Question

I have a home recording studio in my basement. Because of Covid-19, I am teleworking from home on my computer in the studio. Because of the nature of my work, no one else can be in my space. I would like to have 1 or 2 lights to turn in red when I am working or recording. The rub is that most of the lights or canister lights. There are multiple lights on each switch. How would I go about making one light turn red. I could put in a smart switch, turn one light red to alert people. How do you set up a routine this way? Thx

Answer 1

I'd just use a smart colored bulb

Answer 2

Or buy a bulk head light, and colour the glass with the stuff you can get for car bulbs, it makes a clear bulb into a red bulb.  

Answer 3

They key is any smart bulb will need constant power or it will mess with your mesh. So you would need to swap all them out in the string with smart bulbs. One/two color rest white. And use a button or motion sensor to work the string of lights. And a button or the app to set one to color when you want.  Or get one or two floor/table lamps and put bulbs in them.  

Answer 4

I would use a colored bulb but how would set up routine to turn the lights on and turn one of the bulbs red. I also purchased a smart button to run the routine.  

Answer 5

Hang a sock on the door

Answer 6

Because exactly what @sammy said - go with a separate fixture / lamp with a smart bulb. The only other option (to do it right) is to rewire the cans to be constant on, behind a smart switch then set up that switch to control the lamps through something like Smartlighting. That option gets rather expensive and time consuming so id justndo the single discreet fixture.  

Answer 7

K. I. S. S approach, lock the door?  

Comments

Or electrified mat outside it. :)

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@clandestine68622 still makes noise when some tries to open it. I used to work in studios

Answer 8

Plug a lamp in the hallway and use a coloured bulb. No need to reinvent the wheel or rewire your entire space for a temporary situation. Keep it simple and cheap

Answer 9

I've got a red light that comes on for certain things, like low light work (so don't open the door) or dangerous equipment in use (so don't come in, unless you hear screaming followed by silence and blood running under the door. But hit the kill switch before entering). The can lights are all on one switch like yours, which is always on, and has a cap to prevent accidental switching it off. We have 4 lights on it, the one outside the lab is a colored light, it turns res automatically when certain devices go live, or I manually indicate Do Not Disturb. Easy. The cap over the wall switch prevents accidental flipping the switch, but does allow someone to do it reaching to the side of the cap, for example of ST isn't working they can still manually flip the switch off then on to turn the lights on. Easy.  

Answer 10

You don't need a light. Put a note on the outside of the door :)

Comments

@tessy56 philistine!  

Answer 11

I have something similar. I use an automated outlet and plug in a red night light. I have rules that turn that outlet on and off. EZPZ.  

Answer 12

Thank you all for your suggestion. I think I will go the separate single solution. I was just trying use something I already had in place.  

Answer 13

After sleeping on it, I came up a different solution. Putting up LED strips in two different places that should be able to alert people. Separate devices and controllers that I can turn on with a smart button. Boom!