Skip to main content

Light Sentry balances your lights with the rise and fall of the sun

Automated lights are pretty sweet, but unless you’ve got them rigged up to a bunch of other sensors, your range of control options is generally somewhat limited. Most connected lighting systems merely offer the option to flip lights on or off on a recurring schedule, so if you want to sync them to the natural rise/fall of sun to maximize efficiency, you’ve got to fiddle with them quite a bit.

Light Sentry, an upcoming product that launched this week on Kickstarter, offers a solution to this problem. It’s essentially a simplified, easy-to-install light sensor that can detect outside light conditions and use them to activate, deactivate, or adjust the brightness of your lights. And the best part? You don’t need smart bulbs in order for it to work. The system works with your existing light bulbs, and smartens them up with just a few easy-t0-install components.

Recommended Videos

The system is comprised of the following: a natural light sensor that’s mounted outside (or on a skylight), an indoor hub that syncs with your computer and receives information from the natural light sensor, and a number of switches and plugs that can be activated by the hub. The benefit of this design is that, unlike other systems that pull sunrise and sunset data from the web, Light Sentry pulls light data from your local area. This way it’s always in sync, and can dynamically adjust to changing weather conditions that might make it lighter or darker at different points in the day.

The full kit containing a sensor, hub, and three switches or outlets will retail for around $390 when if/when it hits the market in early 2015, but if you back the project now on Kickstarter you can lock it down for around $295. It’s definitely not as capable as a full-fledged home automation setup, and the fact that it doesn’t work with any of the major home automation protocols like ZigBee or Z-Wave is definitely a downside, but considering the relatively low pricetag and simple installation, Light Sentry might not be a half bad option for anyone simply looking to make their lights a bit more intelligent.

Find out more here.

Drew Prindle
Former Senior Editor, Features
Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…
Philips Hue and SmartThings teamed up to make your smart home better
Philips Hue and Spotify

SmartThings, Samsung's connected smart home platform, has announced a stronger partnership with Philips Hue and support for an expanded number of products. Hue worked with SmartThings to certify an additional 155 products as Works With SmartThings, or WWST.

So what does this mean in everyday terms? Basically, it's become easier for companies like Philips Hue to link products with SmartThings. The Certification by Similarity program, as it's called, allows companies to "certify" entire product portfolios with ease.

Read more
Neon Genesis Evangelion fans: Get these Govee smart lights at $60 off
The Govee Gaming Wall Light Evangelion Edition on a white background.

Is your gaming corner looking a bit boring? Installing smart lights is an easy way to spice things up, and if you're a fan of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series, you're going to want to buy the Govee Gaming Wall Light Evangelion Edition. The bundle, which is originally sold for $200, is down to just $140, for savings of $60 from Govee. We're not sure how much time is remaining on this discounted price though, so if you're interested, we highly recommend moving forward with your transaction for these smart lights as soon as possible.

Why you should buy the Govee Gaming Wall Light Evangelion Edition
Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most beloved anime series of all time, and if you're a fan, you're going to want to design your gaming space with the Govee Gaming Wall Light Evangelion Edition. The bundle comes with six light sections, a square connector, a triangle connector, and nine connecting pieces for complete control over how you want to install the smart lights on your wall. The purple and green panels mirror EVA-01's armor, while the angular protective covers symbolize the A.T. Fields of the Evangelions and Angels in the show.

Read more
Customize your home with the Nanoleaf Shapes hexagon kit — $30 off right now
Nanoleaf Shapes Hexagon on a wall.

Installing smart lights is among the easiest ways to literally add more color to your home. However, if you prefer something beyond simple smart light bulbs, you may want to go for the Nanoleaf Shapes Ultra Black Hexagons Smarter Kit. The bundle, which includes nine panels, is on sale from Best Buy for only $190, which is $30 lower than its original price of $220. We're not sure how long stocks will last, so if you're interested, we highly recommend moving forward with your purchase right now.

Why you should buy the Nanoleaf Shapes Ultra Black Hexagons Smarter Kit
The Nanoleaf Shapes smart lights received a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars in our review, which means you're probably going to love the Nanoleaf Shapes Ultra Black Hexagons Smarter Kit. You'll get nine hexagon light panels with a 360-degree black finish with this bundle, so you'll be able to create your own patterns and designs. If you need more, thankfully, Nanoleaf's permanent price cuts means you'll be able to buy additional Nanoleaf Shapes Ultra Black Hexagons Smarter Kits -- or even other Nanoleaf Shapes to combine with these hexagons.

Read more