Automated Lighting Enhances Convenience and Home Security

There are few things more unwelcoming than arriving home to a dark, empty house. You walk up to a shadowy porch, fumble with your keys (as well as anything else you’re holding) and try to unlock the door. Once you get inside, it’s time to start feeling the walls for a light switch.

This problem is even more frequent during winter, when daylight hours become scarce. Sure, some cars have a delayed shutoff for the headlights, but depending on the layout of your property, the lighting provided by your car may be of no use whatever. Even in the best of circumstances, it is highly directional and minimally helpful.

Light timers used to provide a mediocre alternative to the energy wasting practice of leaving lights on in an unattended house, but even a light timer is not what we would call “smart” technology, as it can’t respond intelligently to changes in schedule. There is one solution, however, that can provide a superb measure of convenience while improving home security: Fully automated lighting.

As you may know, home automation has come a long way in the past twenty years. Once the reserve of luxury homes and mansions, automated lighting has become so affordable and commonplace that it is now an option on most new-builds and easily retrofitted to existing homes. Now it is possible to activate all entryway lights before you’ve even arrived home. You can even set the thermostat to your desired temperature and have the stereo playing by the time you walk in.

All this convenience is not mere indulgence, though. Home automation represents a huge leap forward in your personal and home security as well. Even for folks who used old fashioned light timers, the set schedule of the technology meant that any lurkers interested in helping themselves to your belongings merely had to take note of the timer’s schedule to know when you weren’t home.

With remotely activated, digitally controlled lighting, the lighting comes on exactly when you need it, and never when you don’t. Plus, it’s a feature that adds resale value to your home if you’re looking to sell, as buyers will look for amenities that set your house apart from others.

Convenience, energy savings and resale value are three important considerations in determining whether to install automated lighting and other home automation technology. But going this route comes with one other benefit that is irreplaceable: The peace of mind and good feeling of coming home to a well lighted and inviting home.
 

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