A Beginner's Guide to Smart Lighting

Smart lighting is growing in popularity, and many homeowners wonder if it is the right fit for their homes. Smart lighting is defined as, "A lighting control system is intelligent network-based lighting control that incorporates communication between various system inputs and outputs related to lighting control with the use of one or more central computing devices." (Wikipedia). There can be many benefits to incorporating smart lighting into your home, such as convenience, energy efficiency, security, and more. 

What is Smart Lighting?

As mentioned above, smart lighting is basically any lighting system that uses a network to control home lighting. It can be used on all kinds of lighting, such as canned lights, pendants, chandeliers, etc. A typical smart lighting home system will have either smart bulbs, switches, hubs, apps, or a combination of all components. Common technologies you will see include Wi-Fi connection, Bluetooth, Zigbee, or Z-Wave. Selecting the right smart lighting for your home depends on several factors. 

Benefits of Smart Lighting

Let's talk about all the benefits that come with smart lighting. 

• Convenience: Smart lighting can add convenience to your life. You can control your lights via voice, mobile apps, and/or automation. It's a convenient way to turn on/off your lighting and decide what lights you want on and when and where you want them lit. 
• Energy Efficiency: With smart lighting, you can set schedules for your lighting to ensure they are turned off when you don't need them. Thus saving electricity and prolonging the lifetime of the bulb or LED light fixture. Additionally, you can use dimming features to decrease the amount of energy used and/or motion sensors to automatically turn off lights when no one is in a room. 
• Security: Smart lighting allows you to control your lights while you're away from home. Randomized lighting can give the appearance of someone at home while you are away.
• Customization: Many smart light bulbs come with color-changing and dimming options. You can use this to have fun and creative lighting or set different moods and cozy scenes throughout your home.
• Integration: Whatever technology you prefer to use is up to you. And you name it, it probably has a smart home feature that provides smart lighting. From Alexa to Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, and more. 

Popular Smart Lighting Options

There are many smart lighting options available for homeowners, ranging from DIY (do-it-yourself) systems to high-end, state-of-the-art integrated programs. Popular, lower-cost, and DIY choices include Philips Hue, LIFX smart cans, Wyze, and Nanoleaf. You'll also find many of these systems integrate with Amazon's Alexa, Apple Home, and/or Google Assistant. There are pros and cons to choosing to do it yourself. Let's take a look at those below.

Pros of DIY Systems: 

• Cost-effective
• Can mix and match devices
• You decide what is automated vs what isn't

Cons of DIY Systems: 

• Can clog up WiFi/Bluetooth signals
• Not always seamless integration
• Difficult to source all parts

Fully integrated systems are also another smart home lighting option. Our sister company, Empire Systems, works to install these systems in homes across Utah and Arizona. The most common smart home systems are Control4, Savant, and Crestron. Here are the pros and cons of a fully integrated smart home system for smart lighting. 

Pros of Full Integration: 

• Ability for full control and customization of your lights and home functions
• Hard-wired controls that don't clog up WiFi/Bluetooth
• Seamless integrations 
• Have all smart lighting and smart home options in one place instead of multiple apps

Cons of Full Integration:

• Much more expensive
• Harder to future-proof
• The whole system could go down

Common Smart Lighting Challenges

Like any appliance or home system, smart lighting can present challenges. Things like connectivity issues, compatibility problems, and learning curves can all factor into the system you use. Every system will have a learning curve, depending on personal preference. Connectivity issues can occur, especially on a DIY smart lighting system, but there are usually short downtimes. Finally, compatibility between various brands might be difficult. Start with the system you want to use for smart lighting and build out from there. Any home system will have its challenges, and what matters is that the benefits outweigh any challenges.

Using Smart Lighting In Everyday Life

Here are several real-life examples of where you may use smart lighting. 

1. Movie nights or party modes
2. Morning wake-up lighting
3. Security lighting while away from home
4. Kids' rooms with fun color effects
5. Holiday lighting with varying colors

What do you think about smart lighting? Will you use it in your home? Tell us in the comments!