How I Built My Own Sunrise Alarm Clock with Smart Bulbs

 

 

How to Build Your Own Sunrise Alarm Clock with Smart Light Bulbs

In my first apartment, I lived in a windowless room.

Technically, it wasn’t even really a bedroom – it was a home office. But, New York City rents being as expensive as they are, I thought the large room was “a good deal”, moved in and quickly got the shock of a lifetime.

It turns out humans need light to function properly!

I felt myself going crazy in the long winter months when I’d wake up in complete darkness, head to work under dreary grey skies and leave the office well after sunset.

It took a me while to realize the issue. I thought it might have been seasonal affective disorder but eventually realized that light (or rather, the lack of it) was behind it all.

Which I guess the two are related..

 

ADVERTISEMENT


 

 

Biologically our bodies are wired to wake up with the sun and with shorter days in winter, our bodies receive less light which can disrupt our circadian clocks.

Without much light, our bodies produce more melatonin, the sleep hormone, and that annoying groggy feeling ends up lasting the entire day.

 

ADVERTISEMENT


 

 

Sunrise Alarm Clocks

Eventually, I bought a sunrise alarm clock to help regulate my sleep. If the absence of light could affect me so much, maybe introducing light would help.

Sunrise alarm clocks gradually brighten over a period of time to simulate dawn. The one I used at the time even had soothing white noise sounds and chirping bird calls to sound the alarm.

It definitely helped but I also moved out of that windowless room as soon as possible and the clock broke during my move. 

If you want a dedicated alarm clock that can mimic sunrise, Amazon sells lots of options at all different price points.

 

ADVERTISEMENT


 

 

Smart Light Bulbs

While it’s been years since that tiny apartment, I found myself thinking about light therapy recently. It’s winter again and I noticed my sleep schedule was completely out of whack.

After seeing some of the new smart light bulbs on the market, I tried out some Brilli home lights.

The Charge Up blue light came in handy last fall, when construction work on my building covered all the windows and blocked all the light into the apartment.

I definitely felt much more productive and energetic with the blue lights installed…and it got me re-thinking all the lighting in my home. 

Waking up “early” has always been a sore spot.

 

ADVERTISEMENT


 

 

Anyone who knows me in real life knows I love to sleep.

I usually get about 10 hours of sleep a night and am rarely awake before 11am. It’s something I’ve been trying to work on… wouldn’t I be more productive if I woke up at 6am?

Why can I never fall asleep before 2am?

I’m insanely jealous of people who only need 4 hours of sleep a night!

I didn’t really plan on buying another sunrise alarm clock since I don’t really think I need one. My current place gets a lot of natural light – it’s the reason I moved in in the first place.

Then I heard about smart light bulbs

At first I thought they were gimmicky.

A light that you can voice or remote control to turn on and off? Groundbreaking

But then I thought, what if I could program the lights to turn on in order to wake me up, in a simulation of a sunrise alarm clock?

 

ADVERTISEMENT


 

 

Sunrise Light Bulbs

There are lots of lighting companies that make smart light bulbs:

Philips created the original smart bulbs.

Their Hue system is one of the most advanced lighting kits, where you can select color schemes based on your photos or use multiple lights together to create a scene.

Hue supports the most smart home platforms, like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit. They also make cool vintage lights if you use exposed or industrial style lamps. 

The downside?

 

ADVERTISEMENT


 

 

Price and the Hub system.

Philips bulbs need a ‘bridge’ in order for the bulbs to communicate and up until recently, you had to buy a relatively expensive kit to get started with their smart bulbs.

In 2020, Philips began enabling their smart bulbs with Bluetooth so you can connect the lights directly to your phone for basic controls. But, if you want to use the more advanced features you still need the Bridge.

I didn’t want to have to deal with an extra piece of equipment so instead I purchased these LED smart lights from Amazon. They don’t require a hub and were a fraction of the price.

Here’s how I did it.

 

ADVERTISEMENT


 

 

How do Smart Light Bulbs Work

I planned to use my overhead ceiling light fixture as my ‘sunrise alarm clock’. Since there isn’t an outlet in the ceiling, it was more convenient to get smart lights that didn’t require a hub. 

I purchased a two pack set on Amazon here.

It had lots of positive reviews and was relatively affordable at under $10/bulb so I figured if the experiment didn’t work, it would be ok. 

This particular brand of smart bulbs is compatible with voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

But, you can also control the smart lights with your phone using the company’s Smart Life app (available for both iPhone and Android). That’s how I use it!

 

ADVERTISEMENT


 

 

Installing the Smart Light Bulbs over Wifi

The installation process was pretty straightforward.

First download the company’s app onto your phone. For the bulbs I bought, the app is called Smart Life on the Apple store. You’ll want to create an account via email or phone number.

Then screw in the LED smart bulbs into the lamp.

They’ll start to flicker right away, which means the lights are in “pairing mode”. Open the app and follow the step by step instructions to pair the smart bulbs with your home wifi network or bluetooth.

It took about 5 minutes!

The Smart LED bulb had a lot of fun features where you could adjust the brightness, the light temperature or even add color. 

But the best feature is the scheduling.

 

ADVERTISEMENT


 

 

Scheduling Smart Bulbs as Sunrise Alarm Clocks

Most smart bulbs have a scheduling option, where you can set the lights to turn on at any time of day, on any day of the week.

By setting the lights to turn on and gradually brighten, you can create your own wake up alarm.

Here’s how to do it with smart LED bulbs.

 

1. Decide when you want to wake up and then work backwards.

For example, I want to wake up at 8am but will create a lighting schedule for the 40 minutes prior.

You can create the schedule for whatever period you like.

A typical sunrise clock has a 30 minute wake up schedule, but since we’re manually creating this “sunrise alarm” with smart bulbs, you can create as long or as short a session as you like.

I went with 40 minutes for a longer, more gradual adjustment period and for easier math. I’ll explain what I mean.

 

ADVERTISEMENT


 

 

2. Create the Individual Light Settings

A sunrise alarm clock will start dim and gradually brighten over the scheduled period. For the smart bulbs, I decided to have 5 minute intervals.

The first setting turns the lights on at a very dim brightness and warm white color. Each progressive setting gradually brightens the lights and turns them more cool (blue toned) until the alarm sounds.

So for a 40 minute period and 5 minute intervals, I created 9 settings. Within each setting, I programmed each smart bulbs’s brightness and color temperature.

 

3. Here’s what the smart light settings look like:

 

ADVERTISEMENT


 

 

4. Set to Repeat

It was a little tedious to set up a sunrise wake up alarm with the smart bulbs, but you only have to do it once.

Then you can tell the schedule to repeat every day, on a specific day, on weekdays or on weekends

 

So far, I’m loving it!

While you can buy a sunrise alarm clock, this little trick means you get the same effect without buying a separate device that takes up room on your nightstand. 

I placed the smart bulbs in my bedroom ceiling so I think it gives a wider range for the entire room to gradually brighten. 

The one thing to remember is your phone needs to be connected to the internet or bluetooth for the scheduling to work.

It sounds obvious, ha, but I typically turn my phone to airplane or do not disturb mode when I’m sleeping. If your phone is on airplane mode, the programmed settings won’t go into effect.

I’d say that’s the only downside. 

 

ADVERTISEMENT


 

 

Best Smart Lights to Build Your Own Sunrise Alarm Clock

If you prefer convenience, the Phillips smart bulbs have a built in Wake Up feature.

In the app, you just set the time you want to wake up, and Philips will automatically create a 30 minute light schedule with colors that are pre-determined to be the most optimal morning hues.

If you’re looking for a smart bulb, here are some of the most popular options on the market.

All are dimmable with scheduling options and relatively interchangeable, so you can replicate what I’ve done! 


 

ADVERTISEMENT


 

 

Small Space Living

Living in a New York City apartment means space is a premium! Over the years, we've learned to ruthlessly purge our closets, adapt the Konmari method and max out every inch of space. Despite the challenges, we love interior design, NYC real estate and wouldn't trade living here for anywhere else. Follow along on our small space living adventure!

 

 You Might Also Enjoy: 

 

Small Space Living

25+ Small Apartment Hacks to Transform Your Space

The Best Makeup Storage Ideas When Space is Tight

Aerogarden Harvest Review: Growing Plants Indoors is Now Doable!

How to Dress a Bed as Luxuriously as a 5 Star Hotel

Small Apartment Entryways: 4 Decorating Ideas

Storage Hack: Saving Space When You Don't Have a Pantry

 

Home Decor

The Best Affordable Wall Art - from Amazon!

Crazy Real Faux Plants (for Black Thumbs)

The Best Smelling Candles to Create a Sense of Hygge

Housewarming Gift Ideas

Amazon Home Finds: Stone & Beam

 

Our NYC Renovation

Renovating a Kitchen in NYC: Tips, Tricks & Cost

Everything We Learned About Renovating Our NYC Kitchen (Video)

How to Remodel a Small Kitchen for Maximum Storage

 

Home Appliances

The Best Compact Appliances for a Tiny Kitchen (Video)

The Best Compact Washer Dryers for Small Apartments

How We Installed a Washer & Dryer... in the Kitchen!

 

Home Tech

The Best Vacuums Under $100

How to Build Your Own Sunrise Alarm Click Using Smart Bulbs

Are Standing Desks Worth the Hype? Testing the BDI Sit/Stand Desk

Robot Vacuum Review: The Roborock S5 (an affordable roomba alternative)

Roborock vs. Roomba: Which Smart Vacuum is Best?

Home Security Systems: How to Protect Your Home on Vacation

 

Furniture

All the Best Furniture Stores in New York City

Article Modern Furniture Review

Bear Mattress Review

Allswell Mattress Review

 

Gardening

The Best Raised Garden Beds on Wheels

Aerogarden Harvest Review: Does This Really Work?

How to Clean & Sanitize the Aerogarden for a New Planting

How to Setup the Aerogarden Farm XL (grow bigger plants!)

 

Follow me @Sher She Goes on

Youtube | Tiktok | Instagram

Share:

19 Comments

  1. Valerie
    February 4, 2021 / 2:18 pm

    Hi! I just bought the same light bulbs and I’ve been trying to set it up to simulate sunrise and I was wondering if the light was coming out as red with the style you picked because for me the light turn on very white and I’d like them to go from red to yellow.
    Thanks!

    • Sher
      Author
      February 4, 2021 / 5:38 pm

      Hi Valerie! You can set the color temperature and brightness in the app, under automation. So for the “sunrise” alarm that I have set up, I have the bulbs gradually brighten and also gradually turn more blue-ish (because I want to be more alert). You can set it to however you want though, red to yellow is possible!

  2. Valerie
    February 6, 2021 / 10:34 pm

    Hi Sher! How do you change the color? Because I’ve tried by picking a “style” under automation and when I tested it, it lit up white 🤔

  3. Sarah
    February 26, 2021 / 9:05 am

    You are a life saver!! Thanks!!!

  4. Chessa
    March 17, 2021 / 11:43 am

    Can the lightbulbs be used for normal daily lighting without messing up the morning programming? This is is a great hack. Thanks!

    • Sher
      Author
      March 19, 2021 / 3:21 am

      yup! the morning turn on schedule is an automation. then during the day you can change the color temperature to whatever you want.

  5. Ingrid
    July 5, 2021 / 11:43 pm

    Thanks for this post. I’ve purchased the same setup you shared, and it’s working great! Really appreciate your time and effort to share this with us. Very helpful! :)

    • Sher
      Author
      July 6, 2021 / 3:54 pm

      Hi Ingrid – So happy to hear! Thanks for letting me know :)

  6. Rudy
    October 19, 2021 / 7:55 pm

    Can you update links? Some are not working

  7. Kay
    November 3, 2021 / 9:11 pm

    Hi, can you advise the exact settings you chose for brightness and colour? I can’t find any scale to denote which number between 1-1,000 would be a warm yellow. I tried starting with brightness of 10 and moving to 50 over the 45-minute period, but l can’t see much variation. Would really love any specific details you could share on the app settings you used. Thanks for sharing this!

    • El
      November 18, 2021 / 10:05 am

      I’m having the same problem! Maybe the app changed? But it doesn’t even change the background colour of the box anymore, so you have to run the automation just to try and see the colour.

  8. Sam Anderson
    November 19, 2021 / 4:04 pm

    Yes, can you update the links? Would love to get the same version you did, but all the links go to Amazon search function.

    • Sher
      Author
      November 22, 2021 / 9:27 pm

      Hi Sam,

      The exact brand I bought (I think it was called Teckin) is no longer sold on Amazon. But I assume all the Phillips knock off brands that you see on Amazon are a similar manufacturer from China, so they should all be able to be programmed to create a sunrise alarm clock effect. When my light bulbs need to be changed (they’re still going strong 11 months later whoo!) I’ll do an updated step by step tutorial.

      Or, you can always try Phillips. They have the nicest mobile app experience.

      • James
        March 6, 2022 / 6:48 pm

        Not all are the same – I bought some after reading your blog and the shortest scheduling period they’d let me do was 30 minutes, not the 5 minutes you got here! I’ve read good things about the TP-Link Kasa bulbs; apparently they let you do 5 minute intervals according to another blog I read.

  9. H Ng
    November 22, 2021 / 7:30 pm

    It doesn’t seem as though the author is replying to comments any more.

    • Sher
      Author
      November 22, 2021 / 9:25 pm

      Oops sorry for the delayed response! The exact brand I bought doesn’t seem to be sold on Amazon any longer, but I think any of the brands should be able to mimic a sunrise alarm clock with their own apps. Phillips (the original brand) definitely can and has the smoothest mobile app experience.

      My LED bulbs are still going strong – I’m honestly very impressed because I haven’t changed the bulbs in a year now. When they finally need to be replaced, I’ll buy a new brand and do a more in-depth review! But for now I think any of the generic brands linked in the post should be able to perform a similar function.

  10. Lorraine Kay
    June 17, 2023 / 11:22 am

    Did you do this with just one bulb? Or did you use multiple bulbs in the same room?

    • Sher
      Author
      June 18, 2023 / 10:55 pm

      2 bulbs

  11. Shane Levine
    November 6, 2023 / 8:25 pm

    Thanks for the rundown! I’m going to try this :)

Leave a Reply

%d