Parks Associates: Security continues to drive smart home subscription revenues

DALLAS —More than half of smart home device owners do not pay recurring fees for their connected products, according to new research from Parks Associates, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities facing the smart home subscription market. The firm's report, “Smart Home Platforms: UX, Loyalty, Monetization,” found that 53% of smart home device owners do not pay subscription fees tied to their smart home devices, systems or appliances. The findings are based on quarterly surveys of 8,000 U.S. internet households. Security-related services continue to represent the strongest source of recurring revenue in the smart home market.

According to the research:

• 37% of smart home device owners pay for a home security system service.
• 19% pay for a video device subscription service.
• 17% pay for enhanced network monitoring, data privacy or cybersecurity services.
• 16% pay for a premium AI voice assistant service, such as Alexa+, Google Home Premium with Gemini or Josh.ai.

“Security is still the anchor for subscription revenue in the smart home,” said Daniel Holcomb, senior analyst of smart home research at Parks Associates. “AI will help expand the market further, but successful services need to solve tangible household problems, like protecting the home, preventing failures, lowering costs, and making technology easier to manage.” The research found that smart home device owners now represent roughly half of U.S. internet households. Among those consumers, Parks Associates identified several emerging service categories with strong appeal, including cybersecurity monitoring, maintenance monitoring, energy optimization, context-aware home security and home technology support services. The report also found that ownership of dedicated smart home control hubs remains limited. Adoption of stand-alone hubs held steady at 5% of U.S. internet households in 2025, unchanged from 2024 and 2023. However, hub adoption increases significantly among households with a larger number of connected devices. “Dedicated hubs serve smart home power users seeking sophisticated cross-device automation,” Holcomb said. “Hub functionality for mainstream consumers is often incorporated into smart speakers, displays, security systems and other products.”

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