How Do I Set Smart Lights to Turn On at a Certain Time? - Home Streamliner (2024)

You can schedule your smart lights to turn on or off at a specific time. This is one of their top advantages when compared to regular lights.There are a couple of different ways in which you can schedule your smart lights.

Smart lights can be scheduled to turn on or off in different ways. You can use an app to create a routine or schedule. You can use a hub like a voice assistant. You can also use IFTTT (If This Then That). Depending on the devices you have available, one method will be most suitable for you.

If you have smart bulbs from different brands, you might have to control them from different apps. The apps of different smart light brands all look a little different.

If you are used to using one app, using another might get confusing. In this blog post, I explain how to schedule your smart lights in the most common smart home apps. I also cover how you can schedule your lights via voice assistants and IFTTT.

How to Schedule Your Smart Lights in Different Apps

Before scheduling your smart lights, do the following:

• Connect your smart lights to the app you want to use.
• Make sure you have the latest version of the specific app on your phone

How to schedule your smart lights in the SmartThings app:

1. Open the SmartThings app.
2. Tap +
3. Tap “Add Automation”
4. Tap “Smart Lighting”
5. Tap “New Lighting Automation”
6. Tap “Which devices do you want to control?” and select the devices.
7. Tap “Done” at the bottom of the screen.
8. Tap “What do you want to do?’ and select Turn on.
9. Tap “Trigger.”
10. Select “At a specific time.”
11. Tap “Turn on when” and select the time.
12. Tap “Turn off when” and select the time.
13. Tap “Next” at the bottom of the screen.
14. Tap “Done” at the bottom of the screen.
15. Tap “Done” at the bottom of the screen again.

How to schedule your smart lights in the Philips Hue app:

1. Open the SmartThings app.
2. Tap “Routines” at the bottom of the screen.
3. Tap “Other Routines.”
4. Tap +
5. Under “When,” select the time and day when you want your lights to change.
6. Under “Fade,” select how long you want your lights to take until they are on. (They can slowly increase in brightness).
7. Under “Where,” select the room in which you want to schedule the lights.
8. Tap “Save” at the top right corner.

How to schedule your smart lights in the Hive app:

The Hive app is only compatible with Hive smart bulbs. You also need the Hive hub to set up Hive lights.

1. Open the Hive app.
2. Go to your device list.
3. Select the light you want to schedule.
4. Tap “Schedule” at the top of the screen.
5. Change and select the time slots for which you want to schedule your light.
6. Tap “Save.”

Note: if you want to copy a schedule, or add time slots, you can do that by tapping the three dots at the bottom of the screen.

Have you ever wondered if you need a Hive Hub For Smart Lights? We’ve provided a quick but detailed answer in the article link below:

How to schedule your smart lights in the Ring app:

Before you schedule your lights in the Ring app, make sure that your app is updated. You will also need a Ring Bridge to use the Ring smart bulbs.

1. Open the Ring app.
2. Tap the 3 lines in the top left corner.
3. Tap “Devices.”
4. Tape the “Device Schedule” tile.
5. Tap “Light Schedules.”
6. You will be taken through a series of prompts to create your schedule.

You have several options when setting up your lights in the Light Schedules feature of the Ring app.

• You can set the lights to turn on or off automatically at dusk. This option makes use of an astronomical clock.
• You can set the lights to turn on or off at a custom time

How to schedule your smart lights in the Sengled app:

You can set a Wake-Up schedule in the Sengled app. This feature lets your lights slowly get brighter over time to wake you up.

1. Open the Sengled app.
2. Tap “Routine” at the bottom.
3. Tap “Light Schedules” to set a custom time for your lights to turn on or off, or tap “Wake Up” to schedule a wake-up.
4. Follow the prompts to select the time you want to create a schedule for.

How to schedule your smart lights in the Apple Home app:

Note that you will need an Apple hub (either a HomePod, Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD, or iPad) to operate your lights in the Home app.

1. Open the Home app on your Apple device.
2. Tap on the “Automation” tab.
3. Tap +
4. Tap “A Time of Day Occurs”
5. Select the time when you want your lights to turn on or off.
6. Select a scene that corresponds with what you want your lights to do. For example, “Sunset” will turn outdoor lights on.
7. Select each day of the week to repeat.
8. Tap “Next.”
9. Select the lights you want to schedule.
10. Tap “Next.”
11. Select the action you want at sunset (for example ‘Turn on.’)
12. Confirm that the automation you created is correct.
13. Tap “Done.”

Do Smart Bulbs Work With Siri?

You can control your smart light bulbs with Siri if they are connected to a home hub with an Apple device. Siri will identify your smart lights based on the details you have allocated to them in the Home app. You can give a command mentioning the device details and Siri will respond.

For example, if you say “Hey Siri, turn on the kitchen lights,” the lights in the app with ‘kitchen’ in their name will turn on.

How to Schedule Your Smart Lights via Voice Assistants

Voice assistants can act as smart hubs. You can connect your smart lights to your voice assistant. Your hub is controlled with an app.

You can use the app to schedule your lights to turn on or off. You can also control your lights by giving a command to your smart speaker.

We’ve written a detailed article on How To Control Smart Lights When Away From Home. Have a look to find some awesome info.

How to schedule your smart lights with Alexa:

You will have to download the Alexa app and link it to your Amazon account to schedule your lights. Remember to link your smart lights to your Alexa app before trying to schedule them.

1. Open the Alexa app.
2. Tap “Menu.”
3. Tap “Routines.”
4. Tap +
5. Tap “When this happens.”
6. Tap “Schedule.”
7. Set the time of day when you want your lights to turn on or off.
8. Tap”Done.”
9. Tap “Repeat.”
10. Select the days for which you want to schedule your lights.
11. Tap “Done.”
12. Tap “Add Action.”
13. Tap”Smart Home.”
14. Select one light, or a group (if you have already grouped your lights).
15. Tap “Next.
16. Tap “Add.”
17. Repeat steps 15 and 16 for all the lights you want to schedule.
18. Tap “Create.”

Also, take note of the following:

• You can only schedule the brightness of a bulb if it is not in a group
• If you want your light to turn on for a specific amount of time, you will have to create two routines. One will be to turn the light on. The second will be to turn the light off.
• Routines will only work if you have a working internet connection.

How to schedule your smart lights with Google Nest or Home:

1. Open the Google Home app.
2. Tap “Routines”
3. Tap “Add a routine.”
4. Enter the voice command you will use to tell Google Assistant to start the routine. (You need to enter a voice command even if you want to schedule the Routine. If you do schedule the Routine, it will start without the voice command.)
5. Set the time and day(s) when you want your lights to turn on or off.
6. Tap “Add Action.”
7. Tap “Popular Actions.”
8. Enter the lights you want to schedule.
9. Tap “Add.”

How to Schedule Your Smart Lights using IFTTT

IFTTT stands for If This Then That.

This innovative system can link different services in your smart home together. For example, it can sync your to-do list from Amazon with your Google Calendar. IFTTT does this by creating Applets.

How to schedule your smart lights with an IFTTT Applet:

1. Create an account at ifttt.com. (If you already have an account, you can log in).
2. Click on your username in the top right corner of the page.
3. From the drop-down menu, click “New Applet.”
4. Click “This.”
5. Select “Date & Time” from the list of services.
6. Choose “Every day at.”
7. Select the time of day and days of the week when you want the Applet to run.
8. Click “Create trigger.”
9. Click “That”
10. Find your smart bulb brand in the list of action services.
11. Connect your smart bulb app to IFTTT.
12. Choose “Turn lights on.”
13. Select the lights you want to be controlled by the Applet.
14. Click “Create Action.”
15. Click “Finish.”

You will have to create a new Applet for each service you want to schedule. If you have lights from different brands, create a new Applet for each brand.

Make sure that the time and day for each Applet are the same if you want all your lights to turn on or off at the same time.

Can I schedule my lights using a smart plug?

You can set your lights to turn on or off at a certain time by creating a schedule for your smart plug. Even if your lights are not smart, the plug can be set to turn on or off automatically. You can schedule your smart plug in the same way you would schedule your lights in most smart apps.

3 Advantages of Scheduling Your Smart Lights

Scheduling your smart lights helps to streamline your home. It creates convenience and has several other advantages.

1. Streamlining your home

Your lights can turn on automatically in the evening when it gets dark. They can also turn off automatically in the morning when the sun comes up. You will never have to worry about turning a light on or off again!

2. Smart wake up

Your lights can be scheduled to turn on slowly, increasing in brightness over time. This simulates sunrise and is a much better way to wake up than the jarring yells of an alarm clock.

3. Security

When you are not at home, your lights will turn on automatically. This makes it look as if someone is at home and reduced the risk of burglary.

4 Ideas for Scheduling Your Smart Lights

When scheduling your lights, the options are endless. Here are a few scheduling ideas you may want to try:

1. Scheduling your lights to turn on just before you get home

If you don’t work at home and get back after dark, this is a great option. Not only will you be able to see when you enter your home, but it’s also a good security feature. You are more likely to spot anything suspicious as you get out of your car and walk to your home.

2. Scheduling your bedroom lights to turn on over half an hour (increasing in brightness) in the morning.

This smart wake-up will leave you feeling refreshed when you get up. Your body will get a chance to wake up slowly.

3. Connecting your smart lights to a smart speaker to play music

You can schedule your lights to turn on in the morning. You can also connect them to a smart speaker. A scheduled routine can let you wake up to soft music as your lights turn on.

4. Scheduling a scene

Instead of just setting your lights to turn on at a certain time, you can set a scene to turn on. This means that the lights will be a certain color and brightness to create a specific atmosphere.

Does Scheduling a Smart Light Affect Its Energy Usage?

Smart light bulbs need to be connected to a power source even when they are not shining. This is because they need to be able to receive a wireless signal from an app telling them to turn on or off.

So smart light bulbs use a little bit of energy while they are off anyway. Scheduling them will not change their energy usage.

However, scheduling smart light bulbs may allow you to save some energy. If you often leave your lights on during the day or at night, scheduling them to turn off can save electricity.

Of course, if you are often not at home, scheduling may waste some energy. If your lights automatically turn on in a room even if you aren’t in it, your utility bill may increase.

To avoid this, only schedule the lights in areas in your home that you use daily.

Home Streamliner’s Take:

The ease of scheduling your smart lights makes it a cool feature to use when setting up your smart home.You only need a single smart bulb connected to an app to get started. Once you’ve scheduled your light bulb, you never have to think about it again!

Plus, there are many benefits of being able to create natural lighting effects in your home.In my opinion, the more lights you can schedule in your home, the better!