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Night Lights

My home is lit up with night lights for convenience and safety reasons, and when we looked into Short-Term Rentals (like Airbnb, Vrbo, Home Away), I was curious to see what types of AC-powered night lights would work best for a vacation home.

Technology has come a long way from always-on lights using hot, energy-sucking bulbs to LED ones that can sense motion and/or ambient light.

There had been at least 10 brands I tested over the decades, but these are the three recent ones I will focus on for this review: Amazon Basics, Vont, and Lights by Night. We had asked Vont for review samples.

Night Lights from Vont Motion Sensor, Vont (Lyra), Lights by Night, Amazon Basics

Vont Motion Sensor & Lyra, Lights by Night, Amazon Basics

Disclosure: We received some of the Vont products free in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion, whether positive or negative. We test each product thoroughly, give high marks to only the very best, and the views expressed here are honest and our own. Learn more

Light Types

Most night lights I had come across output either a soft, warm color or a bright, white one similar to daylight. Furthermore, there had been four ways they operated:

Constant-on (never turns off)
Dusk-to-Dawn (turns on when dark, off when bright)
Motion-sensing (when motion has been detected)
Combination of one or more types and possibly with varying brightness levels

I had never liked the Constant-on ones because there usually is no reason to have the light never turn off. That is just a waste of electricity!

You may also look into Power Failure Flashlights that may be required for some short-term rental properties. They provide safety for guests during power outages. We recommend the Energizer ones.

Which Light To Use?

When setting up the property for short-term rental, I asked myself where (and which type of) night lights would be appreciated if I was a guest at someone’s home.

Glare from light direction

Bedrooms: Dusk-to-Dawn, Motion-sensing, and Warm color
- Some guests prefer their sleeping quarters to be completely dark and only have a dim light turn on to go to the bathroom.
- Others (myself included) may want to have warm lighting to be on throughout the night to check on a crying baby.
- When placing a night light in the bedroom, I ensure it does not shine directly at the bed or be at sleeping level.
Stairs, Hallways, and other Common Areas: Dusk-to-Dawn
- For common areas, I appreciate having my walking paths to be lit for safety and navigation. Motion-sensing would not always be appropriate depending on whether the sensor could pick up foot traffic in time.
- Either warm or cool colors work.
Bathrooms: Motion-sensing and Warm color
- My brother prefers to have a light that would only turn on when he opened the bathroom door. He appreciates having a warm color so he could easily slip back to sleep.

Product Impressions

Let’s take a look at what I think of each product I had tested.

Amazon Basics

One of my favorite lights is the Amazon-owned, dimmable night light with dusk-to-dawn sensor: INL-XL02b010E1 ($4 each).

Pros

Bright and lights up an entire room
Brightness adjustment via a switch
Does not take up an entire wall outlet
Dusk-to-dawn sensor: turns off when it is no longer dark
US-based company: it’s Amazon itself behind the brand

Cons

May be too bright for a bedroom
Warranty: 1 year

Vont

The US-based company sent me samples of their Lyra and Motion Sensor night lights upon my request. They provide a lifetime warranty on the products reviewed here.

Vont Lyra

Available in Cool White and Warm ($2 each).

Pros
- Small and compact. Does not take up an entire wall outlet
- Dusk-to-dawn sensor: turns off when it is no longer dark
- Cool White version sufficiently lights up the area
- Warm version, though very dim, may be suitable for a bedroom. I would have preferred the light to be a bit brighter
- Lights up all around itself
- Uses VERY little electricity
Cons
- Warm version is very dim and may be suitable in bedrooms where darkness is preferred by the sleeper
- Lights up all around itself
  - Can be a glare problem for those who prefer lights to only point downward. Vont’s Aura model may be a better option for bedrooms

Vont Motion Sensor

Available in Warm ($4.25 each).

Pros
- Two brightness levels
- Multiple operating modes: Off, Constant On, Auto
  - “On” constantly stays on, whether ambiance is dark or bright
  - “Auto” turns the light on only when motion is detected in dark ambiance
    - Light turns off after 60 seconds of no further motion
- Downward facing light minimizes glare, making it perfect for a bedroom or hallway
Cons
- “On” mode constantly stays on
  - I would have preferred if it turned off when ambient was bright. Why would Vont not wire it to the dusk-to-dawn sensor?
- No option to stay dimly lit as a night light, then turning bright on motion detection
- Can only be used with the top outlet
  - Plugging it into the bottom wastes the top outlet, and having it upside down would have the light shine up and cause a glare
- Light turns off only when the ambiance is really bright

Vont Aura

Available in Warm ($3.25 each).

The company did NOT send me this for review. It was purchased on my own
- Eufy, an Anker company, looks to have made a similar one with its Lumi product and 1.5 year warranty
Pros
- Downward facing light minimizes glare, making it perfect for a bedroom or hallway
- Dusk-to-dawn sensor: turns off when it is no longer dark
- Small and compact. Does not take up an entire wall outlet
- Uses VERY little electricity
Cons
- No brightness adjustment

Lights by Night

This Jasco-owned light has a specific use case as I found myself more frustrated with it than not. The 58803 model costs about $6 each.

Pros
- Bright light
- Dusk-to-dawn sensor: turns off when it is no longer dark
- Motion sensor worked exceptionally well and from a large distance. Light turns off after 90 seconds
- Lights up all around itself
- US-based company
Cons
- A bit on the bulky side
- Motion sensor may work too well: any movement in the room triggers it. This makes it somewhat unsuitable for a bedroom
- No brightness adjustment
- Lights up all around itself
  - Can be a glare problem for those who prefer lights to only point downward
- Warranty: 3 months

Final Thoughts

Surprisingly, I found that each night light had its own purpose and use case. It ultimately came down to what scenarios needed to be solved: light up an entire room, a small area, or just enough for a bedroom. My wife hates having a light shine at her when trying to sleep whereas I love having the room dimly lit. This review started as a search for the “ultimate” night light that would solve every imaginable situation I could dream of, but unfortunately that was not the case.

The Amazon Basics one is my favorite for lighting up an entire room. We use it at our short-term rental home to illuminate the bonus room, dining room, and kitchen.

Vont lights — there were three I tested. Each had a welcoming, lifetime warranty.

The Lyra model came in both Cool White and Warm. I use the former for lighting up the stairs because I wanted a bright-enough, white light for safety purposes. The Warm model was dim enough to be used in a bedroom.
Motion Sensor model had me excited because of its downward facing light that minimize glare in the middle of the night. I found it useful for the bedroom, but was disappointed that the “On” mode would keep the light on even during the day, and that the “Auto” configuration would only activate when motion was detected. I would have loved this light if the “On” option turned off when ambience was bright or if “Auto” stayed dimly lit and turned on bright with motion.
I found the Aura model worked well for bedrooms, and would be the “best” night light to use for a larger variety of scenarios. Eufy offers a similar version with its Lumi product.

The Lights by Night one had a nice brightness, but was annoying in that its motion sensor was too sensitive and activated even from large distances. I found it to be a nightmare for bedrooms for those who preferred darkness, and having it turn on bright with even just a slight movement got a bit annoying. I found it most suitable for use at the END of a hallway, but not so much in the middle that requires someone to walk by to power on. Its 90-day warranty is an insult.

If I had to pick which lights to recommend for a short-term rental property, I would choose the Amazon Basics, Vont Lyra (Cool White), and Vont Aura ones. The lifetime warranty offered by Vont makes their lights easy recommendations.