One of the first areas that many people consider for automation within the smart home is lighting and it’s a simple feature that makes a very big difference to the quality of living inside your home.
Here’s a guide to the convenience that smart lighting offers and how it can transform a property into a smart, more livable home.
Smart lighting
Like most features of the smart home, automated lighting allows you to create scenes using sensors and activators. These are managed though a hub and simple application that you install on your computer, tablet or smartphone, or can be activated via voice command.
Effectively this means at the touch of a button or by voice you can transform the lighting anywhere in your home. You can switch off the lights in the lounge from the comfort of bed, turn on the garden lights as the sun sets on a festive party, or dim the dining room lights for an intimate dinner.
However, automated lighting extends far beyond the convenience of simply switching items on and off. It allows you to set scenes or actions that occur automatically or by prompt.
A smart lighting scenario
Imagine this – the family is away on holidays. In your absence the smart lighting in your home has been set to replicate actions as if you were there, turning lights on, off and dimming them over the course of an evening just as if the family was home. This adds a further level of your security to your property.
Then picture this – as you collect your car at the airport, you tell the app on your smartphone a very simple thing: “I’m coming home”. The smart home then sets to work with the GPS knowledge you are 42km from home. It turns on the entry lights, and the lights in the lounge, kitchen and children’s bedroom, and sets the temperature control to 24 degrees.
As you roll into the driveway it automatically senses your car. The smart home opens the gate to the property, illuminates the driveway lighting and lifts the garage door on a fully-lit garage, unlocking the internal door to give you immediate and unimpeded access to your comfortably-prepared home.
Meanwhile, there are three main areas where smart lighting comes into play to improve the quality, efficiency and enjoyment of life.
Mood lighting
Smart lighting allows you to set a scene, transforming the feel, comfort and convenience of your house. For example:
Set the scene for an intimate gathering with lights on in all areas but slightly dimmed for a warm welcoming ambience.
Establish a nightly lighting routine for your children’s rooms that progressively dims the bedside nightlamp as they’re lulled gently into sleep.
Use motion sensors with lighting in the bathrooms after dark, so home occupants aren’t fumbling for a light switch in the early hours of the morning.
Set the house to party mode, with lighting of different hues to embrace a festive feel.
Gauge the energy consumption of your home, and automatically turn off lights in areas that aren’t being used.
And the list of mood lighting options goes on, limited only by your imagination. But smart lighting isn’t just about convenience, it also offers very real security and safety.
Security lighting
There’s few things less welcoming than returning to a darkened house late at night. With automated lighting this is an inconvenience of the past as lights can be turned on remotely while you’re away from the property or set to automatically illuminate as you approach.
Importantly, smart lighting can be set to sense motion and automatically turn on, illuminating areas where there’s movement to ensure the safety of the person in that area or deter an intruder who may be there with more sinister intent.
Safety lighting
Meanwhile, automated lighting can work to offer additional safety in the home.
Consider a scenario like this: your smoke alarm activates after sensing the threat of a burning pot in the kitchen. Lights immediately come on in all rooms, flashing to indicate a threat, while track lighting comes on and shows all occupants the preferred and safest exit from the house.
This type of feature offers a very real safety asset to your property especially in situations where occupants may be hearing impaired.
About Lera
Lera Smart Home Solutions is a leading installer of smart home technology in the greater Sydney region. Our team boasts over 20 years’ experience in IT networking, programming and the electrical industry.
We have sourced the most reliable and cost efficient solutions from around the world to provide the very best in smart home solutions, and work with our clients to understand their needs.
You can learn more about transforming your house into a smart home here, or contact us directly for further advice.
More info: lerasmarthomes.com.au
