ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Staircase timer

A staircase timer is like a special switch that helps us turn on or off the lights on a staircase or in a hallway that leads to different rooms in our home. This way, we don't need to leave the lights on all the time, and we can save energy and money.

Here's how it works: Imagine you are climbing stairs, and you want to turn on the lights. When you take the first step, the timer starts ticking, and a sensor detects your movement. It switches on the lights automatically, and the timer starts counting down (sometimes for a few seconds or minutes).

If you stop moving (say, because you're taking a break on one of the steps), the timer will assume you've left and switch off the lights after a while. But if you keep moving, the timer will keep counting down until you reach the top, and then switch off the lights automatically.

This is convenient because we don't have to worry about turning the lights on and off every time we use the stairs or walk through a hallway. It saves us time, energy, and money. Plus, it's safer because we always have enough light to see where we're going.
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