How to Deter Burglars Using the Oldest Trick in the Book

Finding the right automation device

With the advanced technology available today, there are numerous options to choose from when it comes to automating your lights. There are smart lights, smart plugs, and if you are a bit more old school, digital and mechanical timers as well. There is professional home automation but that is not DIY.

All of these do the exact same thing but are programmed differently. Smarts lights and smart plugs use apps and can work with smart home devices, as for digital and mechanical set timers, they use physical buttons to set the times. Things to note is that mechanical timers use 30-minute interval push pins and both digital and mechanical timers will need to be reset when power goes out in your home.

Determine what option suits your home and your budget. I do find that smart products do perform better and will continue to work when power outages happen but they rely on Wi-Fi connection for you to control in house or remotely. So, if that goes out, you will have to wait until it has connection again.

Mapping your home

Mapping means planning out which lights turn on and off at specific times throughout your home. Grab a pen and paper and follow these steps:

• List your daily activities – Write down your routine from wake-up to bedtime (getting ready, breakfast, leaving for work, coming home, dinner, watching TV, going to bed).
• Assign rooms – Next to each activity, note which room(s) you’re in. Skip activities that don’t involve a room, like leaving for work.
• Add times – Write the approximate time each activity happens.

Note your light habits. Some rooms have their lights turned on and off with every visit (such as bathrooms), while others stay on for longer periods (like bedrooms or living rooms). Plan your schedule accordingly. Don’t forget exterior lights like porch lights, garage lights, and landscape lighting.

Your finished map might look like this:

Activity	Room	Time
Wake up	Bedroom	7:15am
Get ready	Bedroom + Bathroom	7:25am
Breakfast	Kitchen	8:15am
Leave for work		9:00am
Come home	Living room + Kitchen	5:30pm
Dinner	Kitchen	6:30pm
Watch TV	Living room	7:30pm
Go to bed	Bedroom	10:30pm

Build your schedule

Now that you’ve mapped your home, it’s time to program your smart lights, smart plugs, and/or timers. Follow these steps:

• Start with your map – Use the activity times from your map as your baseline for when lights should turn on and off.
• Add buffer time – Set lights to turn on 15-30 minutes before and after your normal times. This accounts for any delays in your lighting system and makes the pattern less predictable.
• Create weekday and weekend versions – Weekends usually mean later wake-ups and different routines. Adjust your weekend schedule to turn lights on 30 minutes to an hour later than on weekdays.
• Vary the times daily – Don’t set identical times every day. Stagger by 10-30 minutes to avoid obvious patterns.

Many smart lighting systems offer a “vacation” or “away” mode that automatically randomizes your lights. This is a good shortcut if you don’t want to build a custom schedule.

Remember, burglars don’t just stop by once and walk away when they see lights on. They scout and find patterns to determine which homes are occupied and which are not. Lights turning on at exactly the same time every day signal an empty home.

Testing

The most important thing before heading on vacation is testing the system to work out any kinks and issues with the lighting schedule. Never leave home expecting everything to work perfectly without testing first. You may need to install firmware updates or troubleshoot connection issues. For example, some smart hub devices require firmware updates before automations will work reliably.

Run your full schedule for a couple of days while you’re still home to ensure lights turn on and off as expected. When you return from vacation, remember to disable or adjust your automation schedules back to normal operation.

FAQ

What are the best times to schedule my lights to be on?

You would want to use your daily and nightly routine as a starting point for scheduling your lights to be turned on/off. Not every day is going to be the same, and adding lights that can be turned on/off at different times in different rooms will give it a lived-in effect. Avoid having lights on at all times, refrain from repeating light schedules, and avoid automations that appear unnatural when your home is unoccupied.

Can I add other devices to smart plugs and smart lights app?

Yes, you can. Making your home look lived-in doesn’t just have to be lights turning on/off at times you set it at but adding little things like turning the TV on or playing music on a smart speaker can add to a “live-in” home. Certain brands make you buy their branded products to be added, such as cameras, outdoor lighting and connections to entertainment systems. The only exception is with smart home assistant devices. Adding other devices to the smart plugs or light apps helps deter burglars from entering your home. As always, test those added devices so that they work with the rest of the automated set up.

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