It can be hard to adjust to a time change, but smart lights can help. Whether you’re gaining an extra hour of sleep or the sunshine suddenly extends long into the evening, you and your family may have a hard time getting used to that loss or gain of time. With smart lights, we can add a bit of daylight, simulate sunrise or sunset, and feel secure in and around our homes by sticking to a schedule of light.
Smart lights simulate sunrise and sunset
When the time changes in the winter, you’re suddenly standing in the pitch dark at 5 pm. That transition can affect how physically tired you are, your mental acuity, and send you into winter hibernation mode. With smart lights like Philips Hue, that transition is easier for everyone. All you have to do is choose a light recipe that simulates sunset, add it to your lights, and schedule it for the correct time.
As the day turns to night, your lights will glow yellow-orange before fading, or, if you decide, change to a different colour for evening. There are so many combinations for sunset, and if you have multiple Hue lights you can have a few different colours running at once. It’s a great way to wind down a day, and because Hue has over 16 million colour combinations, it will feel authentic.
You can also simulate sunrise on dark mornings by setting your lights on a schedule to wake up before you do. I can see my Hue lights from my bedroom door, and the light that fills the living room at 6 am is like sunshine.
You don’t have to worry about having a dark house
Smart lights are connected to Wi-Fi, and because you can control them via your phone, you never have to worry about walking into a dark house, driving into a dark yard, or getting up in the morning in the dark.
You can use geofencing to track your location and have your Hue yard lights and house lights turn on when you drive into the driveway. Or, if you’d rather, you can have a schedule set so they all turn on right at sunset.
Smart lights add a layer of security
If you’ve ever worried about your house looking empty when you’re not going to be home for a while, you’ll love what your smart lights can do. If you have these lights in several rooms in your home, you’ll be able to have them turn off and on randomly to make it look like you’re there. You can also use IFTTT to create a recipe that will turn your smart lights on if an indoor or outdoor home security camera detects motion.
There’s no stopping the days from getting shorter and the nights from getting longer, but with your smart lights on a schedule, you can easily adjust to clocks falling back or springing forward. Check out all of the smart light solutions at Best Buy. They make a great gift idea any time of year.
