Generally speaking, there are two typical ways to get a little extra lighting in a room: turning a knob on a floor lamp or flicking a wall switch connected to a compatible outlet or hard-wired lighting. There’s nothing inherently wrong with these simple approaches, but when you live in an age of constant technological advancement, you might as well make things a little more interesting. Whether with motion sensors or smart technology frameworks, you can control the lighting in your home without even having to flip a switch.
With the right technology, simple setup, and a little creative application, you can automatically turn on the lights in almost any room in your home in response to your presence, or turn them on and off on a set schedule based on your daily routine. In addition to saving you from having to manually turn lights on and off, automating your lighting can also help if you tend to forget to turn off the lights when you leave the house. This is an interesting thing that you might not have known you could do with a smart plug.
Configure motion sensors
Typically, the lights in a given room in your home will only turn on if you are already physically present in the room. With this in mind, lighting is a smart way to use a motion sensor in your home: have it automatically turn the lights on when your presence is detected and turn them off when you’re not there. There are several ways to use motion sensors with your lighting, including using standalone lights equipped with individual sensors and replacing a switch with a dedicated motion sensor that connects to existing lighting.
In the first case, you have many different lamps to choose from, including smaller night lights that plug directly into outlets, battery-powered lamps that can be mounted in out-of-the-way spaces like ceilings, and larger, more traditional wall sconces that can be plugged in or charged. All of these lights use autonomous motion sensors that can detect your passage and turn on automatically.
If you have existing hardwired lighting, you can also choose to network your lights via a motion sensor light switch, the same type sometimes seen in public restrooms. By replacing your normal rocker switch with one equipped with a motion sensor, you can automatically turn on any connected light source when the sensor detects movement. Keep in mind that this approach requires some installation know-how and should only be attempted by a qualified electrician.
Invest in smart technologies
Motion sensors are the simplest option for hands-free lighting control, but they can be a little imprecise, especially if they’re cheap. If you’re looking for something a little more sophisticated, the answer may instead lie in smart technology. If you already have a smart home framework like Alexa or Google Home, you can add lighting control to the mix with the right smart devices.
To control floor-standing lights, you have two options when it comes to smart technology: smart bulbs and smart plugs. A smart bulb can be placed in any compatible light fixture and synced with your smart home system via Wi-Fi. When the bulb is connected, you can use your smart devices or voice commands to remotely turn the lights on or off, or set schedules for them. If you have a lamp with an unusual bulb size that you can’t get a smart bulb equivalent for, a smart plug will work instead, serving as an intermediary between the light and its socket. A smart plug can be synced to turn the power on or off remotely, which is perfect for simple fixtures that don’t need to be adjusted after being turned on.
If fixed, pre-existing lighting is stopping you again, in the same vein as motion sensor switches, there are also smart switches that you can install via professional wire directly into your home network. This is a more elaborate option, but it gives you a much greater degree of control over all the lights connected to that particular switch. Even if you’re miles away, as long as you have internet access on your phone, you can turn your lights on or off remotely or set a schedule to do it for you.
