If you are wondering, “What is smart lighting?”, then you have come to the right place. Smart lighting is an advanced way to light up your property, using the latest lighting technology.
Curious about smart lighting? Let us illuminate you
If something Self-Monitors, Analyses, Reports, and is a piece of Technology, it is known as ‘SMART’. Smart devices are becoming increasingly popular in today’s interconnected world, including smartphones, smart TVs, smart fridges, smart speakers, and, of course, smart lighting.
The scope of smart lighting covers everything from smart light bulbs to smart plugs that can turn on LED lights for home lighting set-ups, using your phone or voice commands. Smart lights can be connected to compatible devices, typically a mobile device or computer, and are usually operated through a desktop or smartphone app.
Depending on your WiFi router and software version, most smart bulbs can be connected to smart homes that are on the same WiFi network. This allows you to use voice-controlled smart home technology like Google Assistant and Alexa to operate your smart lighting by voice commands.
When it comes to smart lights and smart LED bulbs, there are a whole host of smart features you can benefit from.
The 7 Best Features of Smart Lighting
Using smart lights comes with a number of benefits that you can reap. We have put together some of the key features and capabilities of smart lighting, including ideas on how they could be implemented in your home.
Here are the top features of smart lighting:
1. Remote Control
Smart lights can easily be controlled with a remote control. This makes it convenient and easy to control the lighting in specific areas without having to physically get up and turn the lights on or off yourself.
Unwinding at the end of the day and don’t want to leave your bed? No problem. Have mobility issues that make light switches a nuisance? Smart lighting could be for you.
It’s also the perfect solution for ensuring that your lights are turned off at the end of the day without having to leave the room you’re in - you can do this with a simple tap of a button.
2. Dimming and Brightness Adjustment
With a smart dimmer switch, you can adjust the brightness of your lights, allowing you to change from warm and low lighting to bright and intense lighting at will.
Studies have shown that lighting can affect an individual’s circadian rhythm, with warm lighting more suitable for signalling the mind to sleep, whereas cool lighting can prevent you from going to sleep.
Use this to your body’s advantage with adjustable colour smart bulbs or smart dimmers.
3. Colour Customisation
Smart bulbs in particular offer opportunities for customised lighting colours. Some might have a distinct set of colours to choose from, while others might allow you to pick and choose a colour of your choice on a colour wheel.
Being able to change the LED colour can be fun and exciting for many, especially if you’re attempting to create certain moods or vibes for the room.
4. Scheduling and Automation
Smart lighting systems may also enable you to schedule or automate lighting patterns. For example, you could create a schedule that automatically turns on or off all the lights in certain areas of the house at a specific time/for a specified duration.
As you can imagine, this has a really useful range of applications for daily life, including creating an easy daily routine or imitating the effect of being at home while away. Instead of turning the lights on and off manually, it can be done automatically.
5. Voice Control
The development of virtual assistants like Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri on their respective devices (the Amazon Echo and the Apple Homekit) has paved the way for voice-controlled smart lighting.
This means that with a simple voice command like, “Alexa, turn the lights on in the living room.”, your smart lighting system (connected to your virtual assistant) will automatically turn these lights on.
Want to turn on driveway smart lights because you’re leaving the house in the dark? Simply ask Alexa to turn them on. The possibilities are endless.
6. Energy Efficiency
Smart lighting, particularly with the use of LED bulbs, can significantly improve the energy efficiency of your property. In comparison to incandescent bulbs, LEDs use less energy, saving you money in the long run in terms of energy bills.
In addition to this, a smart lighting system that comes with an app can inform you of any lights that have been kept on, allowing you to turn them off immediately. This can also help decrease unnecessary energy consumption.
7. Security and Integration with Home Security Systems
Smart lighting can also be integrated into your home security system - this includes lights with motion sensors that are triggered when someone walks by. There is even the possibility of linking security alarms and cameras with your lighting system.
You never know when you could be the potential victim of theft or trespassing, which is why it’s important to consider protecting your home and family with integrated security lighting systems.
How Could Smart Lighting Improve Your Life?
In order to truly understand smart lighting, it’s not enough to simply answer ‘what is smart lighting’. We have to consider the benefits to everyday life to see just why it’s becoming so popular.
Smart lighting can be implemented in a number of different ways that could positively impact your day-to-day life.
Let’s take a look.
Energy Savings
As mentioned previously, a lighting system that uses smart LED bulbs, is likely to be energy efficient, guaranteeing cost savings. This is because LED light bulbs offer a range of advantages to consider, including:
- Energy efficiency
- Durability
- Longevity
- Less heat radiation
- And more…
Although the initial cost of installing your smart lighting system might seem expensive, you could take advantage of long-term savings when you invest in LED smart lighting.
This means that you are able to illuminate your space with ease, without compromising your energy consumption. At the end of the day, this leads to reduced energy costs.
So, if you still have fluorescent, incandescent, or other types of light bulbs that aren’t LED, it might be worth switching to LED bulbs.
Home Security
When integrated into your home security system, you can effectively make use of smart lighting to prevent and deter criminal activity within your property. This includes scaring away possible burglars and/or trespassers with motion sensors that turn nearby lights on when triggered.
Why not take it one step further and integrate smart lighting with a smart doorbell, so that you can record any movement as well as illuminate it? That way smart technology can help keep your home feeling as secure as possible.
Wall lights could be set up near your front and back doors, dissuading criminals from attempting to break into your home, especially during the night.
Ease & Aesthetics
Smart lighting opens the door to fully customisable lighting for your space. Being able to remotely operate lighting that you can adjust to your mood and requirements can be a game-changer.
Where lighting has traditionally been all about functionality, smart lighting opens the door to fun, adjustable lighting that you can change up whenever you like.
Smart Switches vs. Smart Bulbs
The two main outlets for smart lighting are:
- Smart switches
- Smart bulbs
Below, we have taken a detailed look into the key pros and cons of each, to help you to consider which one would suit you and work best for your specific needs.
Smart Switches
Smart switches control the smart lights throughout your property. Several advantages of these include the fact that they can be:
- Used in conjunction with a dimmer set-up
- Integrated with other devices/systems, including alarms, speakers, air conditioning, appliances and more
- Controlled from anywhere at any time, usually on an app (or remote control if within the property)
- Automated - you can schedule when and where each smart light is turned on or off
- Energy efficient - LED lighting consumes less energy in comparison to halogen or incandescent bulbs
However, there are still a few drawbacks to consider, such as:
- High initial cost
- Linking systems from different manufacturers can sometimes be difficult
- They require an internet connection - Should the internet go down, you might struggle with using the smart switches
- The installation process tends to be more complex compared to installing smart bulbs
- Long-lasting - LED bulbs are known to have an extended lifespan compared to other types of light bulbs
Smart Bulbs
In the meantime, smart bulbs are LED light bulbs, made by specific manufacturers, that can be wirelessly controlled via an app or remote control, allowing you to customise the lighting. Some advantages to smart bulbs are that they can be:
- Easily controlled via your phone or remote control
- Customised according to your preferences - colour and brightness - ideal for mood lighting
- Quick and simple to install
Nonetheless, they still come with disadvantages to think about:
- Smart bulbs tend to be considerably more expensive than standard LED light bulbs
- For an effective smart lighting system, you’ll need to purchase the same brand of smart bulbs which could mean an additional expense
- An internet connection is needed to use its smart features, potentially leaving it vulnerable to security issues
What Is Smart Lighting Protocol?
Smart lighting is dependent on connectivity protocols to enable their smart features. This is also known as smart lighting protocol, and can involve numerous ways for your smart lighting system to operate.
This includes protocols such as:
- Wi-Fi
- ZigBee
- Z-Wave
- Mesh
- Bluetooth
- A proprietary RF (that has been developed by the manufacturer)
Which Smart Lighting Protocol Should You Choose?
With a number of different protocols available, you might be unsure of which protocol to pick for your smart lighting system. Carefully thinking about which smart lighting protocol to invest in is a good idea. After all, there are multiple factors that could affect your overall lighting experience, including:
- Price - How much you are willing to spend and can afford will influence which type of protocol is right for you; wireless protocols such as ZigBee, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth are often more expensive compared to wired ones like DALI and DMX
- Reliability - You need to choose a smart lighting protocol that you can rely on, especially if you plan on incorporating smart lights into multiple rooms within your property; ZigBee, Z-Wave and proprietary RF protocols are considered to be the most reliable
- Set up - Some smart lighting protocols require additional devices in order for the smart lighting system to function, this may include a separate hub or bridge that needs to be purchased
- Range - Not all protocols have the same range, so keep this in mind when choosing your smart lighting protocol - this can affect where and how fast your system responds to your commands
Get Your Smart Lighting Set Up Just Right, with Vision Lighting Products
So, now that you’ve got the basics in answer to ‘What is smart lighting?’, you might be wondering how you can get started on your own smart lighting setup.
No matter whether you’re a homeowner or a business owner, implementing smart lighting within your property could be a good step in reducing your carbon footprint and saving you some money on energy bills in the process.
At Vision Lighting, we are a leading specialist sign manufacturer and supplier of LED lighting solutions, including energy-efficient and durable LEDs for smart lighting setups. As an ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 accredited company, you can count on us for your lighting needs.
With Vision Lighting LED bulbs, you can reap all of the benefits of smart lighting that have been mentioned above. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our range of LED products and services.