Before you leave on vacation, schedule your Deako Smart Switches, Smart Dimmers, and Smart Plugs to turn on, off, and dim while you’re away. Automatic lights create the impression that someone is at home, deterring burglars looking for an easy target.
Let’s look at how to schedule lights with your Deako mobile app and get the most out of automated lighting during your vacation.
Table of Contents
Creating schedules for Deako smart devices
To create a schedule for your Deako smart devices, open your Deako mobile app (available through the Apple App Store or Google Play). Then follow the steps below:
- Select the + icon on the Deako mobile app home screen
- Select the Schedules icon
- Select your Deako smart device of choice
- Select the buttons to turn the device on, off, or both
- Set the times for your device to turn on, off, or both
- For Smart Dimmers, set the light dimness
- Choose which days you want the schedule to run
- Tap Done on the top right
For more details on creating, editing, and deleting schedules, check out our schedules help article.
Remember: Since you won’t be home to turn lights off when you’re on vacation, schedule both on and off times for your lights. You can select both the on and off options in one schedule rather than creating two separate schedules.
Example vacation schedule
In our example schedule, we’ve created some lighting crossover to mimic how someone might move through their house.
Also, we’ve limited our lights to the evening in the schedule below. Leaving lights on during daylight hours might attract attention from burglars, NPR reports.
| Area | Turn on time | Turn off time |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor | Sunset | Sunrise |
| Kitchen | 5:30 p.m. | 7:00 p.m. |
| Dining room | 6:00 p.m. | 7:05 p.m. |
| Living room | Sunset | 9:01 p.m. |
| Hall | 9:00 p.m. | 9:05 p.m. |
| Bedroom | 9:04 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. |
Tip: Automating your outdoor lights is a great way to improve your home security even when you’re not on vacation.
Fool burglars by creating varying schedules
To deter burglars casing your house, create different lighting schedules for each day. Click Custom in the Repeat Days section of the schedule setup. Then select the days of the week you want.
For example, you could run some schedules every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday with slightly different schedules for Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
But most burglars didn’t plan burglaries over more than one day, says a survey by UNC Charlotte. Even one vacation schedule is still better than none, so do whatever makes you feel securest.
Have a nice trip
With a vacation schedule, Deako’s smart-lighting system will help keep your home secure while you’re away. It’s an excellent companion for the security system of your choice.
If you haven’t upgraded your Deako system with smart devices yet, check out our Smart Switches, Smart Dimmers, and Smart Plugs to get started.
Deako customer review
“Awesome! Great features like scheduling lights to turn on/off. Easy to control the lights from anywhere. Very useful to create the impression that someone is at home even when we get out for a long vacation.”
—KaavalSources:
UNC Charlotte, “Understanding Decisions to Burglarize from the Offender’s Perspective,” December 2012. Accessed April 3, 2023.
NPR, “Should You Leave Your Lights On At Night? It Depends,” February 2016. Accessed April 5, 2023.
KTVB7, “We asked 86 burglars how they broke into homes,” December 2017. Accessed April 3, 2023.
