Welcome to the A-Z Series: L is for Light
In today’s episode of the Home Assistant A-Z Series we’re tackling the absolute classic for beginners: light! For many people, their first lighting automation is the magical moment when an idea becomes a real smart home. But there’s so much more to it than just on and off!
Today I’ll show you how I use light in my smart home – from simple motion-sensor automations to gentle wake-up lights and creative visual reminders. Let yourself be inspired!
How I Control My Lights: The Hardware
Before we get to the exciting automations, let me show you which hardware I use for my lighting control. Spoiler: it’s a colourful mix – and that’s exactly what makes Home Assistant so flexible!
Shelly Modules: The In-Wall Solution
The bulk of my lighting runs through Shelly modules that I’ve fitted behind existing wall switches. There are several advantages:
- ✅ The existing wall switch still works
- ✅ Additional control via Home Assistant
- ✅ Completely local, no cloud required
- ✅ Affordable retrofit for existing lamps
In my home these cover, among others:
- Guest bathroom
- Hallway
- Bathroom
- Dressing room
- Storage room
The Shellys are integrated directly into Home Assistant via the Shelly integration and respond instantly – whether I use the physical switch or trigger an automation.
In the video I show you exactly what that looks like in the dashboard!
Philips Hue: Colour and Flexibility
I also have some Philips Hue lights in use, which I control via Zigbee2MQTT. The advantage: no Philips Hue Bridge needed – everything runs through my Zigbee stick!
Where I use Philips Hue:
- Bedroom – for the gentle wake-up light (more on that in a moment!)
- Terrace – for atmospheric evening lighting
Depending on the model, Hue lights can:
- Change white tones (from cool white to warm white)
- Display full RGB colours
- Dim softly over long periods
In the video you’ll see the difference between the various Hue models live in the dashboard!
ESPHome LED Strip: The DIY Project
My personal highlight is a custom-built LED lamp in the hallway, made from an LED strip with individually addressable LEDs. Control is handled by an ESP32 microcontroller running ESPHome.
What makes it special: the lamp consists of several rings that I can address individually with different colours. I use this for creative automations – more on that shortly!
Make sure to watch the lamp in action in the video – the effects are impressive!
What Can I Do With the Different Lights?
Now it gets interesting: what are the possibilities of the different light types?
Shelly: Simple but Reliable
The Shelly-controlled lights are the simplest in my setup. They can:
- ✅ Switch on and off
Sounds underwhelming? It is – but that’s exactly what makes them so reliable and fast. For rooms like the bathroom, hallway, or storage room, I don’t need anything more. The main thing is that the light comes on when I need it!
Philips Hue: The Colour Artists
With the Hue lights things get considerably more interesting. Depending on the model they can:
Warm white / cool white lights:
- Change colour temperature (from cosy warm white to energising cool white)
- Dim brightness continuously
- Smooth transitions over minutes or even hours
RGB lights:
- Display any colour in the RGB spectrum
- Colour-change animations
- Combinations of colour and brightness
In the video I show you both variants live in the dashboard – the difference is striking!
ESPHome LED Strip: The All-Rounder
My custom-built LED lamp can do everything Hue can – and more:
- Full RGB display for every individual LED
- Individual control of separate rings with different colours
- Special effects such as running lights, rainbow, or pulsing
- Dynamic displays for smart home status
I use this flexibility for the most creative automations – more on that shortly!
The Interesting Automations
Now for the exciting part: what do I actually do with all these lights? Here are my favourite automations!
Motion Sensor + Shelly: The Classic
The simplest and simultaneously most useful automation: light comes on automatically when I enter a room.
How does it work?
- Motion sensors distributed throughout the rooms
- Trigger: Motion detected
- Action: Switch on Shelly light
- Timeout: Automatically switch off after X minutes without motion
Where I use this:
- Hallway
- Storage room
- Dressing room
- Guest bathroom
Sounds trivial, but it’s incredibly practical! You come in from the car with your hands full and don’t have to feel for a light switch. The light is simply already on.
In the video I show you the automation and how it responds live!
Wake-Up Light: A Gentle Start to the Day
This is where it gets more interesting: my Philips Hue lights in the bedroom serve as a gentle wake-up light.
The problem: A normal alarm clock tears you brutally out of sleep. With light, it’s so much gentler!
How I implement it:
- Trigger: Wake-up time (weekdays only)
- Action: Gradually dim lights up over 20 minutes
- Starting point: Very warm, dimmed light (simulates morning sun)
- End point: Bright, cooler light (gently wakes you up)
The trick: Home Assistant can slowly brighten lights using a transition parameter. This means the light continuously changes brightness and colour temperature over 20 minutes!
Additional feature: At the same time I also switch on the radio and slowly increase the volume. The perfect start to the day!
Make sure to look at the automation code in the video – I’ll show you the transition parameter!
Night Light Mode: Navigation Without Glare
I use the custom-built LED lamp in the hallway as an intelligent night light:
The idea: When someone needs to use the bathroom at night, the hallway should be subtly lit – but not so bright that you’re fully awake.
How it works:
- Motion sensor detects movement in the hallway
- Condition: It is between 22:00 and 06:00
- Action: LED lamp switches on with very low brightness and warm light
- Timeout: Automatically switches off after 2 minutes
The brilliant part: the lamp is bright enough to navigate by, but not so harsh that it wakes you up completely. The perfect compromise!
Bin-Day Reminder: Never Forget Visually Again
Now it gets really creative: I use the individually addressable rings of my LED lamp as a visual reminder for bin collection!
The problem: I regularly forget to put the bin out in time.
The solution: The lamp shows me in colour which bin is being collected tomorrow!
How it works:
- Trigger: Afternoon at 16:00
- Condition: Check whether a bin is being collected tomorrow
- Action: Show a coloured ring on the LED lamp
- 🟢 Green = Food/garden waste bin
- 🟡 Yellow = Recycling/yellow bag
- 🔵 Blue = Paper bin
- ⚫ Black = General waste
Every time I walk through the hallway I see the coloured ring and am reminded. Better than any push notification!
In the video I show you the complete automation and what the lamp looks like when multiple bins need to go out at the same time!
By the way: how I integrate bin collection schedules into Home Assistant is covered in a dedicated article about the bin collection integration. Definitely check it out if you’re interested in that topic!
More Creative Ideas for Light in Home Assistant
You can see: light is so much more than just on and off! Here are a few more ideas I haven’t implemented myself, but which might be interesting for you:
Presence Simulation While on Holiday
Use your smart lights to simulate presence when you’re away:
- Lights come on and go off at random times
- Different rooms are lit in sequence
- Timings oriented around realistic patterns (living room in the evening, bedroom at night)
Alarm Visualisation
If movement is detected in the garden or a window opens while you’re away, lights can:
- Flash red as a warning
- Alert you acoustically and visually
- Act as a deterrent to intruders
Mood Modes
Create different scenes for different situations:
- 🎬 Movie mode: Dimmed, warm light
- 🍽️ Dinner mode: Bright, cosy light over the dining table
- 🎉 Party mode: Colourful colour changes
- 📚 Reading mode: Bright, neutral white light
Daylight Adaptation
Automatically adjust the colour temperature of your lights to the time of day:
- Morning: Cool, energising light
- Midday: Neutral white
- Evening: Warm, relaxing light (supports your natural sleep rhythm)
Why Light Is the Perfect Entry Point into Home Assistant
If you’re new to Home Assistant: light is the ideal starting point!
Reasons:
- Immediate feedback – you see straight away whether your automation is working
- Not critical infrastructure – if something goes wrong, it’s not a disaster
- Many hardware options – from affordable (Shelly) to comfortable (Hue)
- Simple automations – perfect for learning the basics
- Plenty of room for creativity – once the basics are in place, you can experiment
In the video I give you even more tips for beginners!
Hardware Recommendations
Want to get started smart? Here are my hardware recommendations based on my own experience:
For Wall Switches: Shelly
- Shelly 1 or Shelly 1PM for simple on/off lights
- Works with existing switches
- Completely locally controllable
- Affordable to purchase
For Colour and Comfort: Philips Hue
- Zigbee2MQTT instead of a Hue Bridge (saves money and increases flexibility)
- White Ambiance for colour temperature control
- White and Colour for full RGB control
For Makers: ESPHome
- WLED-compatible LED strips with WS2812B LEDs
- ESP32 or ESP8266 as controller
- ESPHome for easy integration into Home Assistant
Affiliate links to recommended hardware can be found in the video description!
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
From my experience there are a few typical mistakes when getting started with lighting control:
Mistake 1: Too Many Automations for One Light
When multiple automations control the same light, they can conflict with each other. Example: a motion sensor switches the light on, but at the same time another automation wants to switch it off.
Solution: Use conditions in your automations or central logic helpers.
Mistake 2: No Manual Override
It’s annoying when an automation switches the light off while you’re still in the room!
Solution: Build in manual override options, for example via an Input Boolean.
Mistake 3: Motion Sensor in the Wrong Spot
A poorly positioned motion sensor detects you too late – the light stays off.
Solution: Test different positions and pay attention to the detection range of your sensor.
In the video I go into these pitfalls in more detail!
Watch the Video!
I’ve told you a lot, but you’ll understand it best when you see it! In the video I show you:
- ✅ All lights live in the dashboard
- ✅ The automations in detail
- ✅ The custom-built LED lamp in action
- ✅ What the bin-day reminders look like
- ✅ The code for the wake-up light
Click the video above and watch it now!
Further Articles and Videos
If you’re interested in the topic of lights and automations:
- Never forget the bins again – How I use the bin collection integration
- Installing Shelly roller blinds – If you want to learn more about Shelly modules
- Blueprints – How to easily import automations
The complete A-Z Series can be found here: Home Assistant A-Z Overview