It’s a new season, full of changing scenery (and routines) as we transition back to school and the office. While this Fall may differ from years past, you can still bring the spirit of this beautiful season to your home.  

Back on the go

After working from home for so long, returning to the office can be an adjustment. Remember rushing to get ready in the morning so you can beat traffic?

Here are a few helpful tips that’ll make things a little more effortless during the transition: 

Take charge of your mornings 

• If you need to drive to work, you're probably waking up earlier. Wipe the sleep out of your eyes with a “Wake Up” Scene in the iDevices Connected app that aligns with your morning alarm. The Scene can set your Dimmer Switch to its highest setting and turn on the coffee maker connected to a Wall Outlet. 
• While you're sipping that coffee and getting the kids ready, ask Alexa within Instinct™ for a "morning report" to get your weather, news, and traffic updates.
• Set a “Heading Out” Scene in the iDevices Connected app to so when you leave for the office, all of your lights turn off. You can also set your iDevices Thermostat to adjust to a more efficient temperature setting.  

Ease into your evenings

• Set your home's lights to turn on and the temperature to adjust to your comfort zone as soon as you leave the office. When you arrive home, your sanctuary awaits. 
• Say "Alexa, time to cook dinner" and have Instinct turn on the kitchen lights and play your favorite Pandora station. You can ask Alexa for help with recipes and measurements. When it's time to eat, make an announcement to the whole family through Instinct; it'll broadcast through every other Alexa device in your house. 
• After dinner, set a "Relaxation" Scene that dims lights throughout the house, and turns off lights you don't need anymore. One less thing to worry about. 

Adjusting to the season

The summer sun is behind us, and on Nov. 1, we're falling back when Daylight Savings Time ends. With sunrise/sunset lighting automations, you can ensure the inside and outside of your house is always well-lit. Instead of constantly adjusting a schedule, your lights automatically turn on based on your local sunset, and turn off at sunrise. Of course, you can set them to turn off earlier. 

You can set up sunrise/sunset scheduling on the iDevices Connected app if you're using an iOS device. No matter the device type, you can set up the same automations on our IFTTT service, or design your own. If you're using our products with Alexa, you can also set up sunrise/sunset automations via Routines in the Amazon Alexa app.

Halloween from home  

Traditional Halloween festivities may not be possible for everyone, but you can always bring the haunted to your house. Pick a room and make turning it into a Halloween haven an activity for the entire family.  

Go wild with fake cobwebs, jack-o’-lanterns, and other ghoolish decorations. Use Hallween-themed string lights with iDevices Wall Outlet so you can schedule to turn for a couple hours every evening. If you have a lamp in the room, add an iDevices Socket and schedule its customizable LED light ring to glow orange every evening. Set a Scene so you can turn on both the string lights, Socket light ring, and any other connected props with a voice command, like “Siri, make it spooky."

Don't forget the yard. For the best effect, set those lights and decorations on a sunrise/sunset schedule with Outdoor Switch. Even if traditional trick-or-treating off the table for you, decorating the house makes for a fun Fall activity on a crisp sunny day. Create a competition in the neighborhood, culminating in a “Halloween Parade” – bring your own candy, have the kids dress up, and walk or drive around the neighborhood to take it all in!