Running your home remotely from smartphone, tablet

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The home of the future may be here now. More and more products are available to control your lights, locks and appliances from an app on your smartphone or tablet.

Consumer Reports has been testing Wi-Fi-connected home devices, including lighting systems, electronic door locks, smart thermostats, generators, and smart ranges and wall ovens.

"What really gets your attention with these products is their cool features," said Celia Kuperszmid-Lehrman, deputy home editor for Consumer Reports. "So we're testing those features, but we also want to make sure it works at its basic functions."

That was a problem with the electronic door locks. Yes, you can use your smartphone or tablet to lock and unlock doors remotely. But none stood up to all of Consumer Reports' break-in tests.

Far stronger is an "old-school" Medeco Maxum deadbolt lock.

As for the Nest Learning Thermostat, it has plenty of innovative features, but it costs $250 and it's harder to set up than others. With this $170 Venstar ColorTouch Series, set up is a breeze.

As for lighting systems, the $200 Philips Hue Connected Bulb system lets you dim and even change the color of its bulbs. For far less, the $50 Connected by TCP is easier to set up. It doesn't change colors, but you can dim the bulbs from your cellphone.

So should you be considering a connected home? An elaborate system could cost around $25,000.

"It's fun to watch, but I'm not really sure that one-touch control is there yet for the average person," said Kuperszmid-Lehrman.

Consumer Reports says sometimes the extra money is worth it. For example, with the Venstar ColorTouch thermostat you can easily add a Wi-Fi-connection key for as little as $65. And with some Generac generators you can add a mobile link that will notify you if your generator stops working and it automatically call for repairs.