Does what it says on the tin really. You set the time and the alarm time, the desired sound (inc single channel radio) and off you go to sleep. By the time I wake up the light is at the set intensity, it doesn't wake me up, but it's easier to get out of bed when there's already a light on.
As mentioned in other reviews, the controls are not as intuitive as you might expect from modern devices (and the feel is a bit cheap and cheerful) but they work well enough and once everything is set I don't fiddle with them.
We bought this to help our 2-y-o daughter find her way after moving house. Plenty of light (possibly a bit more that we required) to illuminate all of a fair sized landing. Switch is useful but not really necessary, although turning it on is now incorporated into her bedtime routine. Ours has a slight shimmer/flicker during operation but nothing too noticible. Overall a good night light.
