Fiddling about in the dark for the right key to open the right lock, all while juggling a phone and a bag of shopping, will be a distant memory for many by 2034, according to a crystal ball report from the Custom Electronic Design And Installation Association (CEDIA).

“Biometrics will be used across different areas of the home including to gain secure access to your home,” predicts CEDIA, a global industry association for smart home technology.

“No need for keys, homeowners’ unique fingerprints or facial recognition will give you all the access you need in a safe way.”

However Walt Zerb, Senior Director of Technology and Standards at CEDIA, warns the switch from keys – which have been around for thousands of years – to fingers and faces comes with challenges.

“Tech is developing quickly in the home environment, there are so many exciting advancements we can expect to see by 2034, but this also opens up lots of questions around security and efficiency of products/services, so still a lot of work to be done,” Zerb says.

“The tech developments continue but there is also a great deal to be done to apply current tech to create useful solutions for homeowners now especially in assisted living. I think the big areas are the rise of biometrics, the disappearance of remote controls, and the possibility of home data being sold by consumers.”

Cedia smart home (Image: Sourced from Cedia blog post)

The CEDIA 2034 report says sensors in every room will become the norm: “This will help with energy efficiency and create a seamless experience for homeowners. Main ceiling lighting in rooms will disappear by 2034 and be more focused on integrated lighting into appliances and furniture and different areas of the room”.

The decades-old movement towards integrated indoor-outdoor living will continue, with the garden becoming “an extension of the home – indoor coming outdoors will be much more the norm. Fully designed / landscaped, outdoor speakers, outdoor kitchens and entertainment systems will be very common as homeowners look to create more with their outdoor space”.

As consumers become more “energy and cost conscious”, CEDIA says fully solar powered houses will be much more common: “Every individual house and building will become a power plant with renewable energy sources connected.”

Smart fitness mirrors and smart exercise equipment will be married with top quality screens to “create realistic 3D immersive exercise experiences at home. You’ll be able to row across the channel or cycle the Tour De France from the comfort of your own home”.

And in exciting news for those who regularly wrangle knots of cables, CEDIA forecasts that use of cables and switches “will be minimal”.

“Appliances / technology will be automated, linked to apps on smart devices or controlled by voice control. Voice control will have a bigger presence in the home in 2034,” the report states.

And the days of showing off your pricey floorstanding Klipsch speakers may be coming to an end, as “speakers will visibly disappear from the home – they will be hidden in walls or the technology themselves. Sound systems providing experiences like a cinema or nightclub will also be common in homes and gardens spaces”.