What is lighting control?
By itself, lighting control is pretty simple; it’s controlling light. Even the most basic light switch is a form of control, but better technology has given us a lot more options. To help understand it, we’ll create two fundamental categories: lighting output and lighting input. “Output” refers to the light we experience, and “input” is how we change that light.
Lighting output:
Switching
Switching is on/off control; the light (or load) is either at full power or none. This is the most straightforward form of lighting control and one you’re most likely familiar with.
Dimming
Dimming changes brightness by controlling the amount of power sent to the light. Instead of only “on” or “off,” an entire brightness range is available from 0% to 100%. This is particularly useful when hunting for midnight snacks, or preparing for a romantic evening.
CCT
CCT is short for Correlated Color Temperature. Before diving in, it’s important to note that not all white light is the same. Like the many shades of white house paints, some light is bluer or redder than others, and we use degrees Kelvin to note this difference.
Color
Full color control unleashes the entire color space--green, purple, cyan, you name it. While CCT is limited to the natural variance in whites, color control does not have such restrictions. That means relaxing with mellow purples, partying with electric blues, or showing support for your favorite team on game day. The opportunities to enhance special occasions are endless.
Lighting input:
Basic Control
Toggle and rocker switches are the traditional forms of lighting control we grew up with. With a simple flick, lights appear and disappear by switching outputs. These are non-automated by requiring gentle force to move the switch between states.
Connected Switches, Dimmers & Keypads
We’re now entering the world of smart control. When switches are connected, we can control multiple outputs at once, like brightness, color, and even the number of lights. Best of all, it only takes one button press to do all three.
The combinations of loads, brightness, and colors are aptly named “scenes.” Keypads can be specified for a set number of them, and each scene can be edited for extra fine-tuning. But like its traditional counterpart, connected switches also require a button press to change scenes.
Apps & Voice Control
Moving away from physical buttons entirely, smart phones and voice assistants can control scenes without switches or keypads. Any light can be adjusted from inside (and even outside) the house through an app or voice command. Talking to your house is no longer a dream of science fiction, but very much our reality.
With the development of smart control apps, CCT and color outputs offer a lot of possibilities, like adjusting temperature and colors in a room on the fly. Some apps even allow you to take a picture and match your lights to a selected color. It’s like magic.
Automated Control
Imagine bedroom lights that slowly brighten as you wake up, or driveway lights that turn on in sequence as you walk closer toward your car. No direct control is involved, but lighting that gracefully moves alongside you throughout the day. This is automated control.
Motion sensors, occupancy, and light sensors help make automated control possible. With thoughtful planning and programming, you can simply live inside your home while the outputs do the rest. You’re still in control, but with much less time in front of a switch. This harmony between technology and daily routine is our definition of graceful living.
Putting it all together.
With home lighting control, we can adjust the four major qualities of light (switching, dimming, CCT, and color) to best suit the needs of every room and its occupants. And how we can change that light helps us experience more moments uninterrupted, like an elegant keypad with scenes made for family gatherings, or a voice command for turning off the lights at bedtime.
It’s your life, your light.
