Smart home security spans traditional alarm systems, connected cameras, monitoring services and related smart-home devices. The figures below distinguish household surveys, company-reported metrics, enforcement allegations and broader technology-security behaviors across the United States, England and Arlo’s international platform.
Key Smart Home Security Statistics
The most useful headline figures are:
- In 2023, 31% of U.S. households owned a home security system.
- In 2023, 10% of U.S. internet households owned a DIY security system.
- In 2023, 28% of U.S. internet households paid for a security service attached to a security system or smart security device.
- The 2024 ASHB survey reported 47% smart-home technology adoption among its surveyed households or respondents.
- In 2024, 31% of ASHB smart-home adopters reported security alarms.
- In 2024, 27% of ASHB smart-home adopters reported safety devices such as smoke, gas, chemical detection and sensors.
- In 2024/25, 97% of adults in England personally owned and used a Wi-Fi router or internet hub at home.
- In 2024/25, 55% of adults in England personally owned and used a smart energy device.
- In 2023, 30% of surveyed security dealers sold DIY systems.
- In 2023, 36% of surveyed dealers were concerned that AI could confuse or scare customers.
- At December 31, 2024, Arlo reported 10.8 million cumulative registered accounts across more than 100 countries.
- At December 31, 2024, Arlo reported 4.6 million cumulative paid subscribers.
- Arlo reported $257.3 million in annual recurring revenue at December 31, 2024.
- Arlo reported $510.886 million in total revenue for 2024.
- Arlo’s service revenue rose 20.8% in 2024 from 2023.
- The FTC alleged that a Ring employee viewed thousands of recordings from at least 81 unique female users between June and August 2017.
- In 2024/25, 67% of adults in England created strong passwords that were not easy to guess.
- In 2024/25, 53% of adults in England allowed systems and security software to update when prompted.
Contents
- Smart home security adoption and household ownership
- DIY, professional monitoring and installation trends
- Smart security devices, controls and buyer behavior
- Industry scale and subscription economics
- Privacy, hacking and consumer protection
- Data protection practices and policy trends
Smart Home Security Adoption and Household Ownership Statistics
U.S. household ownership figures show why definitions matter. Parks Associates reported that about 31% of U.S. households owned a home security system in 2023, while its narrower internet-household measure put DIY ownership at 10%.
The Parks Associates survey was intended to represent 92% of all U.S. households, but its figures remain survey estimates. Its home-security-system measure is not limited to internet-connected systems.
| Measure | Result | Population and period |
|---|---|---|
| Home security system ownership | 31% | U.S. households, 2023 |
| DIY security system ownership | 10% | U.S. internet households, 2023 |
| Paid security service attached to a system or smart device | 28% | U.S. internet households, 2023 |
Source: Parks Associates: One in 10 US Internet Households Own a DIY Security System.
ASHB reported 47% smart-home technology adoption in 2024. Its comparable 2023 result was 74%, but ASHB states that sampling and wording changed, so the 27-percentage-point difference should not be treated as a measured market decline.
England’s 2024/25 Participation Survey provides wider smart-home context rather than a security-only ownership rate. One percent of adults owned none of the listed categories, while 97% personally owned and used a Wi-Fi router or internet hub and 55% owned and used a smart energy device.
Source: 2024 Smart Home Trends & Technology Adoption and Main report for the Participation Survey (April 2024 to March 2025).
DIY, Professional Monitoring and Installation Trends in Home Security Data
Dealer data describes the supply side of home security rather than household adoption. In 2023, 30% of surveyed security dealers sold DIY systems, indicating that self-installation was a meaningful part of dealer activity in that survey.
AI was present in dealer messaging but also raised communication concerns. Fifteen percent of dealers highlighted AI in customer messaging, while 36% were concerned that AI could confuse or scare customers; these are reported practices and perceptions, not measured consumer harm.
Parks Associates also characterized U.S. system adoption as settled at about 31% of households by 2023. That rounded characterization and the dealer figures should be read separately because they measure different populations.
Source: Parks Associates: One in 10 US Internet Households Own a DIY Security System.
Smart Security Device Adoption, Controls and Buyer Behavior Statistics
ASHB’s 2024 category results are shares among smart-home adopters, not all households. Security alarms appeared in 31% of adopters, while safety devices—including smoke, gas, chemical detection and sensors—appeared in 27%.
| Device category among ASHB adopters | Share | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Entertainment devices | 61% | 2024 |
| Thermostats | 32% | 2024 |
| Security alarms | 31% | 2024 |
| Smart lights and controllers | 28% | 2024 |
| Safety devices and sensors | 27% | 2024 |
The same survey reported entertainment devices at 61%, thermostats at 32%, and smart lights and controllers at 28%. These categories show the broader smart-home mix; they do not imply camera ownership or security-system adoption.
England’s 2024/25 survey similarly measured multiple device categories together. Forty-seven percent of households most commonly owned one to three listed smart devices, and 30% most commonly owned four to six; 76% of adults personally owned and used a smart TV and 53% used a voice-activated smart speaker at home.
The NIST study surveyed 401 U.S. smart-home users across device categories, including security devices. Its sample size identifies the measured population and should not be interpreted as an outcome rate.
Source: 2024 Smart Home Trends & Technology Adoption, Main report for the Participation Survey (April 2024 to March 2025), and Survey on Smart Home Users’ Security and Privacy Perceptions and Actions: A Device Category Perspective.
Smart Home Security Industry Scale and Subscription Economics
Arlo’s 2024 annual report illustrates the economics of one connected-camera company, not the size of the overall smart-home security market. At December 31, 2024, Arlo reported 10.8 million cumulative registered accounts and 4.6 million cumulative paid subscribers across more than 100 countries.
| Arlo metric | 2024 result | Definition or period |
|---|---|---|
| Cumulative registered accounts | 10.8 million | December 31, 2024 |
| Cumulative paid subscribers | 4.6 million | December 31, 2024 |
| Annual recurring revenue | $257.3 million | December 31, 2024 |
| Total revenue | $510.886 million | Year ended December 31, 2024 |
| Product revenue | $267.888 million | Year ended December 31, 2024 |
| Service revenue | $242.998 million | Year ended December 31, 2024 |
Arlo’s total revenue increased 4.0% from 2023 to 2024. Product revenue fell 7.6%, while service revenue rose 20.8%, separating hardware performance from recurring service growth.
The company reported a 77.5% service gross margin and a 36.7% total gross margin in 2024. Sales and marketing expense was $73.7 million, about 14% of revenue, and Arlo had 360 full-time employees at December 31, 2024.
Regional revenue was 52.1% Americas, 43.2% EMEA and 4.7% APAC. The corresponding amounts were $266.075 million in the Americas, $220.821 million in EMEA and $23.990 million in APAC; these are company revenue geographies, not device-ownership rates.
Source: Arlo Technologies, Inc. 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Smart Camera Privacy, Hacking and Consumer Protection Statistics
The FTC’s Ring matter provides quantified enforcement context, not a prevalence estimate. The agency alleged that between June and August 2017, a Ring employee viewed thousands of recordings from at least 81 unique female users.
The FTC authorized the Ring complaint and stipulated final order by a 3–0 Commission vote in May 2023. The matter produced a $5.8 million stipulated order, which measures an enforcement outcome rather than total consumer losses or the frequency of privacy violations among smart-camera users.
These distinctions are important when interpreting security-camera statistics: allegations, procedural votes and settlement amounts describe a specific enforcement case. They do not establish that the same behavior occurred across the wider market.
Smart Home Security Data Protection Practices and Policy Trends
England’s 2024/25 technology-safety results are contextual because they cover adults generally, not smart-security-device owners only. They show the household behaviors that can affect connected-device account protection without measuring camera-specific compliance.
- 67% of adults created strong passwords that were not easy to guess.
- 59% created different passwords for different devices or accounts.
- 53% allowed systems and security software to update when prompted.
- 53% backed up information or content frequently.
- 9% reported doing none of the listed technology-safety measures.
The same survey measured online-payment and data-protection actions. Sixty-three percent of adults made secure online payments using a credit card or payment platform, 48% checked website or seller reviews before making an online payment, and 17% reported none of the listed data-protection actions.
These measures should not be converted into smart-camera security rates. They are broader online and technology behaviors, and the survey’s “none” figures are based on the specific lists of actions provided.
The UK PSTI Regulations 2023 entered into force on April 29, 2024 for consumer connectable products, including home security cameras. This is a regulatory milestone, not an adoption or incident statistic.
Source: Main report for the Participation Survey (April 2024 to March 2025).