Bringing tech indoors

Making your home smarter - on a budget

Today's home technology solutions is allowing owners to perform a myriad of tasks, with budget being the only limiting factor.

Yet, you don't need to spend thousands to "smarten" up your home. With a plethora of affordable gadgets now available, any homeowner can increase their home's IQ without breaking the bank.

CREB®Now takes a look at some of the more popular devices available. Smart Thermostats

Homeowners can replace their outdated thermostat with one of several easy-to-install high-tech models designed to increase convenience while decreasing your energy bills. For around $300, smart thermostats such as Google's Nest learn your daily schedule and automatically adjust your heating schedule. The Nest can also send you reports based on your energy usage to help minimize bills. And if you ever forget to turn down the heat while away, Wi-Fi allows you to adjust your home's temperature simply by accessing an app on your phone.

Smart Outlets

One of the cheaper ways to add a little tech to your home, smart outlets let homeowners access any device from afar, just by plugging it in. Rather than putting household devices on a timer, homeowners can pair smart outlets with smartphone applications to monitor energy consumption, increase safety and security and even bring the ability to control your entire home from one central panel – all for as little as the price of a new lamp.

Baby Monitors

A far cry from the simple audio monitors of old, today's baby monitors bring the activities of your family's new addition onto your phone. New parents can ensure they don't miss a second of their baby's movements by not only monitoring, but also recording high-definition audio and video and uploading it to the cloud (for a monthly fee). Cameras such as the Dropcam can also double as security cameras, offering low-light and even night-vision video. Homeowners simply plunk down the wireless camera in front of their chosen subject, load the software and watch what happens next.