Controls

  By Allana Wooley, User Experience Lead, Lutron When you think about lighting control, your first instinct may be to picture a physical interface – a wall switch or touchscreen – but today’s smart lighting solutions go well beyond traditional fixture and control aesthetics to holistically manage daylight, support occupant comfort, optimize energy use, and [...]

  Contemporary water feature lighting merges art and technology to create immersive outdoor and architectural experiences. In 2025, designers are using dynamic lighting systems to enhance fountains, waterfalls, ponds, and interactive public installations, emphasizing both ecological sensitivity and emotional impact. The focus has shifted from static illumination to dynamic scenes that translate the character of [...]

  New research from KPMG reveals that artificial intelligence (AI) systems have the potential to reduce energy waste in buildings by up to 30%, significantly improving energy efficiency and supporting sustainability goals. This is particularly important as buildings contribute roughly 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and with urban populations expected to reach 70% by [...]

  Smart switches are rapidly gaining favor over smart lamps (bulbs) as the preferred technology for home lighting automation, thanks to their superior reliability, cost-effectiveness, and integration with daily routines. Unlike smart lamps—which lose their “smart” capabilities when a physical wall switch is turned off—smart switches control the entire circuit, ensuring lights remain responsive to [...]

  Facial recognition technology (FRT) is rapidly transforming the smart home landscape, integrating advanced security, convenience, and personalization into daily life, but not without risks. By leveraging sophisticated edge computing—the local processing of biometric data—modern smart home systems offer instant, hands-free access, personalized user profiles, and intelligent monitoring, all while aiming to balance privacy with [...]

mwConnect and Network Thermostat (NetX) have announced a strategic partnership designed to streamline HVAC integration into networked lighting control (NLC) platforms, to simplify and unify building automation for commercial facilities. This collaboration leverages the strengths of each company—mwConnect’s award-winning expertise in wireless mesh technology and NetX’s established track record providing scalable smart thermostat control for [...]

By Chelsea Till, North American Hospitality Manager, Lutron Electronics In the luxury hospitality market, the guest experience is paramount. Whether visitors are checking in for an extended stay, having a quick drink with a colleague at the bar, or enjoying a special dinner with family and friends, every brand wants that experience to be uniquely [...]

  Sengled, once a prominent name in smart lighting, is facing significant turmoil, as of Summer, 2025: Critical outages: Starting in June and recurring through July, Sengled’s Wi-Fi-enabled smart bulbs and app suffered major outages, leaving users unable to control their lights via the Sengled app, Alexa, or Google Home. Complaints flooded forums as users [...]

  By Tom Shearer, Commercial Business Development Manager, Lutron Electronics New commercial construction projects easily capture our interest and attention. For many lighting professionals, the bigger opportunity lies in the billions of square feet of existing commercial office space. However, retrofit projects present a substantial market opportunity and a complex technical challenge. Wireless lighting control [...]