Everywhere you look, there are all sorts of new gadgets and features that can be implemented to create a smart home. From the home improvement shows you love to watch to the bloggers you follow along with on a regular basis, everyone loves talking about the latest technologies that can automate home details and make life just a little bit easier.

While all the smart home features are fascinating and appealing, you may be thinking to yourself – “But I can’t afford to build a brand new home to implement these technologies!” And the good news is that you most definitely do not have to start from scratch. While a new home construction would give you free reign on incorporating smart home features, there are plenty of tools and gadgets that will easily work in your current home. To help get you started, following are a few easy ways to make your house a smart home.

1) Doorbell Camera
How nice would it be to see who was ringing your doorbell without having to actually open the door? Well, now you can! There are a variety of Wi-Fi doorbell cameras on the market today. Once installed, you can get an alert on your phone each time someone rings your doorbell. And with many products, you will have the ability to speak to whomever is at your front door, even if you are not home. Most smart doorbells also have 24/7 streaming, so you can see what is going on at your front door at any time. Additionally, you also have the option to set up notifications whenever motion is detected near the doorbell. Whether you buy a smart doorbell from your local store or have it connected to your home security company, all you need is a wired doorbell connection, and you are ready to go.

2) Automated Window Coverings
So long are the days of having traditional blinds on your home windows that you have to manually open and close. With automated window coverings, you can open or close your shades with the touch of a button. Additionally, you can also set it up so that the shades automatically open or close at certain times of the day.

3) Smart Lock
Are you the worst at keeping track of your keys? Do you wish you had a way to let people into your home without giving them a house key? Do you often wish you could double and triple check that your doors are locked? A smart lock makes it easy to do all of this and more. It can easily be installed in any door you currently have, as long as there is already a hole for a deadbolt lock. You set up your code, and you are ready to go! Plus, you can also lock and unlock the door remotely from your phone.