Security Outweighs Hacking Concerns as Surveillance Camera Penetration Grows, Says SA

A third of smart homes in the U.S., U.K., Germany and France have surveillance cameras, coming in second behind thermostats as the most widely adopted smart devices, reported Strategy Analytics Wednesday. Sixty percent of smart homes with a security camera have more than one, said the researcher. Surveillance cameras “have found a place in millions of smart homes, in spite of concerns over privacy and hacking, which suggests the benefits outweigh the risks for many consumers,” said analyst Jack Narcotta. Smart home companies can use safety and security to attract new customers, but selling those benefits will become more challenging for some brands as cameras become more of a mass market smart home device, said analyst Bill Ablondi: “Brands will need to create innovative features to help them find solid footing to compete with Nest, Amazon, and Arlo,” he said.