7 Products to Bring the Dream House into the 21st Century
AUTOMATED HOME TECHNOLOGY

Perhaps it’s because I grew up on endless reruns of The Jetsons but I am completely obsessed with all the advances in automated home technology.  It may not be Rosie the Robot, but things like light bulbs and thermostats that can be controlled by smart phone are a reminder that we do indeed live in the 21st century!

1. Nest Learning Thermostat (Amazon) We installed the Nest thermostat in the Dream House back in December and have had only good experiences. We can monitor and control the temperature from our smart phones, whether we’re upstairs or out of state.
2. Belkin WeMo Light Switch (Amazon) If you’re willing to do a little DIY wiring, this light switch will allow you to control a light or outlet via your smartphone.
3. Nest Protect Smoke and Carbon Monoxide (Amazon) Now that we’ve had a positive experience with Nest’s thermostat, I’m itching to install the company’s smart smoke detector. Not only is is smart phone compatible, it reminds you when to change batteries and lets you deactivate false alarms with the wave of a hand.
4. LIFX Smart Bulb This wi-fi enabled light bulb can installed in any conventional lamp to make it a 21st century robo-light.
5. TCP Connected Smart LED Light Bulb Kit (Amazon)  This kit contains three light bulbs, a gateway and a remote control. Use the remote or your smart phone to dim lights or turn them on and off.
6. Goji Smart Lock This door lock allows you to lock and unlock your home using a smart phone, electronic key or, in case of power failure or zombie apocalypse, a manual key. The lock also snaps a photo of the person standing on the other side of your door. 
7. Logitech Alert Indoor Master Security System (Amazon) You can add extra cameras to this starter kit for a full home security system. Use your smart phone for remote-viewing of your home. (I want to install this so we can spy on the cat’s hijinks when we’re away.

— J. Blandings

Images: Linked and credited above.