By CEDIA - Wed, Oct 9, 2024 - Blog
Valued at £11 billion in 2023, the smart lighting market continues to grow in line with sustainable home trends. From smart light bulbs to voice control, this tech gives you the power to customise your home and save energy. So how does it work, and how can you get the best from a smart lighting system?
Find out more about the technology available and how these smart home devices will impact your lifestyle.
Smart lighting lets you adjust the ambience in your home without physically touching a light switch. They run on remote control, allowing you to make changes through a smartphone or tablet, voice assistant, or home hub.
With a simple WiFi connection, you can:
Smart lights connect to your home router or Bluetooth. You can then change settings with connected devices, such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home. You may also have a smartphone app or central hub, such as the Apple Homekit.
Within these, you can set daily schedules through automations, or give real-time voice commands. More advanced smart lights can also be triggered by motion sensors. For example, an outdoor PIR floodlight might come on automatically if somebody walks past.
Like traditional home lighting, smart lights conform to modern standards. Many of these light fittings use energy efficient LED bulbs, which must conform to IEC62471 standards. They can also enhance your home’s security. For example, outdoor wall lights activated by motion sensors could deter intruders.
To stay safe, you should always have these smart home systems installed by a professional, and follow manufacturer guidelines. They offer assurance in terms of wattage and wiring, and can also be on hand for software updates. Our CEDIA integrators will help you choose the safest solutions.
Smart lights use LED bulbs, which consume around five times less energy than incandescent bulbs. Not only do smart LEDs consume less energy when they’re on, but automated lighting control ensures they only run when you tell them to.
For optimal energy usage, you can also try smart plugs. These work on timers and turn off the plugs when they’re not in use – preventing ‘vampire’ consumption when they’re on standby.
Many adjustable lighting systems need the internet to connect with smart speakers like Google Assistant. However, they can still work without WiFi – for example, some may use Bluetooth instead. Likewise, you can change settings yourself with a wall switch, or Bluetooth-enabled remote or smartphone.
Automations will still work if your WiFi is down. Brands such as Philips Hue Zigbee will still run light schedules even if your internet is off. The only thing you won’t be able to do is make adjustments from outside the home.
There should be minimal impact on your WiFi functionality when using smart lights. These devices use negligible bandwidth, but as ever, there are factors that could affect your speeds:
If you are concerned about your router’s capacity or compatibility, a CEDIA member can help.