Room-by-Room Guide to Home Automation

Forgetting your keys is a huge hassle, and that nagging worry about whether or not you locked the door when you left on vacation can ruin an otherwise relaxing trip. A smart door lock, like the August Wi-Fi, not only keeps your home safe—it gives you quick access and lets you rest easy. Learn more in our August smart locks review.

Some smart locks look like regular deadbolt locks but with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi capability. Other locks have touchscreen keypads to give you a high-tech look and the convenience of a backup code. You can set your lock to sense your smartphone so it automatically locks the door when you leave and unlocks it when you get home.

You can also set rules for your lock, like programming it to arm your home security system whenever the door locks. And you can control your lock remotely so you can lock or unlock the door for a neighbor, whether you're across the world or snug in your own bed.

Speaking of security systems, oftentimes the base station for your security system lives somewhere in or near your entryway. If you don't have a home security system, consider either a professionally installed smart security system like Vivint or a DIY security system like SimpliSafe.

Turning lights on and off isn't exactly a major inconvenience, but smartbulbs offer quite a few surprising benefits for your home and your wallet. Smart lightbulbs last 10 times longer than regular bulbs, and they only consume 8.5 watts of electricity as opposed to the 60 watts eaten up by conventional bulbs.

Smart lights like Philips Hue lightbulbs are easy to install—it's as simple as changing out a lightbulb. Once your new light is in, you can use your smartphone to change the color, dim it to your desired brightness, or have it turn on and off at certain times of day.

• Entry sensors: Door and window sensors will tell you immediately if a door is open or ajar and will work with your home security system to alert your alarm company in the event of a home security breach.
• Robotics: Teach your home how and when to clean itself by integrating robotic technology—like pool cleaners, window washers and robot vacuums like Roombas—into your home automation system.
• Motorized Control: Anything that moves can be controlled through home automation. Adjust the curtains, shades, or blinds to keep the late afternoon sun out of your eyes without getting up. Fold up your Murphy bed without having to bend or stoop over.

If your household is like most, your kitchen is probably a common gathering place. So it's a perfect location for a smart speaker like an Amazon Echo Dot or a Google Nest Mini.

These affordable gadgets can help you operate other home automation devices using voice control, but they also offer nifty features all on their own.

If you're baking and you use the last of the sugar, there's no need to stop what you're doing to make a note. Simply say, "Alexa, add sugar to my shopping list." The next time you're at the store, pull up the Alexa app on your smartphone and you'll see everything you've added to your shopping list.

You can use your smartphone to control power to a smart plug, making smart outlets like the Kasa Smart Plug Wi-Fi Mini an inexpensive, energy-saving device for any room.

If you don't want to swap out your regular lightbulbs for smartbulbs in bedroom lamps, smart outlets are another easy way to give you smartphone control over your lights. And if you connect the outlet to your smart speaker, you can enjoy the convenience of voice-activated light and appliance control.

Or maybe you want to use Christmas lights to decorate your room (instead of leaving them in a box all year)? Not a problem.

If there's one good reason to make our homes smarter, it's to protect our kids. Baby monitors have progressed quite a bit from their grainy beginnings. Nowadays, they're hi-tech marvels—like the Nanit Pro—that not only offer live video but can also provide night vision, two-way talk capabilities, temperature sensors, and even sleep-tracking for your kiddo.

No more rushing into the nursery at the first sound of crying—with a smart baby monitor, just pull up the app on your phone and take a peek into the nursery.

You can check on your baby and see if they need your help or if they're just fussy and trying to settle down. As an added bonus, you can use saved video footage to capture great shots of your little one and share cute moments with family and friends.

If you've never been halfway to work and wondered if that flat iron is still plugged into the outlet, you might be interested in learning more about smart outlets.

Smart outlet controls like Kasa Smart allow you to integrate any of your home's older lights or appliances into a new automation system. Turn lights on and off remotely. Manage smaller, window-style air conditioner units. Monitor the amount of energy these appliances use, so you'll know whether it makes sense to upgrade to more energy-efficient models.

One of the first smart gadgets on the scene was the smart thermostat. And while it may be old news, it's still one of the smartest investments you can make for your connected home.

You can program your air conditioning and heating systems to use less energy during certain hours of the day, like while you’re away at work or while you’re sleeping. You can also program the thermostat to know when you leave the house by attaching rules to it like, "If the security system is set to 'away,' raise the thermostat to 80º F." (In the summer of course—80º F is a bit steep for an empty house during the wintertime.)

A smart thermostat is a truly convenient way to save time and money—and leave a lighter carbon footprint.

You open the washing machine to put in a new load and the odor of mildewed clothes hits you: you realize you completely forgot to switch the previous day's wet load to the dryer. You sigh, restart the washer again, and hope you don't forget it this time.

If this sounds familiar, a smart washer could be the perfect solution. Smart washers not only alert your smartphone when they finish a load and remind you to switch it to the dryer, but they also sense the size of the load and adjust the detergent and water levels accordingly.

Smart washers like the LG WM4200HBA have even more handy features like specialized cycle settings and a speed-wash setting that only takes 15 minutes.

Anyone who has ever dealt with a basement flood due to a burst pipe or a faulty water heater knows that it's not easy to recover from. Water leak sensors (also called flood sensors or moisture sensors) can help you worry less and may even stop a leak from turning into a flood.

Not only can excessive moisture in your home lead to structural problems, but it can also contribute to the growth of mold, which can cause major health problems in some people. Moisture sensors—like Resideo—can alert you to standing water and persistently damp areas in places you wouldn't notice them, like inside the walls.

Was that a burglar or just a raccoon? Check the outdoor security camera—like Reolink Argus 3 Pro—via your tablet or smartphone and find out, without getting out of bed. Or check the interior cameras to look in on the place when you're away.

SimpliSafe's outdoor camera is part of a comprehensive DIY security system that includes an alarm, sensors and additional cameras rather than a stand-alone device like a Reolink camera . Plus, SimpliSafe is easy to install and take with you if you move, and their monthly professional monitoring is optional.

Like a front door lock or a heat-styling tool, a garage door is another part of your home you don't want to worry about when you're out and about.

A smart garage door opener (or a controller like the Chamberlain myQ) with Wi-Fi lets you see if your door is open or closed, and you can operate it remotely from anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection.

You can also set it to alert you when the door opens and closes so you’ll know when family members come and go.

With doorbell cameras—like the Nest Doorbell (Battery)—you can see who's at the door before you answer it, receive a package delivery, and never get stuck talking to a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman again.

Read our full Nest Doorbell review to learn more.

Cameras with motion detectors like Vivint's Smart Doorbell Camera Pro, can alert you to movement on the porch via your smartphone or other mobile device. Plus, Vivint's camera has unique AI-powered technology that can deter a would-be thief by activating the light on the doorbell, sounding a high-pitched whistle (or you can customize it to another sound) and announcing "camera recording,” loudly.

Read our Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro review to learn more.

1930s: Debut at the World's Fairs Chicago and NYC

1970s: Invention of X10—the first home automation platform

2021: Estimated overall market value of $84.3 billion