Discover how smart lighting can improve your smart home

This blog post explains everything you need to know and provides some smart tips for the lighting in your home.

What is smart lighting?

In short, smart lighting is lighting in the home that can be controlled from an app on your smartphone. In some cases a remote control can also be used, but the app usually offers more functions.

For example, you can create rooms that correspond to those in your home. Your smart light sources are then specified in the virtual rooms in the app, and can be switched on, off, or dimmed. It’s also possible to schedule when a selected light source should be switched on or off, such as when the sun goes down or rises.

If you want access to more functions, you can also add smart sensors in the home that can interact with the lighting. For example, a motion sensor can turn on the lighting when you enter a room.

How do I get started with smart lighting?

The easiest way to get going with smart lighting is to buy a starter kit such as those available from Philips Hue, for example. These often contain one or more light sources for the home, typically with sockets of the type E27 or GU10. In some cases E14 type sockets may be included. The starter package sometimes includes a remote control too.

The most important thing in the starter kit is the hub or gateway to which the light sources are connected wirelessly during installation. This hub or gateway acts as the brain of the system, and is usually connected to your home router via a cable. You simply screw the smart light bulbs into the selected fixtures in your home, connect to the hub or gateway, and can then control the lights through an app on your mobile phone.

There are different types of gateways, hubs or controllers for the smart home. Choosing the right one depends on the level of functionality you’re looking for. If you just want to control lighting, you can choose one that only supports this. If you have other smart products in the home – such as sun shades with an internal motor – then a more advanced control system may be the way forward. The TaHoma switch from Somfy, for example, ensures that your lighting works in tandem with your sunshades – for an all-round smarter home.

What improvements will I experience with smart lighting?

Investing in smart lighting brings many improvements in the home. In addition to the increased convenience of being able to control the lighting from your smartphone, you also save time. Programming lighting to be switched on or off at hours that suit everyone in the household means nobody needs to walk around doing it manually.
Another advantage is that smart lighting can be used to give the impression that a home is occupied even when nobody is there. Programming the lighting to turn on and off at different times – and in selected rooms – makes it look as though somebody is home, which helps to deter intruders.

If you choose to use sensors, these can turn on the lighting when you enter a room – making it comfortable and welcoming. Sensors can also turn off the lighting when there is nobody in the room. In this way your lights are not left burning unnecessarily, which means reduced electricity bills. It’s better for the environment as well as for your wallet!

Another option is to place a sensor at the front door to turn on the lighting in the hall. This is convenient for when your hands are busy with grocery bags, small children or pets.  Smart lighting is also practical in the middle of the night, as sensors can turn on low lighting when someone visits the bathroom – reducing the risk of tripping and falling. This is especially important for toddlers and elderly people.

If you have a smart speaker at home with a built-in voice assistant, you can control your smart lighting that way too. From the comfort of your sofa, just issue a voice command to turn on the lights as someone comes home. When it’s time for movie night with the family, simply say "start movie scene.” This will dim some specified light sources and turn off others, while also automatically drawing the curtains or lowering the blinds. All you have to do is bring out the popcorn!