2025 Year in Review: Celebrating Smart Home Innovations

The Year of AI, Well-Being, and Sustainable Living

Technology has a way of moving inexorably forward. In smart home automation, that movement seems to happen at lightning speed. Blink, and you’ve missed the announcement of automated technology that’s transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. 

At Lucent Controls, it’s our job to stay current and provide our clients with the latest innovations. Here, we’ll explore a few of the many trends that defined 2025 and the smart home solutions that took center stage. 

SEE ALSO: Expanding Your Home’s Value: Smart Upgrades that Impress

 From Smart to Intelligent

As in many industries, artificial intelligence (AI) made its mark in smart homes in 2025. In fact, it didn’t just make its mark; it transformed the landscape. AI-powered systems learn as you press buttons and state voice commands. They come to know your preferences and how you like the lighting, shades, and climate when you wake and when you return home. 

When you ask to watch your current favourite series, it knows what series that is, that it’s on Netflix, and that, in the evenings, you watch the show in the media room. Before you know it, the lighting’s dimmed, the motorized shades are lowered, and “The Waterfront” appears on your 4K OLED TV that just descended from the ceiling.  

The AI-Smart Voice Assistant

Josh.ai, the voice assistant designed for smart homes, is known for its continual innovations, and 2025 was no exception. In April, it celebrated a decade in the industry with a new JoshOne processor in metallic gold. It also introduced Vinny, the world’s first AI-empowered investment assistant. Like all things Josh.ai, Vinny is proactive, anticipating growth opportunities, projecting emerging market trends, and changing financial strategies based on the user’s preferences. 

A Securer Smart Home

Predictive security systems are among the fastest-growing trends, with AI at the helm. Learning as it protects, smart security cameras can differentiate between strangers and friends, and the usual from the unusual. 

Instead of a reactive system that alerts you when an intruder attempts to enter your home, today’s systems are proactive, sending alerts when a stranger walks onto your property or when it spots an unknown vehicle in your driveway. These systems also integrate with emergency response services for those who want an extra level of safety and security.  

Smart, Elevated Well-Being

A few years ago, people began looking at their homes not just as luxury statements, but as places to provide peace, wellness, and relaxation. In response, manufacturers in home automation began searching for ways to integrate technology that answered this need. 

At Lucent Controls, we partner with Control4, an industry leader in home automation. In 2025, they launched Lux by Control4. This lighting control collection provides a touch of elegance with keypads in premium metal finishes. They also feature Control4’s “Daylight.” This lighting follows the natural progression of daylight, creating an atmosphere that aligns the body’s internal time clock and results in more restful sleep. 

Sustainable Living

Energy management systems have been doubling up on their capabilities and reducing the energy consumption in smart homes. While solar power stored in batteries has been with us for some time, these systems are making it easy to control with automated technology that determines when your home uses solar, battery-stored energy, or the power grid. Through AI analysis, it determines the best times for various energy sources, automating sustainable practices.  

A Sneak Peek Into 2026

In 2026, we expect growing demand for technology that improves a home’s aesthetics. Brands like Leon will keep advancing their proprietary technology that enhances the listening experience, with speakers that blend seamlessly into a home’s design, whether as elevated soundbars or as works of art. 

One of their latest innovations is Edge Atlas, the first of its kind modular framing system designed for video walls, the increasingly popular display for home theatres. 

And we’ve only scratched the surface. 

With the rate technology is moving, 2026 is sure to be a banner year in “first of its kind” automated solutions. We look forward to sharing them with you. 

To learn more about the possibilities in smart home living, contact Lucent Controls.