“The smart home and bringing that technology to be a permanent part of people’s lives is a hot topic,” according to Stuart Sikes, president of Parks Associates. Sikes was referring to the popularity of last week’s CONNECTIONS™ Conference and how the technologies surrounding the smart home are starting to move into the mainstream.

As he points out, this move into the mainstream is progressing on a product-by-product basis. As people understand how one product or application can improve their quality of life, it becomes easier to convince them to purchase a related product.

Still, the smart home market is still relatively nascent and there are opportunities for new products and services. And the consumer may not always be the one’s directly paying for the smart devices, as there are others, such as the insurance industry, that may have incentives to encourage people to make “smarten up” their homes.

Stay tuned for more coverage of CONNECTIONS™.