Seniors Embrace Smart Homes
Smart home use is now widespread among older adults, but many still face barriers to adoption.
Roughly 63% of adults aged 50 plus use smart home devices, according to a report from the AARP. That number has steadily increased in recent years alongside the use of home safety technology.
In addition to the 63% who already use smart home tech, another 19% said in the AARP 2025 Tech Trends And Adults 50-Plus report that they’re interested in the technology. An overwhelming majority of older adults either currently used or were interested in home safety tech, like sensors and other devices meant to make homes livable longer.
Those increases represent major gains over the past few years. The use of home security devices saw particular gains, up to 38% as of the 2024 survey from 33% in 2023.
That growing use of home tech reflects an amicable attitude toward smart homes and AgeTech in general: The AARP found that almost half of those older adults say technology can enable a healthy life.
“Smart home technology can provide easy solutions that encourage aging-in-place, so it’s not surprising this is a top technology category for older adults,” the report reads.
Despite the growing interest in home tech, however, many older adults still face barriers to adopting the tech that can help them age in place longer.
Barriers to Smart Home Adoption
Cost is the most visible barrier to smart home adoption.
Previous research published in Sage Open Aging found that cost can keep older adults from adopting home technology.
Smart stoves and devices to prevent fires cost between $150 and $500, according to that research. Smart door lucks run between $100 and $300 with addition costs for installation. Full automation can cost between $500 and $4,500.
All of those technologies can help older adults age in place, whether by improving the safety of home appliances through self shut-off features or by monitoring their habits to alert caregivers of potential issues.
But affordability is just one part of the puzzle in whether older adults adopt smart home technologies. The Southern Gerontological Society found that ease of use and usefulness were also key to older adults, meaning that user-friendly technology is critical.
“Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived affordability are the three factors that consistently had the high and statistically significant positive correlations with attitudes and intentions to use the four products,” the report reads.
“Younger age was positively correlated with intentions to use smart door locks, smart lighting, and home automation systems.”
The rising use of home technologies by the AARP comes as a number of companies launch home techs targeted specifically to older adults with ease of use built in.
