What is Smart Lighting?

Smart lighting is a type of home automation system that allows you to control the lights in your home using a smart hub and your phone, computer or tablet. You can switch them on/off, dim them and change their color temperature. You can even time your lights to turn on and off while you’re away from home.

Use smart bulbs to correct a color temperature

Color temperature is measured in Kelvins (K), and it has to do with the balance of blue and red wavelengths in an object’s light. The higher the number of Kelvins, the cooler the color. For example, a candle flame has a low Kelvin rating of 1,000 K—it looks orange. Meanwhile, the sun shines at around 5800 K—it looks white or yellowish-white.

When you’re deciding on your ideal color temperature for your space, consider all sources of light: incandescent bulbs emit warmth; LED lights tend to be less warm or cool; fluorescent lamps emit coolness. Once you’ve decided on which type of bulb you want to use most often in a room and want to ensure good lighting quality over longevity (which should happen first), then consider its color temperature relative to those other sources of light in that space.

Create a music-based light show

You can use music-based lighting to create a light show for your home. The Philips Hue app allows you to sync your lights with music from your smartphone, tablet or computer. For example, if you’re listening to Christmas music in December and want your lights to match the mood of that particular time of year, then choose a color temperature that corresponds with what’s happening in that month. Or if you play songs at different times of the day, try using lights with different colors so they’re not all on at once when they shouldn’t be (for example: waking up during sleep).

Turn your lights on and off automatically based on motion detection

You can also set up your lights to turn on and off automatically based on motion detection. For example, you could have the lights turn on when you walk into a room, or off again when you leave. You can also set up timers so that they’ll turn on at a specific time every day, or schedule them to turn off at a specific time in the evening.

Dim your lights down low when you’re watching a movie

At the end of a long day, it’s nice to sit back and relax with some good old-fashioned entertainment. But if you’re watching your favorite movie in a room that’s lit up like daytime, then the mood is ruined. That’s why many smart home lighting systems will automatically dim down low when you’re watching a movie or show, so that it feels like evening outside even when it’s not.

Time your lights to turn on and off while you’re away from home

This can be done with a few different smart lighting systems. The first is using the Amazon Echo Plus, which allows you to set up your lights and control them by voice.

Another way is with Philips Hue bulbs, which use a mobile app to turn on or off any of the lights in your home remotely. You can also set timers for when they should turn on and off while you’re away from home.

Finally, SmartThings makes it easy to control them via their mobile app or with Alexa-enabled devices like the Echo Dot or Fire TV Cube remote controls.

Smart lighting systems use Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Z-Wave or Bluetooth to communicate with your smart hub.

The most common wireless technology used for smart lighting is Wi-Fi, which is fast and reliable. For example, if you’re using Philips Hue lights with your Google Home speaker, they’ll be able to communicate with each other over your Wi-Fi network.

ZigBee and Z-Wave are also common wireless technologies used for smart lights. They’re both based on the same technology as Bluetooth, but they have longer ranges and can communicate directly with each other without needing a hub or router (like ZigBee does).

If you want to use ZigBee or Z-Wave in your home’s lighting system instead of Wi-Fi, then you’ll need two different smart hubs: one that connects via ZigBee or Z-Wave to the light switches/dimmers in each room; and another hub connected wirelessly through Wi-Fi.

The benefits of smart home lighting

• Convenience
• Energy savings
• Safety and security, including:
• Control over who accesses your home.
• Alerts when you forget to lock the door.
• Ability to control your lights from anywhere in the world, even if you’re sleeping or away from home.

You can control your lights by switching them on/off, dimming them and changing the color temperature.

You can also use a smart hub to turn your lights on or off using your smartphone.

Voice commands are good for when you’re in another room and don’t have time to get out of bed, but they’re not as reliable as a remote control or app because there’s no way of knowing who is speaking when everyone else is asleep in their rooms down the hall.

Smart lighting gives you more control over the mood in your house.

You can also change the color temperature and brightness of your lights. This is great for creating different moods, whether it’s a warm and cozy feeling or something more modern. When you dim the lights, they can help create that romantic atmosphere that everyone wants to have in their home.

Finally, smart lighting lets you easily control your lights remotely—you don’t even have to be in the room for this! You can turn them on or off from anywhere with an internet connection and an app on your phone or tablet. You may also be able to set timers so that they come on automatically when it gets dark outside, which makes life much easier if you forget to turn them off when leaving the house during daylight hours (which happens all too often!).

Smart lighting systems can also be integrated into other smart home systems using IFTTT recipes, including Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

These integrations allow you to control your lights with voice commands from these devices, as well as from a mobile app.

Smart light bulbs and some types of smart switches work with either single pole or three-way wiring configurations, but many others require single pole wiring only.

• Single pole wiring configurations use either a single light switch or a dimmer to control one set of lights, such as a lamp.
• Three-way wiring configurations are used to control two groups of lights from one location, such as the living room and dining room. Each group has its own light switch that operates independently from each other but both groups are controlled from one location—the three-way switch.
• Smart light bulbs and some types of smart switches work with either single pole or three-way wiring configurations, but many others require single pole wiring only.

Installations for most smart switches are relatively easy; however, some require neutral wires or wire splicing, which may require hiring an electrician.

If you’re planning on installing smart switches, you’ll need to hire a professional electrician for more complicated installations. The good news is that most smart switches are easy to install yourself; however, some require neutral wires or wire splicing, which may require hiring an electrician.

The most common installation involves replacing your existing switch with a connected dimmer or switch—no wiring required! Because these devices connect directly to your Wi-Fi network through a hub (typically included), they can be controlled from anywhere using the Smarthings app on your smartphone or tablet. The only thing left to do is remove the old fixture and screw in the new one!

How much you spend on a smart lighting system will depend on the number of fixtures you need to convert to smart and whether you’re able to do the installation yourself.

If you can do the installation yourself, it will be cheaper than if an electrician is required. It’s also cheaper if you need fewer new fixtures than if all of your current lights have to be replaced.

The cost per fixture ranges from $50-$100, but there are several factors that can affect this price:

• The type of light fixture(s) in question—an LED bulb for example
• The number of bulbs needed to complete the conversion (most kits come with two bulbs).

Bottom Line

Smart lighting is a great way to make your home more automated, but it can be expensive and complicated to install. However, if you’re willing to spend some money upfront on the right equipment and hire an electrician if necessary, smart home lighting can make life so much easier.