Following the release of the Thread 1.0 technical specification for the connected home, the Thread Group has launched the first phase of its product certification program. Led by the group in conjunction with UL, the program provides testing for products that use Thread to help ensure that they work together securely out of the box.

Parks Associates has released new industry research reports on the smart home and connected devices indicating that security is leading the way in this market area followed by connected lighting and smart thermostats. The new reports provide in-depth analysis of industry trends and consumer research.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® and LONMARK International announced that two of their standards — ANSI/CEA-709.5 and ANSI/CEA 709.6 — are now approved American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards for home and building automation.

The global home automation market was valued at $4.41 billion in 2014, and is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.3 percent from 2014 to 2020, reaching $21.6 billion by 2020, according to a report by Transparency Market Research.

Growing awareness and demand for smart home solutions has reached mass market scale, according to survey results from global technology research firm ON World.

Nest Labs Inc. has announced several updates to its Works with Nest program, designed to provide a comprehensive platform for developers building connected home products.

SolarCity has announced a smart energy homes demonstration project in partnership with the SunSpec Alliance and Southern California Edison, where SolarCity will install rooftop solar PV, batteries, controllable thermostats, and smart inverters on 50 homes in the Southern California Edison territory.