DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - Dec 2, 2016) - An upcoming webcast from Parks Associates and Earth Networks will examine strategies to overcome the challenge of "unconnected" legacy devices in the smart home. The IoT research firm notes that nearly 50% of U.S. broadband households plan to buy a smart home device in the next 12 months, but there will still be over 100 million U.S. households that do not have a smart home device by the end of 2016.

"While adoption of smart home devices continues to grow, and early adopters may own several smart product categories, most products in the home remain unconnected," said Tom Kerber, Director, IoT Strategy, Parks Associates. "There is a tremendous opportunity to bring these non-connected devices into the smart home to provide a more complete connected home experience. We will explore the strategies and potential for these solutions in this webcast."

"The prospect of one DIY sensor unlocking a trove of data and the full home potential of the IoT to diagnose the efficiency, health, and functioning of all major home appliances is a transformational idea," said Bob Marshall, CEO of Earth Networks. "We are eager to explore how this is possible today."

Parks Associates and Earth Networks will examine different technologies that can connect legacy devices to smart devices during the complimentary webcast "Connecting the Potential with the Premise of the IoT," on Tuesday, December 6, at 1 p.m. CT (11 a.m. PT).

Parks Associates research finds only 19% of U.S. broadband households plan to buy a smart major appliance in the next 12 months.

Kerber and Marshall will also examine consumer interest in the following use cases:

• Monitoring individual appliance usage and health to predict and prevent imminent failure
• Providing presence information to other connected devices to enable efficiency programs
• Optimizing energy storage within the home

Registration for "Connecting the Potential with the Premise of the IoT" is complimentary, and all registrants will receive presentation materials after the event. Register at http://www.parksassociates.com/iot-potential.

For more information about Parks Associates' research, contact sales@parksassociates.com. To schedule an interview with an analyst or to request specific data, contact Holly Sprague at hsprague@gmail.com, 720-987-6614.

About Parks Associates

Parks Associates is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates creates research capital for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to small start-ups through market reports, primary studies, consumer research, custom research, workshops, executive conferences, and annual service subscriptions.

The company's expertise includes digital media and platforms, entertainment and gaming, home networks, Internet and television services, digital health, mobile applications and services, support services, consumer apps, advanced advertising, consumer electronics, energy management, and home control systems and security.

Each year, Parks Associates hosts industry webcasts, the CONNECTIONS™ Conference Series, Connected Health Summit: Engaging Consumers, and Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer. http://www.parksassociates.com