Try these 4 smart lighting tips for more atmosphere in your home this fall
Nothing feels smoother than asking Alexa or Siri to turn off the lights… except for the part where you have to silence all your dinner guests before you do. Not a good look.
When setting up your smart home, you can easily focus solely on voice assistants. But voice technology still lags behind when it comes to the detailed requests you might want to make to create the perfect atmosphere. ‘Switching the living room lighting to warm white at 50%’ is still too many steps for a voice assistant to handle in one go. It’s 2024; why is this still a problem?
A better option is to learn what automations and routines you can pre-program to live a well-lit life. In recent years, a variety of new adapters and products have come onto the market that make it easier than ever to connect all your devices together. After setting up these schedules for myself, I found that they required little to no additional maintenance. It’s also easy to download scenes and color combinations to match the season, if you’re feeling festive.
This isn’t just for looks. Lighting can have a significant impact on your mood, which in turn can affect your health. Smart lamps have more customization options, are easy to program and let you change the atmosphere of your living space from energetic to cozy at the touch of a button. Perhaps that’s why the global smart lighting market was valued at $15.05 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach a compound annual growth rate of 22.1% through 2030, according to a report from Grand View Research, a market research firm.
As a full-time maker focused on wellness technology, I spend a lot of time thinking about how I can make my home and work environment more nourishing. Here are some of the devices I’ve used to integrate smart lighting accessories throughout my home, which might also be useful to you as the days get shorter.
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Program your smart lights to work on a schedule
Every morning my smart lighting automations go to work before I even open my eyes. I have the planned Nanoleaf lines on my bedroom wall to start a soft sunrise effect at 8:50 am, gradually increasing brightness over the next 30 minutes until they reach 50% daylight. It’s an ideal way to start the day slowly, according to the schedule that works best for me.
The author’s Nanoleaf Lines are scheduled to gently illuminate each morning, and they also act as webcam lighting when he’s at his desk.
During the day, my lighting changes to different shades of white, from cool daylight in the morning to cozy, warm light in the evening. This approach syncs with my circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock that determines when it’s time to sleep, wake up, energize, or relax.
The Philips Hue system in particular excels in this regard. On the Hue app I downloaded the pre-configured natural light cycle, which automatically adjusts the color temperature depending on the time of day. Most of my lighting is Philips Hue and my switches and accessories are programmed to switch to this natural light when activated.
The Hue app features several scenes, including a natural light scene, that you can download and save for future use.
Provide a smart switch to make transfers easy
Despite all the advanced technology, sometimes you just need a physical switch to turn your lights on or off. Whether you’re on a call, receiving guests, or just in a hurry, tapping a button can be much easier than issuing a voice command. I’ve found a few switches that work great with my Philips Hue, Nanoleaf, and other smart lights.
One of my favorites is the Flic button. This little button works with Apple Home, Alexa, and plenty of other smart home systems. I use Flic to control light scenes involving products from multiple brands such as Philips Hue, Govee and Nanoleaf at once. Each Flic button allows three different actions: a single press, a double press and a pressed press. Plus, it comes with an adhesive backing, so you can stick it anywhere: on the wall, under a desk, or anywhere else that’s convenient for you.
The Flic button integrates with your smart home hub and lets you control products from many different brands at the same time.
The Flic starter kit includes a hub and three buttons for $99 – a solid deal. There is also the Flic twistwhich adds a dial for dimming, brightening and even controlling audio. I haven’t tried it yet, but am seriously considering it.
Another highlight is the Philips Hue Tap switch. It’s incredibly versatile, with four programmable buttons, each of which can be customized to control a different scene. The outer dial allows you to dim or brighten the lighting in a specific room or zone. You can even press and hold any button to turn off the lights.
Philips Hue remote controls can be configured via apps such as Apple Home or Amazon Alexa, allowing them to control devices from other brands. I’m not exaggerating when I say this accessory changed the game for me.
The Philips Hue Tap Switch contains four programmable buttons and a rotary knob.
One thing I like about Philips Hue is the sheer variety of fixtures and switches available. From buttons to remote controls, dials to motion sensors, there’s a switch for every need. For more details on my favorite Philips Hue accessories and some installation tips, check out Justin Techmy technology channel on YouTube.
Let motion sensors help light the way
No smart lighting installation is complete without motion sensors. I’ve placed them strategically around my house to ensure my lights are on when I need them. For example, my bedroom closet doesn’t have built-in lighting, so I added one Philips Hue Light Strip along the top and combined with a motion sensor. The strip turns on automatically when I open the cabinet door and turns off after 5 minutes. It even adapts to the time of day: warm and dim in the evening, bright and energetic in the morning.
For rooms where continuous lighting is not required, use a Philips Hue motion sensor.
I also have a sensor in the hallway for those late snack runs or bathroom trips. It activates the lighting in the hallway to a brightness of 5% – just enough to guide me without fully waking me up.
Use smart plugs for your dumb fixtures
I was lucky enough to get an apartment with a terrace in New York, so of course I had to provide it with lighting. Although I already had outdoor string lights, they weren’t smart, so to solve this I connected them to a Lutron Caseta smart outdoor plug. Using the Lutron app, I schedule the lights to come on 30 minutes after sunset, exactly when I need them. I also installed a Lutron Caseta smart switch near the patio door for easy on-off control.
Use an adapter to add smart functionality to existing lamps or fixtures.
Smart lighting should be seamless: it should work behind the scenes so you can focus on your day without constantly micro-managing your lighting. Take the time to learn your options so you can create a work or living space you love.
The opinions expressed by CNET Voices contributors are their own.
