I’m familiar with timer devices that you plug your lamps and whatnot into so that they come on and go off while you’re away. My problem is that I don’t have any lamps. All of our lighting is hung from the ceiling in the form of entry way lighting or ceiling fans. Is there a solution for turning these on and off on a schedule? I found this switch on the Lowes website but it doesn’t get particularly good reviews.
I’m counting on the Dopers to come up with “outside the box” thinking.
TIA.
There are many kinds of timers that will fit in a wall box. We have timers on our front/driveway lights - rarely used, but they work fine as switches, too.
Amazon and other online places are better sources than HD or Lowe’s.
One caution: find out EXACTLY when any of the status LEDs go on or off. Many have something lit all the time (including a “standby” indicator that effectively does nothing useful), and it can be annoying unless you like a perpetual night-light glow.
The other option is to replace a number of your wall switches and sockets with X-10 or other remote-control versions, and use a central controller both for convenience and programmable security lighting.
Turns compact fluorescent, led, halogen, and incandescent bulbs on at dusk, off at dawn
• Programmable off after 2,5 or 8 hours / dusk to dawn default timer, should user choose not to program
• Includes removable lens shield to block light reflection, reducing blinking
• Automatically On at Dusk, programmable Off after 2,5 or 8 hours / Dusk to Dawn default timer, should user choose not to program
• Full brightness - unlike other light controls that decrease bulb output by 20-25% max / 100 Watts Max
• Compact design fits most outdoor and indoor fixtures
• Labeled buttons make programming easier / more intuitive
There are many models of wall-switch timers on the market. Potential criteria:
Some models require access to the neutral wire (3-wire + ground). These have their own power supply for the electronics, so they work well with all kinds of light bulbs. But they require access to the neutral wire, which may or may not be in your wall box – check before you buy.
Models without a neutral wire (2-wire + ground) are easier to install, but they rely on current flowing through the bulb(s) to operate their brains, so : they tend to lose their memory when the bulb burns out, they leak some current through LED bulbs (leaving them slightly lit all the time) and they often don’t work well with CFL bulbs.
Some models have sunset/sunrise functionality: you tell them the exact date, the latitude and longitude of the house and they calculate the proper times all year. For instance, I have a fixture in the living room that turns on at sunset and turns off at midnight sharp.
Most models will allow you to select different times for weekends vs rest-of-the-week.
I’ve never seen a model with a dimmer. It’s always ON or OFF.
There are some Internet-accessible switches. You can use your smart phone to turn them on, program them with complex rules, etc. I recently removed my Belkin WeMo switches because they had become unable to access our Wi-Fi, which made them useless blinking pieces of junk. Even when they worked fine, I programmed them with a mundane cycle and I didn’t use the smart phone gadget except to impress jaded guests.
Thank you all for the suggestions. I really like stpauler’s idea because its simplicity. The switch that I’d really like to replace is actually under a 2 switch wall plate and just to complicate matters further, the other switch is 3 way switch.
If you don’t mind paying $20, I have one of these and love it:
It’s a wifi smart bulb with a timer function. You can dim it, adjust it from your phone, or set it to go to different brightnesses at different times (100% at 5pm, 10% from midnight till 6am, off in the daytime, etc.)
It doesn’t yet have a “pretend like I’m home” function, but you could ask them for it. Or just set a complex schedule.
Super expensive bulbs that do pretend like you’re home and even answer the doorbell:
I currently have several WeMo switches installed. They also connect to your wifi and can be controlled by your phone anywhere in the world with an internet connection.
http://www.belkin.com/us/Products/home-automation/c/wemo-home-automation/
Reported.