Color patterns such as Aurora (a rainbow effect) and Pulse (a colored checkerboard pattern) are fun, but they don't keep me relaxed or wake me up. Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH). The privacy policy says the app does collect data about how you use the SmartSleep clock (for example, your alarm settings and tones) and other data (like sensor readings and Wi-Fi data). The products or services listed have been selected independently by journalists after hands-on testing or sourcing expert opinions.

We also disliked that each model’s control buttons are inconveniently located on the face of the device, requiring you to stabilize the machine with both hands before pressing any button (no small feat in the middle of the night). If your location does not observe daylight saving time at all, or if the there will be no changes to the timer between now and the date you count down to, all the options will work the same way. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. There are several options available for the added or removed hour to be accounted for in the countdown. And don't get me started about how, when I was a kid, my dad would wake me up for school by thrusting the window curtains open as if he were opening the Ark of the Covenant right in my face.

When DST ends, people move their clocks one hour back so one hour is repeated twice, thus making the day 25 hours.

Every morning I lurch out of bed like a crash-test dummy flying through an invisible windshield and run for coffee. Inside the retina are light-sensitive cells that detect light changes at dawn and dusk, sensing light even if your eyes are closed. Intense brightness: A sunrise alarm clock needs to be bright enough to wake you up from a deep slumber. Scheduling – You can select from watering duration of 2, 5, 10, 20, 30 or 60 minutes and is easy to adjust in case you need to react to changing weather conditions, without ever having to refer back to the instruction book.

On the downside, the speaker quality is not as good as the expensive Lumies and you only get the choice of three alarm noises (beeps, chimes and birds). Updated October 2023: We've added the Lexon Mina and the WiiM Wake-Up Light, as well as updated pricing and availability. The digital timer switch features a bright, backlit LCD screen for easy programming and an internal memory that backs up saved settings in the event of a power outage.