In only a few years, the number of connected “smart” products for the home has increased exponentially as homeowners have shown more and more interest in being able to monitor and control their homes from nearly anywhere.

The home automation market is growing globally at an incredible pace. The prevalence of these products can be seen with a quick trip to the hardware store, where anyone can find an array of Wi-Fi-capable home automation products, including thermostats, door locks, lights, video cameras, and more.

The i3 Series of touchscreen thermostats features 14 programmable models including a family of Wi-Fi models capable of being remotely controlled via a smartphone app.

Believe it or not, that quick-silver gooey stuff you used to play with in grade school can actually make you money.

The NEWS honors the 2014 Dealer Design Award winners in the Residential Controls (Including Zoning) category.

Seven companies announced that they’ve joined forces to form the Thread Group and develop a new IP-based wireless networking protocol for home automation called Thread. Founding members include Nest Labs, Samsung Electronics, Big Ass Fans, Yale Security, Silicon Labs, Freescale® Semiconductor, and ARM.

Nest Labs Inc. has announced the launch of its Nest Developer Program, which makes it possible for Nest and the more than 5,000 developers who’ve expressed interest in the program to work together to create interactions among Nest products and others — both inside and outside of the home.

Embue, a Boston-based manufacturer of connected heating and cooling controls, has announced a new product offering and a partnership agreement with Jackson Systems, a leading manufacturer of HVAC zoning systems.

The Lyric™ Wi-Fi thermostat delivers comfort at home and savings when you’re away, automatically, based on your smartphone’s location using geofencing technology.