Verizon enters the Connected home for LTE

Verizon Investments, part of the Verizon Venture Group at the U.S. telco giant, has invested in 4Home, a Sunnyvale, Calif.. company working on connected home and home control technologies.

The amount of the investment was not disclosed, though the Verizon Ventures press kit says the unit provides funding from seed level up to $5 million. Verizon participated in 4Home’s Series B financing round, which closed back in the first quarter and raised a total of $6.8 million.

Verizon and 4Home actually partnered on a technology demonstration at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Verizon’s LTE Innovation Center worked with 4Home to demonstrate 4G applications that could allow homeowners to access an Internet interface to 4Home’s Fluid platform to help them manage their home energy usage.

Verizon has been among the more aggressive telcos in pursuit of home monitoring and management capabilities as various solutions based on wireless technologies like Z-Wave and ZigBee have come to light. There were reports back in 2009 that Verizon and 4Home were working together at that time on a Z-Wave-based home control solution, though the more recent work involving long-term evolution dovetails with Verizon Wireless’s rollout of LTE in several markets.

Why Do I think this is Game changing ?

1) This is true home convergence for customers, who will be able to control many devices with just one smartphone.

2) Brings the essence of home automation, and pushes the mainstream telecom companies into Value added services for customers.

3) Bundled services and triple play will offer choices for consumers, and the existing providers for Home security, and other niche operators will start offering competitive pricing due to new entrants into this market.