It's summer, 85 degrees Fahrenheit outside, and you're about to leave home. As you leave your bedroom, the lights dim slowly and eventually turn off. You walk down the hall, step out the door, and lock it. Inside, you can hear the air condition sputter to a stop. As you saunter down the street, you wonder if you left the coffee pot on, but don't think twice about it, as the appliance is running an automated check right now to ensure it's off. Later that night, around 11:15, your mattress cover will cool down your side of the bed so it's just the way you like it by 11:30, when you hit the hay.
This kind of smart home system is already possible. All kinds of small appliances, light bulbs, door sensors, and other home products can automatically turn on and off when triggered by certain actions. Smart homes make life more comfortable, and they're typically designed to be power-efficient, which could save you money.
If you're interested in taking your home from dumb to smart, how do you start? And how can you build on it to make it incrementally more intelligent all the time? One very important note about smart home components is that you must change the default user name and password when you set them up. If you don't, you're leaving your home exposed to hackers and other threats.
Below some products in the market that will help you to turn your house into a Smart Home.
Home Automation Systems
Insteon, a best-seller in wireless home-control networking technology, offers hardware and software for every residential need, from irrigation control and occupancy sensing to remote-control HVAC. If this all sounds a little daunting, consider easing into automation with the company's starter kit for lighting and appliance control. Available on Amazon; $126.
August Smart Lock
The August Smart Lock uses its keyless technology to keep your home safe, even when you're not around. From your smartphone, you can let guests in, check to make sure that you locked up before you left the house, keep a record of who's entered and exited, and unlock your door as you trudge up to your home after a long day's work. Convenient? Yes. Smart? You bet. Available on Amazon; $218.
Video Doorbell
It's like caller ID for your front porch! The VTech video doorbell allows you to screen—and even video chat with—visitors before you answer the door. Not home? No worries. The system takes a snapshot each time the doorbell is pressed, so you'll always know who came knocking while you were away. Available on Amazon; $115.
Philips Hue Smart Lighting
What can Philips Hue do for you? For starters, the system can set your lights to brighten gradually in the morning to wake you up naturally. You can also re-create the quality of light from any photo on your smartphone by using a dropper tool to choose the palette. Or you can simply configure your lighting to turn on and off at set times. Starter Pack Available on Amazon; $199.
Smart TVs
Navigate through movies, music, social media, apps, the Internet, and—last but not least—television channels, from the comfort of your living room couch. And, with Samsung Smart TV's voice-interaction capabilities, you don't even have to worry when the remote goes missing. Available on Amazon; $900.
Bosch Dishwasher
Everything about the new Bosch 800 Plus Series Dishwasher is smart. Behind the door of this quiet genius is a flexible third rack for awkward items, a touch-screen control panel, and built-in water softener. A full-color text display screen gives cycle status and maintenance updates. Simply brilliant! Available on Amazon; $915.
The Nest Learning Thermostat
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