Nearly half of U.S. broadband homes have privacy or security concerns about smart home devices, said Parks Associates in a report. “Recent high-profile media reports of hacks into smart baby monitors and connected cars, whether valid or not, have heightened consumer concerns over privacy and security for connected home systems,” Parks said. “Companies need to move quickly to reinforce the security of their solutions as well as ensure the consumer’s right to privacy.” Finding the “right balance” between ease of use and security “is a challenge in designing and deploying smart home products,” it said. Consumers don’t want password protections “just to turn on a light, so the market needs solutions that are cross-platform and user friendly,” it said. “Consumers expect convenience and control both with their smart devices and the data that the devices produce.”

Control4 plans a livestream event, The Smarter Living Experience, Wednesday at 7 p.m. EDT, to convey the benefits of a smart home. The event will feature products and technology for security, energy and “peace of mind,” said the company. Control4 is encouraging dealers to host sub-events around the presentation for existing Control4 customers and smart home prospects, it said. Registration is at the company website.

BeON Home will launch a Kickstarter-funded LED lighting system for the home security market at ISC West -- The International Security Conference & Exposition -- next week, it said in a news release Wednesday. The BeON Pro home protection system uses smart LED bulbs that “learn and replicate lighting behaviors” to create the illusion that a home is occupied, said the company. The BeON system also provides safety lighting in emergency and power outage situations, it said. BeON is available in consumer and pro versions, with the pro version offering revenue-generating opportunities for dealers, the company said. The standard consumer offering is $239, and end-user pricing for the professional version will be set by dealers, including subscription fees, a company spokeswoman told us. Exclusive pro features include advanced lighting replay, customized doorbell triggering, instant-on lighting during power outages and advanced panic features, said the company. When integrated with a doorbell, BeON can trigger a sequence of lights to go on to make it appear the home is occupied, the company said. Bulbs can be updated with plug-in modules when new features are developed, it said.

Insteon began selling its connected home product line through the 25-store Micro Center computer chain, Insteon said Tuesday. Product selection will be geared to first-time home automation customers and existing Insteon users, said the companies. Products on Micro Center shelves include the Insteon Starter Kit, Assurance Kit, Connected Kit, the Insteon Smoke Alarm and Bridge Kit and the Insteon Garage Door Kit, plus switches, sensors, Wi-Fi cameras and lighting products, said the companies. The Micro Center website showed 64 Insteon products Tuesday ranging from a $3.99 wall plate to the $379 starter kit. Customers should be prepared to do their smart home research elsewhere, we found. It wasn’t immediately clear which devices comprised the starter kit. An image showed a collection of devices, and a product description read: “Remotely adjust the thermostat to save energy and enhance comfort. Schedule lights to turn on and off at sunrise, sunset, or any time of your choosing. Create scenes to instantly switch between different lighting moods. Detect leaks and motion and even monitor doors and windows. Receive text message and email alerts from your Insteon sensors.” Meanwhile, a starter Insteon kit at the online Microsoft store was selling for $199 Tuesday and included a hub, on/off module, motion sensor and Wi-Fi camera.

The Bluetooth Smart Mesh working group was formed to "build the architecture for standardized mesh networking capability for Bluetooth Smart technology," the Bluetooth Special Interest Group said Tuesday. "As Bluetooth Smart sensors proliferate in the home, mesh networking will become an integral component to ensure consumers’ Bluetooth-enabled smart locks, lights, HVAC systems, and even appliances work together to deliver a seamless smart home experience," it said. The working group expects to have specifications ready for prototype testing later this year, followed by the adoption of official "profiles" in 2016, it said. A recent ABI Research report called mesh networking capability a critical omission from the latest Bluetooth 4.2 spec (see 1502200025).

Mitsubishi tossed its hat into the smart home space with the announcement it's deploying research and development efforts to apply smart home features to its home appliance business. Commercial applications haven't been determined, the company said. Mitsubishi Electric Smart Home will combine sensors, smart appliances and other household devices in a connected environment, it said.

Time Warner Cable expanded smart home offerings to its IntelligentHome customers. In a news release Wednesday, TWC said its menu now offers a connected door lock from Kwikset, smart light bulbs from LG and a General Electric ZigBee in-wall light switch. Citing the explosion of connected devices in the market, Adam Mayer, vice president-Time Warner Cable IntelligentHome, said the provider wants its smart home customers to be able to integrate “the devices they want the most.” The three new products are “just a sampling” of what’s possible in the smart home, he said. TWC customers can buy the products online from Best Buy. IntelligentHome is offered by package: Security -- touch screen, two door/window sensors and one motion or glass break sensor (or an additional door/window sensor) with one-time equipment charge of $99; Security & Energy -- all security package items plus one thermostat, $149; Security & Video View -- security package elements plus one indoor/outdoor camera, $149; and Security, Video View & Energy -- all security package elements plus one thermostat and one indoor/outdoor camera, $199. IntelligentHome service starts at $39 per month and requires TWC Internet service, it said. To connect the devices to a system, consumers follow pairing instructions included with the add-on devices to pair them wirelessly with the system, TWC said. A la carte add-ons include additional sensors, cameras and lights, said the cable operator, which has agreed to be bought by Comcast.

Crestron launched a proximity detection beacon called PinPoint that identifies a users’ location in a home and automatically displays controls for that space on their iOS devices, the company said Monday. The beacon solves what Crestron called the “room default problem” created by controlling smart home technology with mobile devices, which requires homeowners to navigate to different room menus on an app when they change rooms. The PinPoint beacon knows which room a user is in and automatically displays controls for the room on an iOS smartphone or tablet, Crestron said. Sean Goldstein, vice president-marketing, described in a news release a scenario where a user walks into a room with an iPad and control for lighting scenes, music and volume are available at the touch of a button. “Move to the kitchen, and as you do the lighting scenes for the kitchen appear,” he said. Using PinPoint, integrators can more precisely customize Crestron system features for family members based room location, it said. An Internet radio station can follow a person around the house, automatically turning on in each room the person walks into, for instance. Beacons can be configured in up to 100 rooms, and once devices are paired with the PinPoint app, they'll automatically communicate via Bluetooth with beacons throughout the home, Crestron said. The company also said Panasonic TH-98LQ70 and TH-84LQ70 4K UltraHD TVs are Crestron-certified, ensuring that the TVs will deliver true 10 Gbps data rates, interface with Crestron's DigitalMedia technology to handle cable lengths found in integrated AV systems and work with other 4K products in a DigitalMedia system.

Bose shed more light on the SoundTouch systems that Staples is selling as part of the Connect smart home ecosystem, in an email Wednesday. Bose provided Staples with application program interface (API) commands to offer “select control of our SoundTouch Wi-Fi music systems,” said Glenn Gomes-Casseres, product manager-Bose SoundTouch systems, including selecting music through presets, playing different music in each room and creating custom zones. Bob Cooper, chief marketing officer of Zonoff, which supplies the Connect smart home platform to Staples, told us at CES that the Bose system can integrate with other Connect devices in the home to add audio alerts or features triggered by events (see 1501140038). An example was the ability to play a recorded sound of a barking dog that could play through the Bose system triggered by a motion sensor or a doorbell, or a siren that could go off to indicate an emergency. “Our SoundTouch systems essentially serve as the playback device for these sounds and alerts,” Gomes-Casseres said. “What those sounds are, and how they will be used in the home, are being defined by Staples.” On Bose’s plans for expanding SoundTouch to other platforms, Gomes-Casseres called home automation “an exciting step for our SoundTouch products.” Now that the company’s APIs are publicly available, he said, “it opens up the possibility for us to work with more home automation platforms in the future.” He didn’t elaborate on plans, citing company policy.

Logitech announced a Harmony API that allows developers to leverage the Harmony platform and its more than 270,000 home entertainment and automation devices to create smart home experiences. Companies including SmartThings, IFTTT, Ivee, Myo, Playtabase and UCIC have begun development using the application program interface to bring new home control experiences to Harmony users, Logitech said Wednesday. “We know that entertainment is critical to the smart home experience, and will be a main driver for mass adoption of smart home products,” said Mark Spates, head of the smart home platform for Logitech Harmony. The Harmony API gives developers access to popular Harmony features, including “one-touch” activities such as Watch a Movie, Play Games and Listen to Music, he said. Developers are using the API to add next-gen control to Harmony remotes including gesture, voice and motion, he said.