Four Fancy Smart Gadgets to Put on Your Doors

Every facet of the home is becoming "smart" nowadays, and doors are no exception. A door no longer has to be a big, dumb plank of hardwood with hinges and a knob in the front of the house.

Now your door, and all the people who come by or through your door, can be monitored and interacted with from your smartphone. Here are four gadgets that you may consider putting on your door lock, doorbell or peephole.

August Smart Lock

For those looking for a comprehensive smart-door experience, August provides products including a keypad and a doorbell cam. But its Smart Lock is the most useful, as it allows owners to no longer rummage for keys in their pockets. The lock, which costs $200, automatically unlocks as you enter and locks as you leave.

The product, which works with a smartphone app, allows owners to give virtual keys to guests for a preset period—anywhere from a few hours to several days. It also sends notifications whenever the door is locked or unlocked, so you will always know when your kid comes back from school.

Sesame

Not everybody is looking for the most sophisticated smart gadget on the market, or wants to shell out $200 for a lock. Sesame is simple, cheap ($99 to pre-order) and familiar looking—it's almost identical to an old kitchen timer. The smart lock does the basics with some pizzazz. One cool feature lets you customize knocks on your door to allow the lock to let you in.

The most appealing part is that it requires no screwdrivers to unscrew your existing lock and install your gadget—you simply attach on to the lock and it will work its magic spell.

Ring

For those who want to see who is at your door, Ring's smart doorbell allows you to view high-definition video (even in night vision!) on your smartphone. At $199, Ring records videos in case you want to rewind, and a speaker lets owners speak with whoever is at the door.

Peeple

No, not that Peeple. This Peeple—which is a smart camera that attaches to a peephole—allows owners to take photos of whoever is knocking at the door and send them directly to a smartphone. Big and orange with a circular shape, it gives a very protective aesthetic (or it resembles HAL 9000, depending on how comfortable you are with smart technology) that may scare away lurking thieves. Peeple, unlike the people-rating app, has won technology awards in the U.S. and the U.K., and is on pre-sale for $149.