How to set up your smart home now — if you're tenacious

A fully automated home is still years away, but the building blocks are already here: the phone that turns on the coffee maker from the bedroom, the thermostat that controls the lights when you're away, the window shades that lift when you say "good morning."

Although these still aren't items most people seek out, they're catching on. Research firm Strategy Analytics estimates that the number of U.S. households with some form of smart-home system grew 30 percent in 2015 to 27 million, or about 1 in 5.

With the backing of big names such as Samsung, Apple and Nest, a sister company of Google's, smart-home functionality is slowly creeping into everyday homes.

Read more: http://rapidcityjournal.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/you-can-set-up-your-smart-home-now-if-you/article_692d6bde-6f0e-5740-b9f9-ff34d4176d53.html

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