Trick Out Your Home With All The Smart Gear

From do-it-yourself to full automation, make all the right choices with our guide to a connected home, complete with expert insight.

1. Nest Learning Thermostat ($249): The slick-looking thermostat is easy for basic do-it-yourselfers to install and saves an average of 10 to 12 percent on heating bills and 15 percent on cooling. A set-it-and-forget-it feature automatically controls the temp by learning your habits, so the air conditioning won’t be blasting while you’re at work. But a free smartphone app means you can access it anytime from anywhere. “It’s a convenience,” says Tony Fabrick, president of home automation company Xtend Technologies. “But you also get peace of mind to know your furnace is working from anywhere.”

2. Caseta Wireless Dimmer and Remote ($59.95): Lighting controls are definitely a smart home bright spot with options from wireless bulbs to outlets that connect to your Wi-Fi network. But this switch, which involves basic electrical work to install, beats those because you can operate one light source via an app, at the switch or with a wireless remote. “It’s two-way feedback,” Fabrick says. “So you know what level it’s at [no matter how] you adjust it.”

3. Sonos Play 1 ($199): Convenience and entertainment are common smart home requests. This entry-level speaker offers both by connecting to your Wi-Fi network and pumping out higher quality audio than a Bluetooth speaker. Plus, it pairs with other Sonos speakers to play the same song throughout the house. “Everywhere you go, people want to listen to music,” Fabrick says. “You might as well give yourself the ability to listen to it everywhere.“

4. Savant Pro ($2,000-$15,000 based on home size): The more smart home devices you install, the more apps you’re downloading to control them. “You get app clutter,” Fabrick says. He suggests a Savant Pro system controller, which lets lights, thermostats, house alarms and automatic shades interact. “It’s all in one place,” he adds.

5. Scenes: The whole home Savant system can also operate what are called scenes. If you’re about to cook dinner and want your pendant, overhead and under cabinet lights all on and at a different brightness, you can program that. “Instead of pushing six buttons and adjusting the levels, I just pull up the cooking scene, and all the levels adjust to where I want them,” Fabrick says. You can tie in your Sonos and have it play music while you cook.

6. Passive rules: The Savant system can use preprogrammed rules to sync smart home devices. If your alarm system senses that an exterior door is open, the Savant can tell your connected light switches closest to the door to turn on. Or if the system senses a break-in, all your lights turn on. “This is something you set and forget,” Fabrick says. “It works when you need it to work.”