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CEDIA Smart Lighting For Home

You’ve heard of smart speakers or smart thermostats – but what about smart lighting? Discover how smart home lighting can enhance your life and go beyond the humble light switch.

Types of smart lighting

When choosing a smart lighting system, you’re essentially looking for one of two things: smart light bulbs or smart switches. Smart bulbs usually work with a dimmer switch – but not always – and come in white, full-colour, and tuneable. (This means you can adjust the temperature of the lighting, ideal for syncing with sleep cycles.)

Smart switches are on the entire time, but power down in line with the commands you give them. These are ideal for use in hard-to-reach spaces, though they are not dimmable like smart bulbs.

Within these, we also have indoor and outdoor lighting, for example:

Smart downlights (indoors)

These can be installed within ceiling recesses, and offer versatility with multiple colours and dimming.

LED strip lights (indoors and outdoors)

These are usually used for ambience, creating mood lighting effects with lightstrips up to 5m.

Smart PIR (passive infrared sensor) security lights

These work with motion sensors, 2-way audio and CCTV to provide added assurance.

 

Outdoor light fittings

Like other smart home systems, these are also controlled by voice command or mobile device, using a Wi-Fi connection. These weatherproof fittings are ideal for adding ambience and security.

How smart lighting can secure your home

From a simple table lamp to outdoor security lights, smart lighting offers:

  • Peace of mind: outdoor cameras and motion sensor lights can make homes up to 300 times safer
  • Improved wellbeing: adjusting lights with your circadian rhythms can improve your sleep
  • Lower bills: reduced wattage LED bulbs conserve considerably more energy
  • Better productivity: customisable lights like Nanoleaf set the mood for working, exercising or sleeping
  • Compatibility: products and tools like Wiz or Siri are designed to work with mobile devices for ease of use.

Smart home lighting costs

The cost of installing smart home lighting depends on what you want installed. As standalone products, smart bulbs can range from £7 to £50 each, though the energy savings they offer are more than worth it.

Other installations such as dimmer switches can cost between £20 and £60 each, while there are also electrician costs.

If you want a full integration including indoor and outdoor lights, you can expect to pay anywhere from £3,000 to £10,000. You will naturally have to pay more to have an agnostic system that connects with any bulb and device. For example, the Philips Hue bridge can support Zigbee Light Links. Our CEDIA-qualified technicians will advise you on the best products.