Intel Security, ULE Alliance, Zonoff, Z-Wave Alliance, and others to speak at 20^th-annual CONNECTIONS™ Conference

Parks Associates announced today that of the 9% of U.S. broadband households that own a smart garage door opener, nearly 50% interact with it almost every day via a smartphone, tablet, or computer. The international research firm will address adoption and usage trends with IoT solutions, consumer security and privacy concerns, and strategies to achieve interoperability at the upcoming 20^th-annual CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference, May 24-26, at the Hyatt San Francisco Airport.

“The value proposition for a smart garage door is strong and easily digestible—owners can control access to their home and check after driving away whether they closed the door,” said Tom Kerber, Director, Research, Home Controls & Energy, Parks Associates. “The strong adoption for this device will continue, as 15% of U.S. broadband households plan to buy this device in 2016. The growing number of smart devices in the home will intensify the need for interoperable IoT solutions, and at CONNECTIONS™, we will examine interoperability strategies with key industry executives.”

Parks Associates research also indicates more than 80% of smartphone/tablet users who own at least one smart home device have downloaded mobile apps for these devices. App usage associated with smart home devices such as thermostats, doorbells, and smoke detectors ranges from 83% to over 90% of all device owners.

“Nearly 50% of households that own a smart home garage door openers are headed by young ‘go-getters,’ specifically consumers under 35 who own their home,” Kerber said. “This is a key consumer segment to grow the smart home market, and they expect smart home products to work together and be easy to use from any screen.”

CONNECTIONS™ features multiple sessions and speakers highlighting the interoperability of IoT and smart home devices and products.

“Smart Home: Making Products Interoperable and Easy to Use,” Tuesday, May 24, 4:15 p.m., moderated by Eddie Accomando, Research Analyst, Parks Associates, features the following speakers:

• Erik Davidson, Director of Product Management, CEL
• Joe Wytanis, Sr. Director & Strategist, Connected Living, Consumer Technology Group, Flex

“IoT and Smart Home Devices: Privacy and Security,” Tuesday, May 24, 4:45 p.m., moderated by Brad Russell, Research Analyst, Parks Associates, features the following speakers:

• Adrian Caceres, Co-Founder and CTO, Ayla Networks
• Jim Hunter, Chief Scientist and Technology Evangelist, Greenwave Systems
• Bruce Snell, Cybersecurity and Privacy Director, Intel Security

“New cyber-threats are arriving at an average of five every second, and it is inevitable that these threats will start targeting the smart home,” said Bruce Snell, Cybersecurity and Privacy Director, Intel Security. “Nanny-cams and baby monitors have already been attacked, and smart locks and garage doors could soon find themselves in the crosshairs. However, we can’t let fear of attack put a halt on innovation. Through proper planning and awareness, a secure connected home is not an unreachable goal.”

“Few product manufacturers can imagine what's involved in turning a product—whether it’s a water heater, ceiling fan, coffee maker, or door lock—into a connected smart home product,” said Adrian Caceres, CTO and co-founder of Ayla Networks. “Manufacturers either have to become global experts in the latest data privacy, data protection, and network security technologies, or they need to choose an IoT platform with security and privacy handled all the way from the product itself through the cloud to the mobile app user experience."

“Seamless Interoperability: IoT and Smart Home,” Wednesday, May 25, 11 a.m., moderated by Tom Kerber, Director, Research, Home Controls & Energy, Parks Associates, features the following speakers:

• Avi Barel, Business Development Director, ULE Alliance
• Mike Harris, CEO, Zonoff
• Kevin Robinson, VP Marketing, Wi-Fi Alliance
• Bill Scheffler, Director of NA Sales and Business Development, Sigma Designs/Z-Wave
• Daniel Moneta, Chairman of the Marketing Working Group, ZigBee Alliance

“Interoperability is key to the consumer experiences that will drive smart home, but where does that interoperability live?” said Daniel Moneta, Chairman of the Marketing Working Group, ZigBee Alliance. “It lives in the application layer — the common language that devices speak to each other. When we debate WiFi vs. Bluetooth vs. ZigBee, we’re often just talking hardline positions about transports which should really be chosen based on use cases — and ignoring the app layer where the key value is in creating ecosystems. I’m looking forward to sharing a panel with industry colleagues and discussing how we can come together around our commonalities and create flexible, long-lasting solutions for the connected home.”

“Ensuring that protocols, devices, and applications blend seamlessly together to create exceptional consumer experiences is absolutely essential to achieving widespread smart home adoption,” said Mike Harris, CEO at Zonoff. “Given the organizations slated to speak on the Seamless Interoperability panel, we can all look forward to an engaging discussion about the ways in which industry leaders are working to achieve this critical objective.”

Event sponsors include Reception Sponsors CEL and Zonoff; Session Sponsors Icontrol Networks and PlumChoice; Lunch Sponsor NXP; Silver Sponsors Alarm.com, Assurant, Asurion, Centercode, ROC-Connect, Support.com, ULE Alliance, WiZR, ZigBee Alliance; Bronze Sponsors Ayla Networks, Cirrent, EVRYTHNG, Flextronics, HP, iQor, People Power, PlanetEcosystems, WeatherBug Home, and Z-Wave; Program Guide Sponsor Vivint; Breakfast Sponsors Greenwave Systems and leakSMART; and Break Sponsors Home8, Home Advisor, Nortek Security & Control, and Tyco.

To schedule an interview with an analyst or request specific research, contact Holly Sprague at hsprague@gmail.com, 720.987.6614.

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