Consumer Reports

The word “sophisticated,” in fact, describes how this category is evolving. Artificial intelligence and video analytics help cameras and sensors to better distinguish between, say, your dog chasing a squirrel and a burglar attempting to get in, says Elizabeth Parks, president and chief marketing officer at Parks Associates, a technology research and consulting company. Today’s systems can also monitor for smoke and more.

From the article, "Keep Your Home Safe and Secure," by ...read more

If you’ve bought a TV lately, there’s a good chance that it’s a smart TV with the ability to stream TV shows and movies, no extra devices needed. These days, 63 percent of all U.S. homes with internet access now own a smart TV, according to research firm Parks Associates.

However, that still leaves a lot of people who need a streaming device to access online streaming services, from Amazon Prime to YouTube TV. In addition, plenty of us who have smart TVs decide to add a stre ...read more

Too many subscription services, however, can really add up in terms of monthly expenses. Fifty percent of American households have four or more streaming subscriptions, according to the market research firm Parks Associates.

From the article,"Smarter: 9 Ways to Speed Up Google Chrome" by Pang-Chieh Ho. 

"Plans from Xfinity Mobile and Spectrum Mobile are generally much less expensive than comparable plans from the major mobile brands," says Kristen Hanich, senior analyst at the market research firm Parks Associates.

From the article "Why Cell Phone Service From Your Cable Company May Make Sense" by Octavio Blanco. 

With more of us now using streaming video services during the COVID-19 pandemic—about three-quarters of all U.S. households subscribe to at least one streaming service, according to research from Parks Associates—you may be in the market for a new streaming device, such as an Amazon Fire TV Stick or Roku player.

From the article, "Amazon, Google, and Roku All Have New Streaming Devices" by James K. Willcox.

Almost unheard of as recently as five years ago, smart speakers are on their way to becoming as ubiquitous as the microwave. As of early 2019, a third of U.S. homes with high-speed internet access had at least one such device, according to the market research firm Parks Associates.

From the article "21 Smart Speaker Superpowers."

That means no “Storage Wars, no “The Walking Dead,” no “Property Brothers,” and no “The Daily Show.”

It's not unusual for services to reconfigure their plans after they launch, says Brett Sappington, senior director of research at Parks Associates. "Rival [streaming] service Sling TV has had several iterations of its service, including a recent price change to make Sling Blue and Sling Orange the same $25 per month price."

From the article "Is DirecTV Now Still a Good De ...read more

For consumers, Amazon owning Eero could make it easier to set up and manage the wide range of wireless devices in their homes.

“A number of companies have been trying to address a very real pain point for consumers around their WiFi experience at home,” says Brad Russell, research director for the connected home at the Parks Associates research firm. “If you can control the router and the user interface, then you’re golden.”

From the article "What Amazon Buying Eero Coul ...read more