I’ve been experimenting with creating a seamless nighttime routine using my smart lighting setup, and I thought I’d share my experience and some tips for anyone looking to do something similar.
The goal was simple: when I come home in the evening, I want the lights to automatically adjust to a comfortable brightness and warmth, creating a relaxing atmosphere. However, I ran into a few hiccups along the way that I thought might be worth sharing.
First, I noticed that the color temperature settings on my GOVEE bulbs didn’t quite match up with my strip lights, even when set to the same value. After a bit of research, I realized that this discrepancy is likely due to differences in the LED technology used in each device. To resolve this, I adjusted the color settings individually for each type of light to achieve a more cohesive look.
Next, I set up an automation using Home Assistant to dim the lights after sunset. Initially, the automation only triggered when I manually turned the lights on through the app. After some tweaking, I discovered that adding a state change trigger from ‘off’ to ‘on’ made the automation work seamlessly.
Here’s the automation setup I ended up with:
{
“alias”: “Dim Kitchen Lights”,
“description”: “”,
“trigger”: [
{
“platform”: “state”,
“entity_id”: “light.14031505d8bfc0ecd255”,
“from”: “off”,
“to”: “on”
}
],
“condition”: [
{
“condition”: “sun”,
“after”: “sunset”
}
],
“action”: [
{
“brightness_pct”: 12,
“device_id”: “ed354b040b4411ebaf6e1b5ba35cf768”,
“domain”: “light”,
“entity_id”: “light.14031505d8bfc0ecd255”,
“type”: “turn_on”
}
]
}
This setup ensures that the lights dim automatically when I turn them on after sunset, creating the perfect ambiance for winding down after a long day.
One thing I’d recommend to anyone setting up a similar routine is to test the automation thoroughly. I found that timing was crucial, and ensuring that the sunset condition aligned with my local time zone made all the difference.
Overall, this project has been a fantastic way to enhance my home comfort using smart lighting. It’s amazing how a little bit of automation can make such a big difference in daily life. If anyone has tips for improving this setup or has created a similar automation, I’d love to hear about it!