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The smart home was once a far-flung pipe dream, but it is now a reality. Wherever you live, your home is ground zero for some of the most interesting tech available right now, and tech that’s yet to come. Best of all, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to get your home up and running with smart hardware and services.

Home security and monitoring solutions can alert you to a burglary, smoke, fire, or just simple motion activity. There are plenty of options with a range of capabilities, from smart doorbells and smart locks to indoor and outdoor cameras that can see in the dark.

Smart speakers, like the Google Home, Amazon Echo, and Apple HomePod each play a big role in helping you out, too. In the kitchen, they can read out recipes, or if you’re cleaning, you can call out to them to change the song on the fly. If you buy smart light bulbs, for instance, you can turn them on and off by using your voice.

Smart Home

Hands-on

The Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, is held every year in Las Vegas. It’s typically the largest event of its kind and the trends seen there are a harbinger of what’s to come in the months ahead in areas such as televisions, laptops, streaming content, health and fitness, smart homes, and transportation. Due to COVID-19, The Verge will be covering the event remotely. As some companies drop out and others forge ahead, it promises to be a memorable event.

LG Smart TV with Google TV hands-on photos