On at sunset…off at sunrise. To first order, that’s all I wanted. A simple device that turns all my outside lights on when it gets dark, and then off again when it gets light outside. That should not be hard…right? That is surely a problem that has been solved before…RIGHT? After all, last time I checked, it got dark at nightime and light in the morning most everywhere in the world. So I’m betting a LOT of folks would love to make their homes more welcoming and safe, not to mention save a ton on energy costs by never, ever leaving their lights on again.

Yes, surely, this problem already has a cheap, simple, and robust solution. Right?

WRONG!

I know it’s hard to believe, but for some unGodly reason, there seems to be NO simple and effective solution to turn a multiplicity of built-in lights [uh...that means those with actual wall switches and not simply a plugged in lamp] on when it gets dark outside and off when it gets light outside.

I’m kind of a home automation enthusiast, so I know what I’m talking about. I’ve had several homes, and in each one I’ve installed many different types of home-automation lighting controls. I started with X-10, an antiquated power-line control scheme, and then went to Smarthome’s Insteon system when it came out promising better control and robustness. In general, any type of retrofitted automation scheme has it’s drawbacks, but all of them can be made to work…if you know what you are doing…and if you avoid practicing What Not to Do. Apparently, this last piece is a lot harder than you would think!

Now, before you all write in and yell at me, claiming “Hey Tom…there are TONS of sunrise/sunset controllers out there…” hear me out. Yes, there are controllers that will allow you to control ONE switch, which will set you back $20-30 per switch and not offer any other features. Or, there are extremely complicated and totally non-robust boxes you can hook up to your computer. These require a ton of patience [since they rarely work well if at all] as well as an always-on computer you can dedicate to home automation.

So if you want to control multiple, built-in lights, this is what the “experts” recommend:

1. Buy our box [price = approx $70].

2. Buy the software to control our box [price = approx $160].

3. Dedicate a computer that needs to be on 24/7/365 [price = more aggravation than cost].

So instead of creating a great, simple solution, the only way to control your outside lights properly is to spend somewhere around $230, dedicate a computer, and muck around with buggy software and non-robust hardware for the rest of your life…

I guess the single most frustrating part of all this is that NONE of these solutions actually senses light..they all rely upon a-priori knowledge. They require you to tell them where you are in the world and what time it is. Then they run an algorithm that tells them if it’s dark or light outside, depending upon known sunrise/sunset times for your latitude and longitude. Yes, it works, but it seems like overkill just to tell if the sun is shining or not. They are overly complicated. They are prone to breakdowns. You end up baby-sitting them constantly. You might as well simply turn the damn lights on yourself.

…all of this just to get your lights to turn on at dusk and off at dawn.

It seems to me, the simplest and most robust solution is simply a box which contains a photocell that you mount outside your house. When the sun goes down, it senses the lack of light, and turns the lights on. When it comes up, it turns the lights off. This can be accomplished with less than $5 worth of hardware and a little hard work. In fact, a company called Leviton used to offer such a product, but it has long since been discontinued. What I want to know is…why.

Why are home automation controls so hard? Why are we pushed into buying complicated hardware and buggy software when simple and cheap alternatives exist?

This is quintessential What Not to Do.

It may also be a fantastic product opportunity. Hmmm..