Surf Report: Home, smart, home

If you thought your Smart TV was the only gadget with brains in your home, wait 'til you get a load of your next washer and dryer (that texts you when the load is done), new video doorbell (to answer your front door from anywhere) and lights that let you change colors on the fly (to suit your mood).

There's no shortage of smart devices for today's homes – thousands, in fact – most of which are controlled via a free app for a smartphone or tablet.

You're probably aware of the Nest learning thermostat, Belkin WeMo Switch and Dropcam Pro video surveillance camera, but the following is a look at a half-dozen ways to turn your regular home into a smarter one.

Who can it be now?

Consider it Caller ID for your front door. As part of the Vivint Smart Home System (from $59.99/month), the aptly-named Vivint Doorbell Camera lets you see who's on your doorstep -- on your iOS or Android phone or tablet -- whether you're inside or not. Those at home can also use the Vivint SkyControl panel as their digital peephole, which is included with service. Engage in a two-way conversation with the caller, and you can even remotely unlock the door from your mobile device, if desired, or open the garage for a courier to drop off a parcel. As soon as the Vivint Doorbell Camera detects a visitor, it also begins recording video (with audio) and saves 30-second clips for viewing at a later time. Equipped with night vision, the camera has a 180-degree wide-angle lens, live on-demand viewing and customizable chimes (yes, it's still a doorbell, after all).

Oh, baby

Peek in on your baby or toddler without disturbing them with the D-Link Pan & Tilt Wi-Fi Baby Monitor ($139.99; model # DCS-850L). After you join this Wi-Fi camera to your wireless network and place it in a nursery, check in on your loved one whether you're in the home or away, via the free D-Link app on your iOS or Android phone or tablet. No monthly subscription costs are required. Unlike most other Wi-Fi cameras, you can pan and tilt the lens for a perfect view. Along with night vision and support for motion and sound alerts, this smart baby monitor has an integrated temperature sensor, two-way audio (so you can talk to your little one), five different lullabies to soothe them to sleep and the option to save photos and videos onto a memory card to view later.

A bright idea

Once the hub is connected to your modem or router, the Philips HUE smart lighting system ($59.99 for each bulb, or $199.99 for the Starter Kit with Hub and three bulbs) lets you remotely access your lights on an app, be it change its color on demand, dim or brighten a room, set up timers and other scheduling options, or remotely access your lights from wherever life takes you. While these Wi-Fi-enabled A19 bulbs cost more than regular light bulbs, they're LEDs so they consume a lot less power than traditional light bulbs (which is good for your wallet and the environment) and they last much longer (a few years, in fact). Philips HUE also works with many dozens of smart home devices, like Logitech's Harmony Remote, Nest, Sonos, and others.

To serve and protect

When you hear the word "technology" you probably aren't thinking "garage doors" – but Chamberlain's MyQ Garage Smartphone Garage Door Controller ($129.99) aims to change all that. Installed in less than 30 minutes without any wiring, this Wi-Fi-enabled doohickey shows if your garage has been left open and lets you close or open it from anywhere in the world – via the free app for iOS and Android devices. You can also set custom alerts if the garage has been open for a specific period of time. If you own a Nest, the MyQ app can be used to set your smart thermostat to switch to Away mode when you close your garage door and switch back to Home mode when you arrive and open your door again. As for security, MyQ is UL325-certified, the standard for all garage door openers.

Suck it up, buttercup

Who wouldn't want their home vacuumed by a robot? You've no doubt heard of the iRobot Roomba family (from $399.99), which can move about your floors to suck up dirt, crumbs and pet hair off carpet, hardwood, tile or laminate. Simply plug in the iRobot to charge it up, turn it on and let it navigate around your space to do its job (and it senses stairs and turns itself around, by the way). The Roomba makes dozens of decisions more than 60 times per second to clean efficiently, whether it's to go over an area again or tuck into areas not easy to clean, such as under beds and sofas. iRobot's flagship model, the Roomba 880 ($699.99), was awarded a reddot product design award for excellence and innovation, plus the company also has the Braava 380t floor-mopping robot, from $299.99, and other domestic robots that do your dirty work for you.

App it up

With technology called 6th Sense Live, the Whirlpool Smart Front Load Electric Dryer (model # WEL98HEBU; $1,699.00) keeps you informed about the status of your clothes and dryer – on an iOS or Android phone or tablet. Whether you're at home or away, this Internet-connected stainless steel appliance always keeps you in the know. Along with seeing energy consumption info (and support for Nest integration), you can remotely start a load, find out when the job is done or if you know you won't be able to remove your clothes from the dryer right away you can initiate a "Wrinkle Shield" option that continue to tumble dry your clothes for up to 120 minutes. Because of its large 7.4 cubic feet drum, it can accommodate bulky items like comforters, blankets and sleeping bags.

Follow Marc on Twitter: @marc_saltzman. E-mail him at techcomments@usatoday.com.