Turning on lights is pretty easy. One flick of a switch and like magic, the room is illuminated.
It can be even easier, however, with lighting automation. Remote control apps, automated switches, and customisable lighting programmes all serve to give you more control than ever over the lighting in your home.
Here are six automated lighting solutions to make your home smarter than ever before.
1. Motion sensors by PDL
One of the most helpful automation lighting techniques also happens to be one of the most simple: motion sensors that turn on lights when you walk past them.
Similar to how your fridge light turns on when the door opens, motion sensors can be set up to turn on lights as soon as they detect movement.
A common use for this kind of automation is security lights, which are set to turn on when they detect a presence. But their use is not limited to this; motion sensing lights can be used, for example, in places you would want light to always come on like pantries, basements, hallways or bathrooms.
Some products, like the TEKAPO LED Mirror, have their own motion sensors built in.
The TEKAPO LED Mirror turns on when it detects motion using its own built-in sensor.
2. Control4
Computerised, fully automated systems are the next stage beyond simple motion sensors. They can control many elements of your home, including its lights.
One such system in Control4. The system is capable of controlling your entire smart home, and has some neat lighting-based features. For example, when watching a movie in the lounge, Control4 can automatically close the shades and dim the lights when the film starts.
Other features include the “wake up” mode that slowly turns up the lights in the morning, and the goodnight button that turns off all the lights in your home, locks the doors, arms the security system.
Control4 can also store custom lighting scenes for your outdoor entertaining area and backyard, allowing you to change the lighting mood with a single touch.
Control4 gives the lights in your home a centralised brain.
3. ABB-free@home
ABB-free@home is another all-in-one control centre for home automation. Its lighting control features can be used from a variety of devices, including a built-in wall station, your phone, tablet, or laptop.
As well as being able to switch and dim lights individually, you can create groups of lights to manage as one. ABB-free@home also works with Philips Hue LED bulbs, giving you the power to control the colour of your lights too.
4. Arteor with Netatmo Smart Switches
Simplicity is the name of the game with the Arteor with Netatmo smart switches. They can add lighting automation to your home as easily as replacing a single regular switch with a smart version.
The switches can be operated on the installed unit itself, remotely through an app or directly using voice control. The switches communicate with each other through radio, saving the need for extensive wiring throughout the home.
The Arteor with Netatmo smart switches have numerous programs, including a “leaving home” that turns all the lights off, and a “wake up” that slowly brings the light up in the morning.
5. RTI control systems
Like the other all-in-one home automation systems on this list, RTI’s products are capable of controlling almost every aspect of your automated home, including everything to do with your lights.
What makes the RTI system unique, however, is their T series of remote controls. Looking like the spawn of a TV remote and a smartphone, the T series remotes feature a combination of physical buttons and touch screen controls that provide an intuitive and ergonomic way to manage your automation.
The physical buttons can be assigned to whatever function you like, meaning if you’re primarily using RTI products for lighting, you can map your most commonly used switches and dimmers to those quick-to-reach controls.
The T4x remote from RTI is a sleek all-in-one device for managing your home automation.
6. MOTOLUX
One of the more interesting possibilities that comes with lighting automation is the ability to move lights remotely and that’s exactly what the MOTOLUX series of motorised architectural lighting does.
The Moto-zero compasso motorised track light, for instance, allows you to change the direction and intensity of the mounted spotlight from within a dedicated app. The light can tilt 90 degrees in two directions and rotate horizontally almost 360 degrees.
This kind of light is perfect for highlighting feature pieces in your home—wall art, sculptures, or even architectural elements of the building itself—or as a permanently fixed but adjustable task light.
