Several recent studies have shown that security and privacy are top of mind for consumers considering Internet of Things devices for their homes.
Parks Associates back in October noted around 40 percent of U.S. broadband households reported a recent privacy or security problem with one of their connected devices. And in February the firm followed up with a report that revealed 45 percent of broadband households are concerned about privacy and security risks to their smart home devices.
Now, Parks Associates says its data indicated nearly 60 percent of broadband households want security support services to go with their smart home devices. The firm found services that resolve technical issues or provide tools for users to address device issues also gained the interest of 45 percent of potential buyers.
“The entire consumer experience in the smart home is evolving into a curated experience,” Parks Associates Senior Analyst Patrice Samuels commented. “Changes in the retail channel illustrate this shift, where smart home products are moving from shelves and endcaps to ‘experience centers,’ which offer consultations, consumer education, cross-category product comparisons, and out-of-the box product demos.”
And the potential market for these services is projected to grow rapidly.
In Australia alone, market research firm Telsyte predicted households are expected to have 311 million connected devices – half of which will be new IoT-at-home devices – by 2021. Stateside, Research and Markets forecasted the smart home machine-to-machine market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of just over 35 percent through 2020.
Qorvo’s GM of Low Power Wireless Cees Links recently suggested wireless operators have an opening to fill this need through Smart Home as a Service (SHaaS) offerings. Such services, he said, would automatically choose which connectivity protocols to use, install and maintain the system, and provide upgrades and support rather than offloading those responsibilities to users and third party service companies.
More on Links’ vision for smart home services can be found here.
