Smart Home Lighting Automation
As any smart home owner will tell you, lighting automation is an essential component to the overall smart home experience. In short, lighting automation allows homeowners to control their home’s lighting system remotely, using voice commands, smartphones, or other devices. This ever-changing technology offers a range of benefits, including:
Convenience: With lighting automation, homeowners can control their lights from anywhere, without having to physically switch them on or off. And using an open platform like Ezlo’s MiOS, you can automatically trigger them based on motion, time of day, or just about anything you can imagine.
Energy efficiency: Lighting automation can help homeowners save energy by automatically turning off lights when they’re not needed. This not only reduces energy waste, but depending on how many lights you have connected, can add up to some serious savings on your utility bills.
Security: You can program your indoor/outdoor lights to turn on and off at specific times, giving the impression that someone is home even when you are not.
Mood and ambiance: Changing your lighting color scheme or pattern can have dramatic effects on parties, movie nights, romantic evenings, and more.
Health benefits: Lighting automation can even improve your health by regulating your circadian rhythms. By simulating natural light, lighting automation can also help regulate sleep patterns and promote better sleep.
Lighting Control Systems
Lighting automation is a broad term, encompassing everything from a one-room MeshBot-controlled lighting application to a whole home system that controls both interior and exterior lighting. But, many Ezlo users also enjoy the small, unique application of tying your lighting into a notification or event trigger, like flashing lights when the garage opens or doorbell rings. Since there is almost no limit to what can be created with smart home lighting, we thought we’d outline the most popular triggers to help inspire your smart home creativity.
Smartphones
One of the most popular methods of controlling your smart home lighting is via the use of an application on your smartphone, like Ezlo’s MiOS. One or two taps on your phone and the living room lights dim for movie night or the dining room lights change color, ready for your big dinner party.
Motion sensors
Connecting your smart lights to motion sensors is another very popular option for control.
While exterior security is a great benefit of smart lighting, many homeowners also enjoy significant reductions in their power bills by installing motion sensor-activated lighting throughout their homes, especially when younger children are involved!
Motion sensor lighting control is also beneficial in a home with seniors. Older adults can get up during the night without the fear of tripping over objects in the dark.
Scheduling and Timers
This is another innovative form of control for your smart home lighting. Have the kitchen lights come on before you get home from work, turn the patio lights at dusk, and turn off all living room lights at bedtime. When you have a routine, scheduling and timers become incredibly convenient.
Away from home? Putting your home’s lighting on a schedule helps deter unwanted guests, giving the impression that someone is home at night.
5 Unique Uses for Smart Home Lighting Automation
Now that we’ve reviewed a few of the most popular ways to control your smart home lighting, let’s look at some of the creative use cases for smart lighting in your home.
1. Minimize Risks of Accidents
Young children, senior citizens, or just sleepy adults can all benefit from lighting that knows you are there. We’ve all fumbled for the lamp or hallway light in the middle of the night. Let your smart lighting lead the way.
2. Convenience and Peace of Mind
Don’t bother will poorly placed light switches or furniture in the way, when you program your smart home lighting to work for you, you’ll never have to worry about whether that light was left on.
3. Elegance
Good smart lighting can add a lot to the aesthetic of your home. Interior mood lighting, patio string lights, and creative outdoor lighting will add that extra something special to any home.
4. Easy to Control
Relying on remote control, automatic triggers, and scheduling make maintaining a smart home lighting system hassle-free. Enjoy the comfort and convenience of a smart home that knows what you want, when you want it.
5. Saves Money
If there is one thing we can all enjoy, it’s saving money. Installing smart lighting systems throughout your home can save you a significant amount of money on your power bills.
Getting Started With Your Smart Home Lighting Automation
As you can see, smart lighting is an essential component to a convenient and empowering smart home. Once you’ve dialed your setting in, you might just be surprised how you ever lived without it. And connecting your smart lights to the MiOS platform further extends the power of any bulb, switch, or lighting system. With MiOS, you can layer on cloud applications, other smart devices, and a ever-expanding set of triggers. If you are ready to upgrade your home’s lighting, visit the Ezlo Shop to explore our smart lighting products today.
We look forward to seeing what you’ll build!
