December 01, 2025

Turn on bathroom light at low dim at night

This simple yet valuable automation provides gentle lighting for nighttime bathroom visits. It prevents harsh bright lights from disrupting your sleep cycle while providing enough illumination for safe navigation.

🌙 Why This Automation Matters

Sleep Quality: Bright lights suppress melatonin production. Low-light maintains sleep readiness and makes it easier to fall back asleep.
Safety: No stumbling in the dark. Safe navigation for all ages, reduces fall risk for elderly. Kids can navigate independently.
Family-Friendly: Whole household benefits. Great for overnight guests. Works for everyone automatically with no explanation needed.

Use cases

Nighttime Navigation

Middle of Night Bathroom Trips - Common for everyone
Nighttime Hallway Navigation - Safe path to bathroom
Kids Walking to Parents' Bedroom - Safe independent movement

Early Morning & Kitchen

Getting Water from Kitchen - Any nighttime navigation
Early Morning Routine - Before sunrise gentle lighting

Products needed

Essential Equipment

Motion Sensor

Battery-powered (easier installation) or Wired (no battery changes needed)
Placement: Bathroom entry or hallway

Smart Light Switch or Bulb

Must support dimming • Check minimum brightness (some only go to 10%)
Color temperature control helpful (warm white better at night)

Optional Enhancements

Lux Sensor

Only activate if dark enough

Multiple Motion Sensors

For larger spaces

Color Bulbs

Can use red/amber for minimal sleep disruption

Basic automation setup

IF motion detected in bathroom AND time between 10:00 PM - 6:00 AM THEN turn on light to 10% warm white

Triggers

Motion detected by sensor

Conditions

Home is in "Night Mode" OR time is between 10 PM and 6 AM
Room is dark (lux sensor below threshold - optional)

Actions

Turn on light switch/bulb at 10% brightness
Set color temperature to warm white (2700K) if supported
Optional: Set color to red or amber for minimal disruption

Creating “Night Mode”

Night Mode is a home state that indicates sleeping hours. Set it up using:

Option 1: Time-based

IF time is 10:00 PM
THEN set house to Night Mode

Option 2: Manual trigger

IF “Good Night” voice command
OR bedtime button pressed
THEN set house to Night Mode

Option 3: Presence-based

IF last person goes to bedroom
AND time is after 9:00 PM
THEN set house to Night Mode

See Presence & Modes Automations for detailed Night Mode setup.

Platform-specific examples

Home Assistant

Trigger Motion sensor detects movement

Condition House mode is "Night" OR time between 10 PM and 6 AM

Action Turn on bathroom light at 10% brightness

Tip: Set warm white (2700K) color temperature for minimal sleep disruption

SmartThings

IF "Bathroom Motion Sensor" detects motion

AND Location mode is "Night"

THEN Set "Bathroom Light" to 10% brightness

Hubitat

Trigger Motion sensor active

Condition Mode is "Night" OR time 10 PM - 6 AM

Action Turn on bathroom light at 10%

Setup: Use Motion Lighting app or Rule Machine

Apple HomeKit

When Bathroom motion sensor detects motion

Time Between 10 PM and 6 AM

Do Turn on bathroom light at 10%

Alexa

When "Bathroom Motion Sensor" detects motion

Condition Time between 10 PM and 6 AM

Action Turn on "Bathroom Light" to 10%

Google Home

When "Bathroom Motion Sensor" detects motion

Condition Between 10 PM and 6 AM

Action Set "Bathroom Light" brightness to 10%

Advanced features

Multiple brightness levels

Adjust brightness based on time of night:

9 PM - 11 PM 15% Still awake, moderate light

11 PM - 5 AM 5% Deep night, very warm (2200K)

5 AM - 7 AM 20% Early morning, warm (2700K)

Strategic sensor placement

The motion sensor doesn't have to be in the room you want to light up:

Separate toilet room: Sensor in main bathroom triggers both lights
Bedroom sensor triggers bathroom lights
Hallway sensor triggers multiple room lights
Stairway sensor triggers upstairs bathroom

Color temperature guidelines

Choose appropriate color for minimal sleep disruption:

Warm White (2200-2700K): Minimal melatonin suppression
Ultra Warm/Red (1800K): Even less sleep disruption
Avoid Cool White (4000K+): Suppresses melatonin, disrupts sleep

Brightness by location

Very Low (5-8%): Bedroom, baby's room
Low (10-15%): Bathroom, toilet room
Medium-Low (15-25%): Hallway, kitchen, stairs

Extending to other rooms

Hallways: 15%, warm white (2200K)
Kitchen: 20%, warm (2700K)
Stairs: 25%, safety priority
Kids' rooms: 8%, very low

Auto turn-off integration

Trigger: Motion sensor shows no motion for 5 minutes
Condition: House mode is "Night"
Action: Turn off bathroom light

See Turn off lights after motion stops for complete details.

Per-person brightness

Use presence detection to adjust brightness by person:

Parent 1 home: 5% brightness (very dim preference)
Parent 2 home: 15% brightness (slightly brighter preference)
Guests/others: 10% brightness (default)

Gradual brightening

Lights start very dim and gradually increase:

Start at 5% brightness
Wait 3 seconds
Check if motion still detected
If yes, increase to 10% with 2-second transition

Common issues and solutions

Lights still too bright

Problem: Even at lowest setting, lights are too bright for comfortable sleep.

Solutions:

Reduce to 5% or lower if bulb supports it
Use red/amber color if supported
Add dimming film to bulb (diffuses light)
Use dedicated nightlight instead

Lights too dim for safety

Problem: Lighting is not sufficient for safe navigation.

Solutions:

Increase to 15-20%
Use warmer but brighter setting
Add additional lighting in critical areas
Motion-sensitive nightlights as backup

Delay before lights come on

Problem: Noticeable delay between motion detection and lights turning on.

Solutions:

Ensure local automation processing
Move sensor closer to entry point
Add Zigbee/Z-Wave repeaters
Optimize automation logic

Related automations: