Smart Lights

Smart lights have been on the rise in the past years. They offer a customisability which we could only dream of in the days of the good old light bulb.

Unzählige Möglichkeiten

Es gibt unzählige intelligente Beleuchtungslösungen, von denen die meisten nicht so intelligent sind, wie sie vorgeben zu sein, aber fangen wir von vorne an.

Zwei wichtige Dinge entscheiden darüber, wie viel Sie mit Ihren intelligenten Lampen machen können - ihre Hardware-Fähigkeiten und die dazugehörige Software, die es Ihnen ermöglicht, diese theoretischen Fähigkeiten wirklich zu nutzen.

Was bei der Hardware zu beachten ist

  • Fitting and form factor
    Next to the maximum brightness, the form factor often gets neglected. It makes all the difference if you have to look directly into a tiny light bulb to get your desired bright light intensity or if you have a big diffuse panel your eyes have no problem looking at directly. We recommend indirect lighting for most use cases, especially in the evening.
  • Light spectrum & color accuracy
    Almost all smart lights are based on LED technology, which traditionally has a suboptimal light spectrum. This can lead to fatigue and unnatural colors. More suppliers now share their “CRI” value, which indicates how closely the light imitates the real sunlight spectrum. A value above CRI 90 is considered good quality.
  • Light temperature
    Many smart lights can change the temperature of their lights. Look for keywords like “tunable white,” “CCT (correlated color temperature),” or “HCL (human-centric lighting).” Anything around or beneath 3000K is considered warm white, and anything above 5000K is cold white (sunlight is about 5600K). Use warm white in the evening (at minimum brightness) and cold white in the morning.
  • Maximum and minimum brightness
    The maximum light output is measured in lumens (lm). Many people focus on brightness while neglecting dimming capabilities. Some light controllers only offer fixed dimming steps, while others start off too bright. A good range for a light bulb would be 1 – 1500 lm, replacing a 100W incandescent bulb.
  • Ecosystem expandability
    We prefer systems that allow continued use of normal wall switches. Look for products that work with “Alexa” or “Google Home” to ensure compatibility with home automation systems.

Worauf ist bei der Software zu achten?

  • Automatic dimming during the day
    This concept, called “human-centric lighting (HCL),” mimics natural light changes. HCL provides bright, cold light in the morning and automatically dims to a soft warm white in the evening.
  • Light alarm clock feature
    Imagine waking up to a brightly lit house—this makes getting out of bed easier. Many suppliers offer this feature, and DIY methods are also available.

Insgesamt ist die Philips Hue-Ökosystem covers most use cases. It is easy to integrate, offers robust software, and works with smart home control systems (e.g., Alexa, Google Assistant). However, it currently lacks a strong HCL implementation.

For a more affordable option, the MiLight Brand offers a variety of lights with specs similar to Philips Hue.