One of the main reasons why people are increasingly using smart lights in their homes is because of the degree of control and customization that these lights allow. You can change their colour, adjust their dimness, and also control their ON/OFF state remotely. All of these things make for a convenient and stress-free operation that provides different ways in which a person can enrich their experiences around the home.
If you are planning on taking advantage of the convenience that modern lighting technologies provide, it is good to know the different modes of control that these modes make possible. Doing so will enable you to optimize your smart lights in a way that gives you the best benefits in terms of energy savings, convenience, and comfort to both you and your loved ones. Here is what you should know about the different ways you can control your lights.
Manual control
Smart lights can be turned on and off manually. However, this mode of control is not limited to having physical switches. Depending on the mode of transmission that the lights use, they can be operated through an app or by using a remote control. Through these means, you can turn them on, change their color, and adjust their brightness.
Depending on the type of lights that you choose, you will have different options as far as the control range is concerned. Lights that connect over WiFi offer a better range in that they can be controlled almost from anywhere in the world. As for those that use Bluetooth connectivity, you will be limited to about 50 feet. Therefore, this is something that you should definitely consider when choosing smart bulbs for your home.
Scheduled control
You can also control the lighting in your home by using a timer. All you need to do is to program the lights to go on at a particular time and then turn themselves off after a given period.
This mode of control is perfect in cases where you have a set routine. For example, you can program your reading lights to go off a given period after you go to bed. And if you want to avoid coming home to a dark hallway, you can set them to turn themselves on around the time that you usually get back home from work.
Occupancy controls
If you have a lot of rooms in your home, and if these rooms tend to be occasionally used, you can have the smart lights on only when someone is occupying the given rooms. This is something that is made possible by the use of motion sensors. And when these sensors detect motion in the room, they send signals to the smart lights, and this then activates them.
Occupancy controls can be great at helping you to save energy since rooms become lit only when there is a need for the lighting. They can also come in handy in setting moods for particular rooms, but only when the rooms are in use.
Light harvesting
Light harvesting takes a superior approach to lighting control. With this mode of control, the lighting system detects the degree of light already flowing into a room. It then automatically adjusts the brightness of the lights depending on the amount of light already available. With this approach to lighting, the lighting system ensures that a room has enough light at all times, but nothing more. This is great at enhancing comfort. It is also great when it comes to saving energy as it guarantees that energy is only used when it is necessary.
These are the most common modes in which one can control lights in their home. However, it is important to note that modern systems are increasingly taking advantage of artificial intelligence to such an extent that they can learn your behavior and patterns. Since these systems have the ability to connect with other devices like phones, they can essentially predict what your lighting needs and then adjust accordingly.
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