Alok Hada, Director of ATPL is an engineering graduate from MNIT Jaipur (Electronics) who began his career with GE Medical systems in India. After working with GE for 4 years, he went on to do his MBA in marketing from RPI, Troy in New York. His ‘Automation’ career started, post his recruitment by Lutron electronics USA in the sales division in 1997, following which he moved to India in 2000, while continuing to work for Lutron.

Lighting control is gradually becoming the future of what lighting systems will be; being at the forefront of adopting IoT technology, they play a vital role in the lighting industry. With both parallel industries rapidly transforming; until now, the Internet of Things (IoT) has been revolving around the management of devices and attaining access to information that is based on the interests of individuals. With the influx of IoT and the upgrades in lighting technologies, we have witnessed that sensors and lighting automation become an integral component of modern lighting control systems.

In modern urban homes, every member of the family has a different aesthetic taste, living requirement, and outlook. Personalisation has become a major challenge when it comes to lighting and home décor, and people are apprehensive about disrupting their lifestyle for home renovations. However, something as simple as domestic lighting can bring a fresh look at home. The right intensity of lighting can not only help in completing tasks effectively but also affects the emotional state of mind. The right colour can help bring out the best in home furnishing, wall colour, and the overall décor, giving the living space its own personality.

Here’s where smart lighting technology comes into play Apart from being extremely energy efficient and durable, smart lighting systems have become the easiest enablers to meet challenges of home décor. A living room can be turned into a weekend party zone by choosing from the 16 million colour options in a single, smart bulb. A dinner area can be temporarily converted into a study area by increasing the brightness. One can set the appropriate brightness and colour in accordance with the décor, and using the technology that allows connectivity between different smart devices, one can control all the lights from one spot.

Lighting plays a vital role in the advancement of smart buildings due to its existing control capabilities just as its simplicity to install and use. A significant feature of the smart lighting device is that innovative control technology can be incorporated into a solitary luminaire to give a lighting control system in its own right. They can alter individual light levels depending on the occupancy and ambient light in the vicinity of each

luminaire. Thus implies they are intelligent control solutions directly from the purpose of production and help make smart buildings immediately after installation.

Substantial power savings can be achieved by creating adaptive lighting environments. For example, using motion sensors and ambient light sensors, the light intensity can be intelligently controlled to maintain a constant lighting level throughout the office space/ home. The lightning network will not only serve the purpose of smart lighting but also serve as a powerful data channel for passing sensor data and other relevant data to the cloud. Due to its integrated network spanning an entire building, its simple installation and commissioning as well as its ease of use, lighting has a significant advantage over other controls technology and makes it a logical choice as the backbone of a smart building.

Smart lighting is the mix of IoT technology and lighting installations, designed to improve the proficiency and the management of devices. The essentials of smart lighting include comprehension of basic lighting control frameworks and the operation of sensors. They can fundamentally impact the consumption of energy by using fixtures that detect the presence of the users and illuminate only when required.

Smart lighting is the mix of IoT technology and lighting installations, designed to improve the proficiency and the management of devices

The major technology behind smart connected homes is IoT. Smart lighting offers convenience, control and comfort in many ways; such as a change in colour if it starts to rain to set the right mood or a light pulse to replace the doorbell when the children are asleep. The possibilities are endless. Smart LED bulbs and switches connect to Wi-Fi and other apps, which enable button and voice controls for the positioning, brightness, warmth and colour of connected bulbs. Lighting products and IoT are becoming ubiquitous across the digital fabric of our lives, and with smart lighting coming to the fore, realisation and unlocking the potential of smart automation across residential and commercial domains is extensive. Even though smart lighting works on a reasonably basic operational model, it involves a large volume of sensors, controls and a central system that is responsible for the operation of this technology. Dimmers, sensors and timers have become essential aspects of lighting design.

Lighting will remain at the very heart of smart networking solutions for buildings and homes. Investing in smart lighting can be a great way to manage all your lighting controls and sensors. A smart system allows you to manage all of your connected lighting from any of your smart devices, adjusting lighting schedules and sensor functions as needed. With talks of the need to become more energy-efficient, lighting automation would save energy and increase the life of your light bulb, so that they are friendlier to the environment and your pocket. Lighting control is expected to be the next big thing.