Best Buy plans to introduce Connected Home departments in more than 400 of its stores by Thanksgiving, according to this article by GigaOm. The Connected Home department will feature smart home automation products from companies like Nest, Honeywell, Philips Hue, and Kwikset. You can get the full rundown on Best Buy's website.

From GigaOM
Best Buy is creating new in-store Connected Home departments that should roll out to more than 400 stores by Thanksgiving (yes, there's also a website). The departments will contain more than 100 smart home products, including the Peq hub, Nest and Honeywell thermostats, Dropcam cameras, Hue lights and many other brands large and small. There will be a mix of one-off devices and managed services from local ISPs or ADT, as well as more DIY-but-still-managed services such as Peq that come with a fee.

Best Buy is also placing routers and access points in this section under the idea that they are the "plumbing" of a smart home. And the company is pitching router upgrades. Given how terrible some ISP equipment is and the associated monthly fees, buying a router upgrade isn't a bad idea.

The Richfield, Minnesota-based retailer will also train connected home specialists in more than 200 stores. Those specialists can provide more help than the average Best Buy salesperson and get Best Buy's Geek Squad into the home automation business with their own training.

To read the full GigaOm story, click here.

Additional Resources
• Best Buy to Push 4K at HomeTheaterReview.com.