What to consider if you want to stop relying on public utilities — or just have a more energy-efficient home

New technologies hope to unify the lawless frontier of home-automation products. Would they work for you?

Stop throwing away money on wasted electricity with help from new monitors that work with your phone or computer

A new breed of base stations will reduce wires, decluttering homes and saving sanity everywhere

No more crawling and craning. With outlets in furniture, drawers and cabinets, access to power has never been easier

New technology enables everyday household objects to power themselves by harnessing natural light

Wireless home technology still isn't perfect, but new products are giving audiophiles choices

No more bashing in that smoke detector with a broomstick at 3 a.m. — if you haven't already yanked it out. Welcome the new, civilized breed

You won't mind if these pretty toys get left out every once in a while

Crank up the energy savings, courtesy of household items that come into power the old-fashioned way: manually