Three Tasks a Smart Switch Can Do For You

In an age where technology is advancing rapidly and changing the way we live in our homes, you might be wondering where to begin when it comes to your smart home experience. Decking your home out with a diverse and expansive range of smart home products can be a huge investment and an overwhelming level of learning, so it’s easy to be intimidated by the thought. However, rather than diving in to home automation, you can start off simple with a minimal investment in the form of smart switches.

Smart switches are great because they are easy to install, affordable, and simple to use. Most models work with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and other smart home platforms. And likewise, they offer a lot of flexibility and automation that you can put to work making your life at home easier. Here are three things you can do with a smart switch that could make them a great way to dip your toes into the water of home automation for the first time!

Never Forget to Shut the Porch Light Off Again

One of the biggest energy wasters in the average home is leaving lights on where they are not needed, and one of the easiest places to accidentally leave a light on is your porch light. If you leave your porch light on and running all day, you could waste several kilowatt hours of energy. Do that several days out of each week, and you could spend a fairly substantial amount of money on energy that you never actually needed. If you struggle to remember to turn the porch light off each morning, why not have it turn itself off automatically? With a smart switch, you can.

Smart switches typically offer the ability to turn themselves on or off based on a scheduled timer. Sometimes you can turn them on or off at a consistent time every day. Sometimes you can even have them turn on or off with the published sunrise or sunset time in your area. By attaching one of these switches to the one that controls a porch light, street light, or other light near your home, you can make sure your home is properly illuminated for safety when you need it, and that it always shuts off when you don’t.

Turn On Outdoor Lights Without Having to Go Inside

Do you have an outdoor patio or deck that you love to use during warm summer months? Some high-quality outdoor lighting can help you continue to utilize it during some of the most pleasant hours of the day. However, controlling these lights can be a pain, particularly if the switch is located indoors. With a smart switch, you won’t have to worry about going indoors to turn the lights on when it starts to get too dark. This is incredibly convenient if the switch is located somewhere that isn’t necessarily close to the door to your backyard or patio.

Having the ability to turn on your outdoor lights is also important for security. If you think you might see a wild animal slinking through your yard or someone might be intruding into your property, turning the lights on with the touch of a button gives you the ability to quickly survey your property. If you have a security camera system, a sudden increase in lighting can make the difference between the intruder being captured on film and potentially getting away. When fast reaction time is important, being able to flip the switch on from your smartphone or tablet in mere seconds could make a huge difference.

Never Walk into a Dark House Again

Wouldn’t it be great to know you never have to come home to a dark house ever again? If you have ever been injured by accidentally stepping on something you forgot about because the light switch was too far away, you know how nice this would be. Smart switches give you this ability by allowing you to set them up to turn on or off based on a number of different triggers and circumstances.

For example, when combined with a smart home system, some smart switches give you the ability to create something known as “geofencing.” A geofence is a perimeter you set up around your home that acts as a sort-of trigger for different behavior routines in your smart home system. When your smartphone’s GPS system detects you have crossed this perimeter, it can activate certain routines or procedures that you define in your smart home system. For example, when you leave for work, you can program your smart home system to turn the HVAC system off and make sure the door is locked and the garage is shut. With a smart switch, you can set a behavior to turn the lights off as you leave.

Likewise, you can also set up routines for when you cross back inside of your geofence, and this can include setting up your smart switch to turn the lights on. That way you never have to stress about walking into a dark home ever again.