My husband gets all excited by new innovations in technology. We were one of the first families to invest in a bluray player. He continually upgrades his phone to make sure he’s got the latest features. About a year ago, he insisted we needed a smart thermostat. I went along with it because I figured this upgrade would help trim our energy bills. Plus, the shape of the thermostat and touchscreen are much more attractive than the old thermostat. Unfortunately, neither of us has much luck operating the smart control. It regularly sets the temperature so low during the middle of the night that we wake up shivering. The thermostat is supposed to learn from our adjustments. Despite the fact that we get up nearly every night at 2 AM to bump up the temperature setting, the termostat hasn’t caught on yet. Now, my husband is talking about investing in a whole-home automation system. This would include surveillance cameras, motion-activated lighting, an alarm system, automated door locks and all sorts of sophisticated features. While I would love to make our house safer and more secure, I’m worried. I think we’re going to get locked out of our own house. It’s very possible the police will show up when we try to get inside. I imagine all sorts of sirens going off every time I try to walk out to the mailbox. Plus, I know the system sends alerts whenever there’s an intruder on the property. I am assuming our dog will be considered an intruder. I keep trying to talk my husband out of the automation system. I’d rather just buy a better lock for the front door.