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Smart lighting is becoming easier to control and customise, with wireless technology making it simpler to add useful features to an LED lighting setup. From adjusting brightness and colour temperature to controlling your lighting from a smartphone, there are now more ways to manage how your lights look and behave. Smart lighting can also connect with compatible devices, giving you greater control over how your setup works.

So, what's actually changing in smart lighting, and what does it mean if you're thinking about upgrading your LED lighting? Let's take a look.

More Ways To Control Your Lights

Depending on the system you choose, you might use a handheld remote, a wall-mounted control, a smartphone app or voice commands through a compatible smart home platform. 

WLED's EasiLight range includes different control options for compatible LED lighting. Some products use 2.4GHz wireless control, while selected EasiLight controllers also support smart home connectivity.

You don't necessarily have to reach for your phone every time you want to change your lighting, either. A remote or wall control can make everyday adjustments simple when you're already in the room, while an app or compatible smart home platform can give you control from other devices.

Connectivity Is Getting Simpler

How your smart lighting connects can make a difference to how you control and use it, particularly if you want to connect your lighting to a wider smart home setup.

WLED's EasiLight range uses wireless technologies such as Zigbee and 2.4GHz, giving you different ways to control compatible LED lighting depending on the products you choose.

For example, the EasiLight 5-in-1 Zigbee LED Strip Controller uses Zigbee 3.0 alongside 2.4GHz wireless control, allowing compatible LED tape to be controlled wirelessly and connected to a wider smart lighting setup. If you're using a Zigbee system, you'll also need a compatible EasiLight Zigbee Gateway to connect your Zigbee devices to your Wi-Fi network.

Zigbee is particularly useful when you're building a smart lighting system with multiple compatible devices, allowing your lighting controls and other Zigbee products to communicate wirelessly as part of the same setup. 

The important thing is to check which connectivity your chosen controller supports before buying, as not every smart lighting product uses the same technology or works with the same controls.

What Can Smart Lighting Do?

Smart lighting gives you more control than simply switching your lights on and off. With the right controller and compatible smart home setup, you can automate your lighting and make everyday control much easier.

You can set lights to switch on or off at specific times, adjust brightness or colour temperature throughout the day, create scenes for different settings and control multiple lights together. This allows your lighting to work around your daily routine without having to adjust each light manually.

Smart lighting can also integrate with compatible platforms such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home, allowing you to control supported lighting using voice commands. You could switch your lights on or off, adjust compatible lighting or activate different settings without reaching for a remote or smartphone.

WLED's EasiLight range includes compatible controllers designed to bring smart features to LED tape, with options for single-colour, CCT, RGB, RGBW and RGB+CCT tape. The exact features available will depend on the controller, LED tape and smart home system you choose.

Smart lighting can also become part of a wider smart home setup, allowing compatible devices to work together rather than being controlled separately. 

One Controller Can Do More

Smart controllers are also becoming more versatile, with some products designed to work with several types of LED tape.

WLED's EasiLight 5-in-1 controller, for example, works with single-colour, CCT, RGB, RGBW and RGB+CCT LED tape. This gives you more flexibility when specifying LED tape, as one controller can support different types of lighting depending on the requirements of the project. 

It isn't compatible with Pixel LED Tape, which requires a dedicated Pixel Tape Controller. This is why checking controller compatibility is important before specifying your lighting, particularly when working with different types of LED tape.

So, What's Actually Changing?

Smart lighting is becoming more flexible, with more ways to control your lights, wireless connectivity, automation features and controllers that can work across multiple types of LED tape. 

For anyone specifying or supplying smart LED lighting, the important thing is to look beyond the word “smart” and check how the system connects, how it can be controlled and which LED tape it supports. Checking these details before choosing your products can help you build a setup around your customer's needs while leaving room for future changes.

Need Help Choosing?

WLED can help you find compatible LED tape, controllers and accessories for your smart lighting project.

Get in touch with WLED on 0116 350 1930 or email sales@wled.co.uk, and we'll be happy to help.

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