoT or smart technology sector and to develop and promote industry best practice. It is a multi-lateral group comprising a broad range of businesses and organisations operating in this space at all points in the supply chain.

“Many people would welcome the benefits from making their home ‘smarter’, but there is so much misinformation about smart products and how to get them installed correctly”, explains Martyn Allen, Technical Director at Electrical Safety First and co-chair of the group. “This new guide provides information and guidance, and busts a few of the common myths that may exist when buying and using smart home devices.”

Michiko Jo, another Co-Chair of the group, comments, “This ultimately will help consumers in the UK make better and more confident decisions when planning their smart home.”

Mark Dewar, partner at DLA Piper and chair of the group’s Downstream sub-group, adds, “The smart home environment is becoming ever increasingly prevalent to the point of becoming the norm, for every day domestic devices and installations are becoming more complex. Whilst the first guide focused on plug-and-play smart devices used in the home, this guide covers smart and connected devices or systems that often need a qualified installer to design, build and to set it up properly.”

The guide is available from 3 May and is free to download here.