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Text: Alok Hada, Director, Anusha Technovision Pvt. Ltd. , Mumbai

Smart lighting control has now become an integral part of the lighting industry, which involves IoT technology in modern homes. Today, lighting controls can be adjusted to achieve the right ambience and replacing switchboards with a custom-engraved keypad. They save energy, which further garners interest in the buyer’s mind.

The term ‘automation’ refers to ‘control’, such a light dimmer that can be adjusted to change the intensity of light in a room. The dimmer has an automatic user interface, such as a keypad or a touchscreen, which comprises an automatic lighting control system. Speaking of the Internet of Things (IoT), it involves using the internet to switch, adjust and switch off the lighting – and can be extended to any electrical appliance.

Over the years, there have been several changes in the lighting control system – incandescent, halogen, fluorescent, neon and cold cathode. The light-dimming segment needed a change, as the conventional TRIAC dimming did not meet the current needs of technology and electricity. As a result, several brands started manufacturing LED lights that could be dimmed.

Wireless technology such as Z-wave, Zigbee and RF control wireless lighting, along with voice-activated devices such as Google Home and Alexa. As a result, smartphones are today the most common user interfaces to control devices at home. Human-centric lighting that imitates color and temperature based upon the time of the day, is designed to suit the human body’s circadian rhythm. Here’s how you can choose the right technology, vendor and OEM for automated lighting at home:

• Choose a brand with at least five years of experience in lighting controls and home automation
• Choose what’s important: where do you need automation? How much? Are security, videos and audio systems part of the automation?
• Choose a functional user interface, and ask for custom engravings on the buttons. Choose exactly what you need, never give in to the latest technological trends.

Automated lighting controls at homes offer several benefits to modern homeowners, but we must believe in the ease of use and reliability when choosing an option.