What will convince consumers that a connected home is worth the cost and effort? Device makers hope to sell the idea that a connected home is not just safer, but also saves money and is ultra-convenient.
Smart home devices must automate daily mundane tasks so the homeowner doesn't have to worry about them, said Stuart Sikes, president of the research firm Parks Associates.
"We're moving to a place where we have proactive home managers, devices that turn off the water and notify you after the fact that you've had a leak, the water's been shut off, can I do anything else for you?" said Stuart Sikes, president of the research firm Parks Associates. "That is a true smart home."
Take Google's Nest Learning Thermostat, for example, which costs $249. Manufacturers claim the gadget saves an average of $131 to $145 a year in heating and cooling bills. But a smart system could add to those savings by telling the blinds on the home's western windows to automatically close at 5 p.m. to block the sun.
From the article "Smart Home of the Future Is Here; Why Aren't People Buying In?" by Benny Evangelista.
The standard is used in about 580 million homes worldwide if you include cordless phones. About 50 million units are in Europe, including gateways and VoIP boxes, according to Brad Russell, a market r...
Concerns about data security also have been shown to increase with ownership of more connected devices. Currently, U.S. broadband households own an average of 10.4 connected devices -- including enter...
The bottom line is that operators need to begin now, knowing that changes will take years to accomplish. Companies must begin with specific goals and objectives in mind, with appropriate expectations...
The Apple TV came in fourth, behind Amazon's Fire TV, Google's second-place Chromecast and Roku's pack-leading set-top devices, in Parks Associates' tally of streaming device sales in 2014. Amazon and...
