Are you looking for a way to turn off your bedroom lights without getting up? It could be that you are always tired after a long day at work or school. In that case, you don’t want to be bothered getting out of bed to turn off the light. So how to turn on and off the bedroom light without leaving the bed?
Home automation is the best way to turn on and off your bedroom lights remotely. Using Siri, Alexa, or Google, you can use voice commands to control your lights. This also works for all the other electronic devices in your home. However, if you don’t have the budget for home automation, there are other ways you can do this using the following items:
- Long Stick
- A Piece of String and a System of Pulleys or Hooks
- Nerf Gun
- 3-way Switch
- Clapper Switch
- Remote Controlled Light Switches
- Home Automation
Read on to learn more about different ways to turn on and off the bedroom light without leaving the bed.
How to Turn On and Off the Bedroom Light Without Leaving Bed
Understandably, you don’t want to get up from bed after a tiring day. However, getting a good night’s sleep with the lights on can be hard.
What if you are unfortunate enough to have the light switch on the other side of the room? Then there are lots of creative ways to turn off the lights remotely.
Of course, automating your lights is the best way to go about this task. However, you can rest assured that other solutions are worth checking out, too.
Here are some of the classic solutions that would still work today. If you do not want a robot constantly listening in your house, these analog solutions are ideal for you:
1. A Long Stick
If you have a rocker switch, you can turn the light on and off using a long stick. Just poke at it using a stick or pole that is long enough to reach it. This will be easy if the switch is just five feet away. However, it will take a bit of skill to do this if the light switch is far away.
This has been a tried and tested method used by many generations of teenagers, and it remains popular today.
2. A Piece of String and a System of Pulleys or Hooks
This will require a bit of preparation, but it does work. Note that this will only work if you have a toggle light switch and a lever.
First, you need to attach the end of the string to the end of the light switch. You might need to use a bit of hot glue to ensure the secure attachment of the string. Test the strength of the connection by pulling the string to turn the light on and off.
If the string is strong enough and hot glue has set, attach the pulleys or eye hooks to your ceiling. The first hook should be directly above the light switch. This will ensure that the string will pull the string straight up.
After that, attach more eyehooks to your ceiling going to your bed. Insert the string through the eye hooks, leaving enough length at the end that you can reach from your bed. You might want to put a bit of weight at the end to keep the string in place.
The only problem with this setup is that you cannot turn the light on. It will only work one way.
3. Nerf Gun
You need to be a crack shot to pull off this technique. If you are confident with your marksmanship, you can shoot a Nerf dart at the light switch. This is to turn it on and off from across the room.
However, you need to have a large rocker switch to make this work. A toggle switch is too small and hard to move using a Nerf gun. Also, if you are exhausted, you might not even be able to aim the Nerf gun properly.
Now, as you can probably tell, these first three techniques are gimmicky. They also require some skills to pull off. But these were actual solutions before technology evolved enough to make these techniques into relics of the past.
The next techniques are some of the more viable options you can use today.
4. 3-way Switch
This is quite complex, but it lets you turn on the bedroom light from the comfort of your bed. A 3-way switch is a system of two analog switches that will allow you to turn a light on and off.
You can do that with the two switches. This means you can turn the light on one switch and then shut it off using the other, and vice-versa.
You need two sets of 3-way switches. There should also be enough length of wire that can bridge the distance from the light switch to your bedside. However, unless you are an experienced electrician, I do not recommend that you DIY this kind of project.
The reason is that a 3-way switch is not wired the same way as a regular light switch. You will also need to run wires from the original switch location to the other switch.
5. Clapper Switch
This might not be as modern as most other items on this list. Still, this was the cutting-edge lighting technology back in the late 80s and 90s.
Not many homes had clapper switches back then because they were costly. However, many 90s kids remember one wealthy friend who had this in their bedroom. They would always try it out.
The clapper switch is quite simple, but its genius is in its execution. Crack open a clapper switch, and you will find a microphone, an electronic sound filter, and two switches.
The microphone is always on and ready to pick up any sound in the room. The sounds the microphone picks up will be sent to the electronic filter.
The filter would then determine if the sounds heard by the microphone are claps. Clapping sounds are usually within the frequency range of 2200 to 2800 hertz.
The filter automatically ignores any sound that is not within this frequency range. When the filter registers clapping sounds, it sends a signal to the switches to turn them on.
You can still find clapper switches being sold these days, and they have barely changed in their design.
However, they also come with RF remote controls, allowing you to control your lights outside the house. If you want to try it, here’s a clapper switch that you can use with your bedside lamp:
Click here to see it on Amazon.
6. Remote Controlled Light Switches
Speaking of remote controls, once the clapper switches went somewhat out of style, actual remote-controlled light switches replaced them. There were different kinds of remote controls for lights back then – infrared and radio frequency.
Infrared Remote Control
You can replace the light switch in your room with an infrared switch. You can still turn these light switches on and off by hand, but it also has an infrared receiver.
Meanwhile, the remote control has an infrared transmitter. The remote transmits an invisible beam that flashes thousands of times per second. Tuning the receiver is also necessary to read the same frequency.
Radio Frequency Remote Control
Rather than sending out an infrared beam, RF remotes transmit radio waves. These correspond to the button that you are pushing. A receiver on the light switch receives the signal and translates it to machine language.
This makes RF remote controls a bit more complicated than IR, but they work much better. If you want to give this option a try, here’s a remote-control adapter that you need to try:
Click here to see it on Amazon.
Again, how to control bedroom lights remotely? You can use an app to control your smart lights or a virtual home assistant, such as Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant.
7. Home Automation
Home automation means using your home’s internet and the Wi-Fi network to control electronics. In this case, you can control the lights in your bedroom. In this case, you have several different options:
Replace the Light Switch with a Smart Switch
Replace the old analog light switch with a smart switch. This might take a bit of electrical knowledge, but it is not so difficult to do. The nice thing about this is that you can choose whatever kind of light you want.
Use a Smart Plug or Socket Adapter
This smart option is good as it does not require rewiring anything. Remove the light from its socket, install the smart socket adapter, and screw the bulb into it.
The only downside is that the light will hang lower than usual. You can also do the same thing to your lampshades. Just use smart wall adapters. Like the socket adapter, this requires no rewiring whatsoever.
Replace the Bulbs with Smart Light Bulbs
This is the simplest solution to turn off the master bedroom light without leaving your bed. Put, you replace your old lightbulb with a brand-new smart LED bulb. You do not need to pull out your tools or anything.
Pros and Cons of Smart Lighting
Pros
As mentioned earlier, there are several options that you can use to automate your bedroom lights. In addition, they are the better choice compared to the other options listed above. The Nerf gun trick, though, is a lot of fun.
Here are some of its benefits to convince you further to choose to automate your bedroom light. You can also automate even the other lights and appliances in your home:
1. Relatively Cheap
Most people think automating the entire home is expensive, but it’s not. Buy a bunch of smart lightbulb adapters and plugs.
They are not expensive, especially if you get those made in China. If you are not looking for additional features, you do not need to get fancy branded ones.
2. Easy to Set Up
Unlike the other options, you don’t need to do any wiring whatsoever. There is no need to turn off the electricity in the entire house.
Smart lightbulbs need to be installed just like any normal lightbulb. Upon replacing all the lightbulbs with smart lights, you can set them up using a mobile app provided by the manufacturer.
3. Very Convenient
After installing the smart lights, you can configure them to work with your Amazon Echo, Siri, or Google Home. This way, you can turn on and off any light in your home using voice commands. This will make you feel like you are on the bridge of the USS Enterprise.
Cons
Even with all the benefits that smart lighting provides, some disadvantages also come with them, including the following:
1. Security Issues
You need an app provided by the manufacturer to control the smart lights. The problem with this is that it is not completely safe from hackers.
This means a hacker can gain control of the app used for your lights. If that happens, they can switch them on and off, which can be quite terrifying.
It is not just the app that you need to be careful of. Even the Wi-Fi network is susceptible to attacks. If a hacker gains access to your Wi-Fi network, they can potentially control everything in your house as well.
2. Requires a Reliable Internet Connection
Do you live in the suburbs where finding a reliable internet service provider is difficult? Then it might not be a good idea to automate your lights. What if you will only be controlling your light using your local network?
You have to ensure that the Wi-Fi signal inside your home is strong. If your phone suddenly loses Wi-Fi connection, you won’t be able to control your light from your bed anymore.
3. There Is a Bit of a Learning Curve
You must keep abreast of technology to make the most of your smart lights. Just learning how to turn your lights on and off will require a bit of initial studying on your part. It is quite unlike traditional light switches, where you must toggle on and off.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do I Need to Automate All the Lights in the House?
No. You can control the lights in your bedroom if that is what you initially want. There is no need to do the same with the other lights at home. This will make the task a lot simpler.
You only need to set up one light instead of a dozen. Also, if you will only be automating one light, you can probably afford to get one of the higher-end brands.
How Do I Control Smart Lights?
They will link you whenever you buy a smart lightbulb, smart bulb adapter, or smart switch. It is the link you can use to download the smart lighting product companion app. This means you can control your smart light from your phone.
Also, many smart lights allow you to change brightness, color, and hues. You can even schedule when the lights will turn on and off. This is great for people who have trouble getting out of bed in the mornings.
Can You Program Clapper Switches?
Yes. You can program modern clapper switches to turn on and off after “hearing” a certain number of claps. It is also possible to program certain clapper switches to respond to a certain pattern of claps.
For instance, program them to respond to a particular pattern to prevent the lights from accidentally turning on. An example is “clap, clap, pause, clap.”
Can You Turn on Smart Lights Using Regular Switches?
If the internet goes down while the light is on, use the wall switch to turn it off again. What if the light was off when the internet crashed?
Then you won’t be able to use it again until the internet connection gets restored. If your smart lightbulb has Bluetooth connectivity, you can still use your phone to control it, even without the internet.
How Many 3-Way Switches Can You String Together?
You can have an infinite number of 4-way switches between the two main 3-way switches. You can then expect all the switches to control a single light.
In Closing – Ways to Turn the Bedroom Light On and Off Without Moving Out of Bed
The best way to turn your bedroom light on and off without leaving your bed is by using home automation. After automating your light, you can use Siri, Alexa, or Google Home.
You can also use your voice commands to turn the lights. Home automation can also control the other electric devices in your house, not just the lights.
Your options for turning the bedroom light on and off without leaving your bed include the following:
- A Long Stick
- A Length of String and a System of Pulleys or Hooks
- A Nerf Gun
- 3-way Switch
- Clapper Switch
- Remote Controlled Light Switches
- Home Automation
You can use the old-school clapper switch if you can’t afford home automation. There is even a remote-controlled lightbulb or just a long stick. Note the methods above if you don’t want to get up from bed to control your light.