This guest post by Cooper Lighting Solutions’ Martin Mercier applauds a new era in “hybrid” lighting control solutions that blend the best strengths of wired and wireless control.

The Lighting Controls Academy is pleased to announce it has updated its popular Education Express course, EE301: Wireless Lighting Controls, now available at NEMA Academy.

In this extraordinary guest post, Cooper Lighting Solutions’ Martin Mercier describes the codes and options that make up emergency lighting and the role for lighting control systems, including wireless.

LightNOW recently published a guest post by Tom Shearer, Commercial Business Development Manager, Lutron Electronics, that makes the case for including lighting controls in upgrade projects, powered by wireless communication.

“The future of commercial lighting is wireless,” writes Lutron’s Chris Udall. “As control systems evolve, smart wireless solutions are redefining what’s possible.”

The DALI Alliance recently unveiled much-anticipated certification details for its wireless specification: DALI+ over Thread.

In September 2023, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) released Bluetooth® NLC, a series of specifications that define roles and responsibilities for common lighting control devices. Bluetooth NLC builds on wireless standards Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) and Bluetooth Mesh to provide full-stack standardization. By ensuring true multivendor interoperability across the control system, the Bluetooth SIG believes this will enable mass adoption of wireless networked lighting controls in commercial buildings, including small and medium-sized as well as large buildings.

Interested in learning more about luminaire-level lighting controls (LLLC)? Check out this webinar based on the Lighting Controls Association’s LLLC course, one of the most popular courses in the organization’s Education Express program.

Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP recently had the opportunity to interview Damon Barnes, Director of Technical Marketing, Bluetooth SIG, Inc. for an article about Bluetooth NLC for an upcoming issue of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. Transcript follows.

Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP recently had the opportunity to interview Stephen Zhou, Executive Vice President, McWong International, about how lighting controls are becoming simpler. Transcript follows.

LightNOW’s David Shiller recently interviewed John Arthur Wilson, a lighting control and utility rebate consultant, about his 2021 market research into wireless lighting controls.

Two of the best investments building owners and corporate tenants can make to improve employee well-being and energy efficiency are automated shading systems and modern LED lighting with advanced wireless controls, says Controlling Comfort and Energy in Offices, a new publication by the New Buildings Institute.

EiKO’s 25-minute on-demand recorded webinar will teach you about the simple, intuitive, and scalable lighting control system: Xi-Fi Wireless Controls.

The Lighting Controls Association (LCA) now offers EE305: Protocols as a new course in its popular Education Express program.

Peter Duine, Global Product Manager for Signify, envisions a future of light in which every luminaire is a Bluetooth beacon.

Bluetooth SIG recently published the 2019 Bluetooth Market Update, its annual report outlining comprehensive updates, trends, and forecasts across Bluetooth markets, from audio to smart home to smart industry, among others.

Early in 2019, ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR conducted a survey developed by Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP to gauge familiarity with major lighting trends, including networked lighting controls and wireless controls. Here are some key findings.

The Lighting Controls Association (LCA) now offers EE301: Wireless Lighting Controls, as a new course in its popular Education Express program.

For input devices and luminaire controllers to interact in many applications, a signal pathway is needed. This may be wiring or, more recently, wireless, with control signals sent through the air. This approach eliminates the need for control wiring, resulting in significant benefits, particularly in existing buildings. Using wireless communication, control devices can communicate as discrete devices or as part of networked systems. Click to read this article by Steve Mesh, LC and Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP.

Craig DiLouie recently interviewed Greg Rhoades, Director of Marketing for Leviton Energy Management Controls & Automation, about voice-controlled lighting

While installing controls in new construction or full-scale remodeling is reasonably straightforward, retrofitting controls into an existing building or space can be somewhat problematic, especially when cutting into walls and ceilings is undesirable. To this end, the first step in assessing an appropriate approach is to establish what the goals of a retrofit are. Pure energy savings gains can be realized with simple ON-OFF controls additions, while inclusion of dimming functionality requires greater investment. Embracing more complex targets, such as inclusion of human factors driven lighting strategies are even more involved.

Controlling plug loads is a natural fit for the lighting controls industry, as the same devices and strategies are used for automatic shutoff of plug loads such as task lighting as for general lighting. This feature article by LCA Education Director Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP looks at energy code requirements, compliance options, and control types.

Guest post by Kevin Willmorth, Lumenique In small- and medium-scale lighting application, wired controls remain the foundation for robust controls system architectures. However, the growth of wireless controls is expanding rapidly, and for good reason. The advantages of wireless controls include the ability to move controls and loads and re-assign control-to-load connections without involvement of [...]

Below is a transcript of an interview Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP conducted with Gary Trott, Vice President, Marketing, Intelligent Lighting, Cree, Inc. for an article developed for tED Magazine. The topic: luminaire-integrated lighting controls. DiLouie: What types of luminaire-integrated controls are available for LED lighting? Trott: As smart technology continues to expand into our workspaces, [...]

In a feature article recently published in ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR, Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP describes the basics of outdoor lighting control, energy code requirements and advanced options such as wireless networks, which can generate unprecedented opportunities for control and information. Check it out here.

Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP recently had the opportunity to interview Manuel Oomen, Senior Director of Product Marketing, Philips Lighting, on the topic of luminaire-integrated lighting controls. DiLouie: What types of luminaire-integrated controls are available for LED lighting? Oomen: For indoor lighting, integrated controls include presence detectors, (day)light sensors and receivers. For outdoor lighting presence detectors [...]

Hubbell Lighting recently introduced SiteSync™ Lighting Control for exterior spaces. SiteSync Lighting Control will replace Beaconnect, recognized by the industry as an innovative technology, having been selected to the 2014 IES Progress Report and securing a PIA award in 2015. The technology is well suited for site / area, auto dealerships, parking, retail, security and [...]

Traditionally, outdoor lighting was automatically turned ON and OFF at the circuit level by an astronomical time switch or photosensor. Energy codes are now promoting power reduction during dusk-to-dawn lighting operation. Coupled with advances in wireless communication and intelligent control, the result is dramatic changes in how outdoor lighting is controlled. New construction Twenty-four states [...]

Given current adoption of commercial building energy codes, conventional wisdom indicates that LED lighting is frequently specified with automatic lighting controls. However, there is little public data available concerning market penetration of LED lighting, how often it is specified as controllable and with lighting controls, owner preferences, and how satisfied specifiers and installers are with [...]

Outdoor lighting controls is undergoing a mini-revolution that offers new design and selling opportunities while challenging electrical professionals to stay on top of technological change. Traditionally, outdoor lighting control was relatively simple. A typical scheme featured a controller providing automatic ON/OFF based on time of day (using an astronomical time switch) or daylight (photosensor). The [...]

With efficacy and service life steadily increasing and costs declining by about 18 percent each year (Memoori, 2014), the LED revolution continues to develop at a rapid pace. LED’s inherent compatibility with digital control, aided by other trends, is setting the stage for the next LED revolution: smart lighting control. Many LED products are sold [...]