5 Ways to Turn Your House into a Smart Home

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.

Touch-Screen Refrigerator

There's no reason why your refrigerator can't do more than just keep food cold. The new smart fridge

from Samsung features a Wi-Fi-enabled LCD screen that lets you access your apps. Check the

weather, browse the Web for recipes, maintain a grocery list—all from your refrigerator door.

Home Automation Systems

intraHouse, 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.

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.

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.