Outdoor lighting is a great way to enhance the curb appeal of your home and property, pool area, back yard, summer kitchen, driveway, etc. There are many possibilities and, with the many types of lights and ways they can be used and installed, the possibilities really are endless and limited only by imagination. Not only can lighting make these areas and features of a home or property look great, they also instantly make the home and property more secure, with strong statistical data showing that criminal activity is much less likely to occur in a well-illuminated home or property. Outdoor lighting has come a long way over the years and now color-changing outdoor lighting is more attainable than ever.
There are many ways to illuminate a home with color-changing lights today and it can be a challenge to decide what is best for you and what should be taken into account when deciding which color-changing lights will be the best fit. There are integrated lights and drop-in lamps that have color-changing technology. Additionally, each of these types of lights come with three types of control technologies: Bluetooth, wifi, and remote control. Each has benefits and drawbacks so it is very useful to consider the different factors that are involved when deciding which can be best for you.
Beginning with the different technologies is a good place to start the conversation. The simplest and cheapest technology for color-changing lights is remote control technology. This is where the fixture is integrated and comes with a remote control with several buttons and settings for changing colors, with some lights having the ability to display color-changing scenes. With these fixtures, you simply install them like any other fixture and use the remote control to control that individual fixture. These fixtures have a few different colors to choose from, usually between 6 and 15, and sometimes can have the ability to transition from one color to another, either by fading or jumping from one color to the next. These are the simplest to install, simplest to use, and generally most reliable fixtures and technology. They are generally also the most economical in price. The drawbacks are that they cannot be controlled in any other way than with the remote while standing close to the fixture and the fact that there is no customization possible. You can only display the colors and settings that are available on the remote. You must also individually change the settings of each fixture.
Next, we have blue-tooth-controlled fixtures and lamps. These are integrated fixtures(light-emitting source is built in to the fixtures and there are no lamps to change or reason to open the fixture). We also have lamps that can be installed into any fixture that works the same way, via Bluetooth. With this technology, you need to download an app from the playstore or apple store in order to communicate with the fixture or lamp. You will use the phone’s Bluetooth technology to communicate with the light in the app. This opens up more possibilities and generally allows for almost endless customization. Depending on the manufacturer, you are able to have a fully customized color that you are able to generate from a color wheel, you can choose simple, pre-set colors, or you can have standard white or amber colors that you generally see in non-color-changing lights. The possibilities don’t end there. You can have scenes with 2 or more color combinations and you can choose how the colors transition, how fast they transition, how bright or how dim the light will be, as well as other possibilities, depending on manufacturer. The obvious benefit to these fixtures is customization and controls. As long as you are in range of the fixture or lamp(will vary on many factors such as fixture style and material, your phone’s Bluetooth capabilities, and the app and technology of the manufacturer) you are able to reliably control the light. You can also control two or more lights at once and, if you buy an accessory that improves range(such as a Bluetooth antenna) you can control entire zones. The drawbacks here are slightly less reliability as Bluetooth technology is good these days but sometimes you may have trouble communicating with one or more fixtures and it can be frustrating if this happens. In addition, you must once again physically be in range of the fixture, although this is a larger range that a physical, separate remote, in general.
The last technology that we will discuss for color-changing outdoor lighting is wifi. These fixtures and lamps function almost identically as Bluetooth. They generally have the same features, options and possibilities. However, you can generally have even more control of these lights than even Bluetooth. One additional common feature is the ability to have timer controls on the individual fixtures or lamps. This means that you can turn each fixture or lamp on or off and even set times for when each individual fixture comes on and off. You can eliminate a timer for your lighting system by having this technology. This is the most customizable technology. The advantage here is that you can be anywhere in the world and control your lights to the fullest degree, so long as you have access to the internet. The key with these lights is wifi signal. You must install these fixtures in an area with a decent wifi signal or else they will work sporadically or not at all. In general, these work best when installed close to the house or close to a router antenna. However, you can always boost range with a range extender, just like with Bluetooth lights. Another factor to consider is wifi traffic. If you have a smart home and have a lot of wifi traffic such as appliances and other wifi devices, cameras, tablets, gaming systems, etc., you may have congestion of signals or slowdowns, rendering the lights and/or other devices not communicating properly with control inputs. The lights will function fine, but communication when trying to change colors, for instance, may be problematic. The best thing to do here is consult a wifi specialist to determine if your wifi systems are able to handle the additional traffic or if there is a need for an upgrade or change to the wifi equipment.
In conclusion, it may seem overwhelming when looking to illuminate your home, business. or property with color-changing lights. While difficult for the average person to do on their own, it is absolutely possible. If you are looking to do it yourself, remote controlled lights are going to be the best bet. Just keep in mind that the options and features here will be limited. If you would like to have a customizable system, consulting a professional, such as Pro Lighting Outdoors, is likely the best option. This will save you lots of time and aggravation. In the long run, you will spend more time enjoying your lights and less time troubleshooting them. When you are ready to talk about color-changing lights for you, call Pro Lighting Outdoors for a free consultation that can save you a lot of time and end up with a beautiful lighting system.
Call the Pros at Pro Lighting Outdoors
At Pro Lighting Outdoors, our goal is to create the absolute best landscape lighting system designs at the best value. Whether you are looking to illuminate your home, backyard, pool area, driveway, or dock, we can create the most unique designs in St. Augustine and Jacksonville, Florida. We stand behind our products and we value our customers. We do not take payment unless and until you are 100% satisfied. We also have a policy that we will beat any comparable quote from a licensed and insured company for comparable products. You will meet and deal with the owner of the company, Sebastian. His focus is to create the best systems for you and make sure you are happy. Contact Pro Lighting Outdoors today to schedule a free consultation and outdoor lighting quote!