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Professional security dealers report 36% of their alarm systems include networked cameras, according to smart-home research firm Parks Associates.

The pros even manage to attach smart thermostats to 16% of their security jobs. It would be surprising if Amazon.com had this kind of success with attachment sales.

Amazon's new "security packages" entail two customer visits—one for the initial in-home visit to "identify your needs and learn more about what you want," and the ...read more

Simply installing security systems in smarthomes is no longer enough, and security integrators may want to consider bolstering cybersecurity measures when installing residential systems.

This swift change in tone is due largely to a recently released whitepaper from IoT research firm Parks Associates, titled "Residential Security and Encryption: Setting the Standard, Protecting Consumers." The whitepaper revealed that 64% of U.S. broadband households are concerned about secu ...read more

Are smart thermostats the next subsidized security business model? Yes, according to new data from Parks Associates, which reports more than 50 percent of U.S. broadband households would be willing to pay $5 per month for a smart thermostat service that includes setup, installation, and repair/upgrades.

Parks tested multiple hardware-as-a-service scenarios in its 360 View: Energy Management, Smart Home, & Energy Providers report, and found that while consumers are generally ...read more

More than 60% of installing dealers now report that DIY systems are biting into demand for their services, according to the fifth annual Residential Security Market Report (2018) from the research firm Parks Associates and CE Pro sister publication Security Sales & Integration. The survey reflects business conditions for the 2017 calendar year.

Despite the encroachment by DIY, though, residential security dealers are still doing well, especially given all the doomsday predic ...read more

Data and privacy fears rank second among consumer smart home concerns. More than half of U.S. adults (58%) fear lack of privacy from device manufacturers who have access to data, real-time conversations, voice patterns and search history. These security concerns are a potential barrier for mass consumer connected home adoption.

“Consumer concerns about data privacy and security, including both the unauthorized hacking of devices and theft of device data, consistently rank as ...read more

In the period of just one year, big-box retailers including Best Buy, Lowe’s, Apple, Target and Sears, dramatically increased shelf space and visibility for smart-home devices. Even Whole Foods, acquired by Amazon, now sells Echo and other smart things, right alongside fresh produce. The visibility increases impulse buys by consumers who hadn’t done their homework. According to Parks Associates, roughly 40% of consumers spent less than one day shopping for smart house products.

CE Pro sister publication Security Sales & Integration recently revealed security and smart-home statistics from its annual Residential Market Report. Researched with Parks Associates, and now in its fifth installment, the report analyzes the current state of smart home device awareness among consumers, along with IoT penetration figures, and the relationship between security and home automation -- in terms of products, services and consumer preferences.

From the article "Pa ...read more

The Zigbee Alliance and Thread Group say this is the first time developers can confidently use an established, open, and interoperable IoT language over a low-power wireless IP network, which will help unify the fragmented connected device industry and unlock new markets.

“We’re at an exciting point in the smart home where the broader consumer market is embracing mainstream connected products; 26% of consumers own a smart home device according to our new research,” argues To ...read more