The TV is on a sliding mount that's bolted to the wall behind the dining room hutch, which weighs enough that it's not in any danger of sliding back and bumping it. How smart! And how beautiful are those cranberry walls.

That would be important to me too! As much as I love tech, it would be silly to have to grab a remote to turn on a light switch. With a system like this, there’s no need to turn on your tablet or smartphone every time. The apps come in handy when you're trying to do a lot of things at once, like when you want to turn off every light in the house or shut all the shades. One button does it all. Otherwise, regular remotes are always there for convenience.

The flap on the doggie door unlocks only when an animal wearing a programmed key tag passes through, and you'll get a message when any animal goes in or out. So unless you have the MacGyver of raccoons, chances are good that those animals will stay out.

A system like this is infinitely flexible. Every room is a different music zone, so they could all play a different song, or they can all play the same music, if you’re having a party. With smartphones, tablets or the house remotes, it's easy to add or drop zones and change the tunes in any room.