Smart home devices slow to catch on in U.S. broadband households

Comcast's (NASDAQ: CMCSA) recent purchase of iControl may be a signal that service providers are trying to get a piece of the smart home services market, but in reality these services aren't resonating with consumers.

A new IoT research report from Parks Associates revealed that less than 30 percent of U.S. broadband households actually know where to purchase smart home products or services. What's more, about 40 percent of the households the research firm surveyed said they prefer to purchase smart home products at retail outlets, particularly from home improvement stores such as Home Depot or Lowes.

Interestingly, Parks Associates said that service providers, with the exception of home security providers, rate far behind retailers as the preferred channel for smart home products. Of the U.S. broadband households familiar with the purchase channels for smart home products or services, 31 percent would prefer a home security provider, 23 percent would prefer an internet service provider, and only 12 percent would prefer a pay-TV provider like Comcast. Release