The convergence of smart light bulbs and home security had to happen eventually. So no surprises to hear that an enterprising US company has come up with an elegant product which combines the best of sensor and LED tech to produce the BeOn light bulb. The device goes way beyond most ‘smart‘ bulbs to offer a really valuable set of tools to protect your home.

The bulb provides the same level of illumination as a 60W standard bulb (around 800 lumens), but uses much less power because it’s LED. Not only that, it also comes with its own back up power in case the power goes out and you need emergency lighting, which is very cool. But it’s the home security bit that really rocks.

Each bulb contains a ‘security module’, which can react to sound and also will learn your lighting habits over time. Then, once you trigger the bulb into ‘Protect Mode’, it will replay those habits to give the impression you’re still at home, even when you’re not. The sound detector also reacts to the sound of your doorbell, so if a would-be thief tries the bell to see if you’re home, the bulb will light up giving the impression you are. Nice.

Of course, as you’d expect, the whole thing is controlled by a smartphone app (Android or iOS), so you can monitor, control and preview your security settings at the touch or swipe of a screen. The whole thing looks to be a very stylish implementation all round, although of course you’ll need to keep spending some $70 a bulb to replace them as they wear out over time. Still, a very clever solution. The starter kit is $249, reduced to $199 until shipping starts in August.