Verizon first showcased its new service, Home Monitoring and Control, at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The service enables customers to lock doors remotely; see what's going on at home via networked cameras; and set, adjust and control lights, smart thermostats, and appliances -- all by using a smartphone or a computer, or through Verizon’s FiOS TV.
"The more services they can get someone to sign up for, the stickier that customer is to them," said Bill Ablondi, director of home systems research for Dallas-based Parks Associates market research firm.
Ablondi at Parks Associates said, in one sense, these companies are trying to do for home automation what Apple did for downloading music: Take a market that was highly complex and fragmented, simplify it dramatically and sell it as a service.
From the article, "Verizon, Bright House Hone in on Smart Automation for Homes"
