Australian householders are flocking to smart home technology despite the economic downturn, rising privacy concerns and well-documented problems with installing and running devices, a new study has found.

The Australian Smart Home Market Study, conducted by the research outfit Telsyte, found that 7.6 million Australian homes had at least one smart device installed by the end of 2023, ranging from internet-connected fridges and washing machines, to smart speakers from the likes of Google, Apple and Sonos.