The new year is the perfect time to think about ways to upgradeyour life.

Increasing your home's safety functions and technologicalintegration are great ways to make this year more convenient,secure and efficient.

According to Home Advisor, thecost of installing a home automation system can range from a low ofaround $70 to several thousand dollars. Individual components arealso available to allow homeowners to automate specific functionsboth inside and out of the home.

The benefits to this type of technology include possible savingson insurance premiums, increased security and the ability tomonitor what's going on in the house when no one is home, and mosttechnology can be controlled from a smart phone.

If you're ready to step up your smart home game, here are thelatest must-have tech and safety innovations to consider. Whetheryou own or rent, the six things on this list will transform the wayyou live in 2017.

Related: 7 homeowners trends for2017 

(Photo: iStock)

1. Smart lighting

One of the easiest ways to increase security inside and outsideyour home is to add some smarts to your lighting system. Smartoutdoor lights help make sure everyone gets home safely anddiscourage would-be prowlers. BeON Security Lights stay on if the power goesout and keep burglars away by mimicking your typical lightinghabits — even when you're on vacation.

MAXSA Solar Security Lights are another option thatoffer protection and energy efficiency. They use solar power andare triggered by motion day and night. Or, if you want indoorlights that emphasize simplicity, check out the Philips Hue,which allows you to control lightbulbs with your smartphone and setup dimmers or motion sensors.

(Photo: P. Harman)

2. Smart doorbell

Keeping an eye on the door can feel impossible, especially withdinner to make and bath time to enforce. Smart doorbells, like theSkybell HD Wi-Fi Video Doorbell, give you theeyes you've always wanted in the back of your head. Easy to installand fairly inexpensive, smart doorbells let you see who's at thedoor through your smartphone or computer. Whether you're relaxingon the back patio or sitting in a meeting across town, you can talkto a delivery person through the speaker or see exactly when thekids get home from school.

Related: Top 10 smart home technologies for homeowners over50

(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

3. Smart hub

It may sound intimidating to use a smart home control center,but smart hubs like the Amazon Echo make it easy and affordable to getstarted. This voice-activated speaker uses the Alexa digitalassistant to help you control all the smart gadgets in your home.All it takes is a voice command for the Echo to play your favoritesong, start the smart coffee pot, or let you know what trafficlooks like for your morning commute.

Today's security monitoring systems allow homeowners totrack what's going on from their mobile technology. (Photo:iStock)

4. Smart security system

Smart security systems seamlessly bring safety and technologytogether, and they usually provide remotely viewable cameras whichyou can access from anywhere on your smart device. Nomatter your needs and budget, there are smart systems to meet everysecurity challenge, and many wireless security systems are easy toinstall yourself. Best of all, smart security devices like Canary comewith home automation integration — so they can communicate withother devices on this list.

Related: Here's the new high-tech way to catch aburglar

(Photo: iStock)

5. Smart detector

You need more than just a smoke alarm to sleep peacefully eachnight: carbon monoxide detectors are equally as important.Fortunately, the latest smart detectors are on the lookout for both COand smoke. Find a detector — like the Nest Protect — that emits an alarm, tells youwhether it's reacting to smoke or carbon monoxide, and locates thethreat. You may also want a smart alarm that sends text messagealerts when it detects an anomaly.

Related: 10 things to do to keep hackers out of yourhome

(Photo: iStock)

6. Smart baby tech

Smart gadgets aren't just for grownups anymore. New baby technology lets parents monitor everythingfrom their baby's heart rate to temperature. Wearables like theOwlet SmartSock keep constant tabs on sleeping babies and sendupdates about breathing rates and movement.

Advanced monitors feature two-way communication, video,real-time alerts and remote viewing via smartphones. If you have alittle one at home, checking out the latest infant monitoring techis a must for your household this year.

As you prepare for the new year, make sure home safety is at thetop of your list. It's easy to upgrade your security with deviceslike smart lightbulbs or connect your whole home with a homeautomation system — and it can be affordable, too. What home safetyand tech ideas are you excited about for 2017? Share yoursuggestions and questions in the comments.

Sage Singleton is a home and community safety expertfor SafeWise. She has written for avariety of audiences ranging from government sites to lifestylemagazines. She can be reached at [email protected].