Expert Predictions For HomeTech in 2026

AI is set to have a stronger hand in hometech during 2026, according to Hisense. The company says AI now focuses on appliances rather than acting as a basic connection tool.

Matthew Glynn, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Hisense, says washing machines, dishwashers, fridges and ovens can now learn from daily use. These products study load size, frequency of use and surrounding conditions to adjust how they run.

Hisense gives the example of its 7S Series washing machines. The AI Super Wash feature senses the weight of laundry and selects a wash cycle automatically. Intelligent dosing adjusts detergent levels, which lowers waste and water use, according to the company.

AI also allows appliances to work together. Hisense appliances connect through the ConnectLife app, letting users control them by phone. Features such as Dish Designer scan fridge contents and send cooking instructions to other appliances, creating a joined system inside the home.
 

Why Does Energy Use Stay At The Top Of Buying Decisions?

 
Energy efficiency continues to guide most purchases in the medium domestic appliance market, Hisense says. AI tools are now built mainly to lower electricity use and household bills.

Glynn explains that appliances can study household routines and adjust operation times. Users can programme machines to run when electricity prices are lower or when renewable power is available.

Hisense says this system supports both savings at home and environmental targets as energy rules tighten across global markets. More data on usage is shown inside the ConnectLife app, helping households track consumption.

Across laundry and dish products, Hisense says it has launched more A rated models. The company links this directly to demand for appliances that cost less to run over their lifetime.
 

What Do Kitchen Buyers Expect From Design In 2026?

 
Looks are a deciding factor in appliance choices, according to Hisense. Buyers want products that sit quietly inside modern interiors rather than stand out.

Glynn says demand rose last year for appliances that match kitchen furniture. Matte finishes, neutral colours and hidden controls have become more common.

Integrated handles and clean surfaces allow appliances to sit flush with cupboards. This suits open plan homes where kitchens form part of living areas.

Hisense has answered this demand through its KitchenFit range across refrigeration and laundry. The company says these models keep advanced features without visual clutter.

Products are also sold in different materials and finishes. Hisense says this allows appliances to fit naturally into homes of different styles, keeping function and appearance aligned as kitchens head into 2026.

Our Experts:

 
Laviet Joaquin, Head of Marketing, TP-Link

A.J. Altman, Founder & CEO, Hover

Matt Sailor, CEO, IC Realtime

Amod Agrawal, Applied Scientist, Amazon

Mike Blackman, Managing Director, Integrated Systems Events
 

Laviet Joaquin, Head of Marketing, TP-Link

“By 2026, home technology will feel less like something households actively manage and more like something they simply depend on. We’re already seeing people lose patience with feature-heavy setups and gravitate toward systems that just work without constant tweaking or troubleshooting.

“Reliability and security won’t be selling points anymore. They’ll be the minimum expectation. As more daily routines depend on connected devices, families want confidence that their home tech is stable and protected, not another thing to worry about. At the same time, smarter automation will quietly reduce setup and maintenance. More of the complexity will be handled in the background, without users needing to intervene.

“The home tech that succeeds in 2026 won’t demand attention or explanation. It will earn trust by being consistent, calm, and easy to live with, supporting everyday life instead of competing with it.”
 

A.J. Altman, Founder & CEO, Hover

“The future of construction work won’t be defined by AI alone, but by whether we use it to amplify human expertise or not. Today’s ‘Show-and-Sell Generation’—raised on digital mood boards and AI inspiration—expects visual previews before deciding. AI has transformed this expectation from aspiration into an accessible reality. At Hover, we’re not replacing contractors, we’re supercharging them. Our customers are saving time and increasing revenue by over 30%, showing AI as a force multiplier during historic labor shortages, not workforce replacement. At Hover, we’re proving the biggest winners won’t be those who automate away labor, but those who embrace it.”

How Hover is addressing this future with an update they announced this week:
“For years, the construction industry has been forced to operate in fragmented workflows that slow them down and introduce risk,” says A.J. Altman, Founder & CEO of Hover. Our new platform removes complexity so contractors can focus on what they do best: advising homeowners and delivering quality work. By unifying every stage of the renovation workflow, from scanning the home to creating a polished proposal, we help our customers streamline orders, reduce errors, increase revenue, and provide unprecedented clarity and confidence. This launch marks the beginning of a new era, where contractors are equipped to win bigger jobs with technology that amplifies their expertise, built around the ways they work.”

Matt Sailor, CEO, IC Realtime

1. AI in Home Security
“AI-powered analytics are becoming standard in modern home security, with manufacturers increasingly pushing intelligence to the edge for faster and more accurate detection. At IC Realtime, this shift is reflected in how we design cameras and recorders to classify people, vehicles, and other objects in real time, helping reduce false alerts for homeowners.

2. Active Deterrent Cameras
“Active-deterrent technology is gaining traction as homeowners look for solutions that prevent incidents rather than simply record them. We’ve seen strong demand for cameras that combine high-quality imaging with built-in lights, sirens, and audio responses—tools that activate automatically when suspicious behavior is detected.

3. Remote Video Monitoring
“Remote monitoring continues to evolve as homeowners expect secure, on-demand access to their video systems from anywhere. Our work in cloud connectivity and mobile app design reflects a broader industry trend toward platforms that deliver real-time visibility, smart alerts, and optional professional monitoring.”

Amod Agrawal, Applied Scientist, Amazon

“Ambient intelligence is an emerging concept in smart homes—where devices around us can passively understand where people are, what they’re doing, and what they might need, all without relying on intrusive sensors like cameras or wearables, and without explicit user interaction. In academia, we call it ubiquitous computing, where the “computer” dissolves into the environment and is no longer limited to a single device or screen.

“A key enabler of this vision is wireless sensing, and I’d love to speak about how it holds the potential to transform our interactions with devices and AI systems, creating new use cases:

• “Proactive home automation: Without saying any commands or pressing buttons, these systems can sense who you are and where you are in the home to automatically adapt lighting, HVAC, or media systems.

• “Proactive health tracking: Ambient sensing can detect falls, abnormal movement patterns, or inactivity, without a smart watch on the person. In certain scenarios, it can even track vitals such as breathing rate and sleep quality.

• “Personalised hospitality: Airbnb and hotel rooms can recognize guests through passive sensing and adjust lighting, media, and services automatically based on client preferences. It can enable automated check-ins, AI-enabled front desk and concierge.

• “Secure access: Wireless technologies can track you and your devices (like phones and smartwatches) and seamlessly unlock smart door locks or garages as you approach (similar to vehicle systems).

• “Hands-free interaction in noisy environments: Wireless signals can detect gestures, especially useful when voice control is unreliable.

•” Security and privacy-aware detection: Presence and motion can be sensed without recording camera data, and processing can be done locally on the edge which is critical for the privacy of the consumers.

• “Seamless indoor tracking: Smart speakers can follow you with music as you move room to room or even track your pet and notify you when they enter an unsafe area.

“Looking ahead, this vision extends beyond ambient sensing. With the onset of AR and mixed reality devices, scientists are now exploring interactions where simply looking at a device through smart glasses can visualize its controls, letting you adjust lighting or media with a glance and a gesture.

“Until now, the smart home experience has revolved around custom lighting, automated routines, and voice control. But with the convergence of AI, ambient sensing, and edge computing, we’re building toward a future where an AI agent in the home can understand your behaviors and adapt your home in real time.”
 

Mike Blackman, Managing Director, Integrated Systems Events

 

 
“In 2026, we will begin to see home technology fade into the background of everyday life, not because it’s less powerful, but because it works more naturally. Home tech will feel increasingly seamless and intuitive, with voice, gesture and context-aware systems responding in real time and often anticipating needs rather than waiting for instructions. We’ll see the shift from simply “using AI” to “doing AI”. Meaning that home tech systems will actively re-engineer how people interact with their homes – with adaptive lighting, audio, displays and environments – based on behaviour, activity and personal preferences.

“Immersive displays, spatial audio and AI-driven personalisation will become more commonplace in homes as well, moving beyond novelty into practical, everyday use. As a result, home AV will be defined less by screens and controls, and more by intelligence, reliability and ease. This will lay the foundations for the fully predictive, human-centric environments we can expect to see by 2030.”