According to ABI Research, a growing roster of smart home services and device providers are using home security monitoring as a beachhead to introduce home automation services. In the U.S. market, some 15 million more U.S. homes are expected to invest in new connected home security services in the next 5 years.
"After decades where penetration into U.S. households stalled, home security adoption is set for significant growth," wrote Jonathan Collins, ABI principal analyst. "However, it will not be the sole preserve of traditional professionally monitored home security providers. Consumers can now choose from an array of non-traditional suppliers, new technologies, and innovative services that balance value with cost."
Through managed smart home offerings from retailers such as Lowes and Staples as well as standalone devices such as video cameras from Dropcam, or smart locks from Kwikset, consumers increasingly have the option to install and monitor their own security systems. Demand for such smart home systems is expected to outpace those for traditional professional monitored security subscriptions as, among other attractions, they ditch the installation fees, monthly payments and long service contracts of the traditional offerings.
