As more connected smart home devices continue to pop up, it gets harder to choose the best option for your home. Beyond the price of the device, you must also make sure it works with existing products and services already wired in your home. For those looking to get the perks of home automation without the high price of installing an entirely new system, retrofitting gadgets offer a happy medium.

For this roundup, we’ll look at smart devices designed to retrofit into existing home outlets. We’re focusing on startups recently launched on crowdfunding sites, that have already been successfully funded and will soon ship to consumers.

Switchmate

If you want to control the lights in your home using your smartphone, you can either purchase a connected light bulb like the Philips Hue or you can wait for Switchmate to arrive. Switchmate is a smart light switch panel that easily installs over your existing light switch panel.

You don’t need to screw on anything or rewire anything, as it magnetically snaps into position. This device is great for renters with landlords who do not allow DIY projects that could potentially damage the property. Switchmate has been successfully funded on Indiegogo, and if you’re one of the early backers of the project, you can expect your device to arrive by December 2015.

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Roost

If you’re looking to purchase a smart smoke detector, you might want to hold off on that. Instead of purchasing a pricy new device, why not purchase Roost, a 9V smart Wi-Fi connected battery?

Roost directly connects to your home’s Wi-Fi network, lasts for more than five years, no recharging required, and allows you to get alerts and notifications on your smartphone so you’ll know when it’s time to change the battery, as well as alerts when the smoke alarm is triggered. You can even assign emergency contacts who will be immediately informed when the alarm is triggered. Roost only costs $40 and will start shipping in June 2015.

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Ambi Climate

Smart thermostats may be the way to go if you want an easier way of controlling the temperature in your house, but there’s another option that doesn’t need to be wired into your home. Called the Ambi Climate, the device is a small hub that you can control using your smartphone via Bluetooth, and it controls your air conditioning unit via infrared, provided that your AC unit has an infrared port for remote control access.

You can change the temperature using your smartphone, and the more you use it, the more it learns your preferences, such as what temperature to set when you get home, what time to turn off the AC unit, and what temperature it should be adjusted to when you’re sleeping, helping you save on your energy bill.

Ambi Climate was successfully funded on Kickstarter, and the beta models was shipped last February. You can reserve your own Ambi Climate for $129 and expect it to arrive by June 2015.

Image source: http://www.smartroost.net/#home