Ever get to the office and wonder if you left the garage door open? Or drive two hours into a six-hour road trip and suddenly remember with fearful certainty that you left the iron on?

Easton Electical is releasing one solution to household forgetfulness this summer: Home Heartbeat, a system of wireless sensors that can tip you off if the water heater turns off or on, if doors open and close, and if lights and TVs are illuminating an empty house.

The sensors alert you to home happenings through a keychain-size controller or via cell phone. There's a water shut-off valve accessory that automatically shuts the water off if a leak is detected. But the other sensors signal problems so you can call a neighbor or friend to check it out—and unplug the iron or shut the garage door you neglected on the way out the door.

This CNET article points out that what else you choose to do with the system is up to you. You can monitor how long your kids are actually watching TV when you're not home, or what time of day and night doors are opening and closing to your house. But Eaton mainly promotes the system through peace-of-mind marketing, not as family-spying technology.

The Home Heartbeat starter pack is expected to sell for about $175, according to the CNET article. It will come with a base station and 200 free alerts. When those are used up, you'll be be able to buy packs of 1,000 alerts for around $50. Eaton sells accessory sensors, so you can wire your home as little or as much as you want. The base station supports up to 30 sensors.

Sound like something you'd like before summer vacation? Or have your vacation checklists and memory served you well without wired sensors?