Page 61 - Lighting Magazine March 2019

EACH APPROACH HAS ITS PROS AND CONS.
SMARTER HOMES BIGGER SALES
out, “I’m 26 years old and the fourth generation in the lighting showroom business. I started the IoT department here a er seeing a need for it.”
The lesson for other showrooms may be to des- ignate a de ned retail oor space for the category, make an inventory budget, and let a member of the younger generation take the lead. According to Fleischer, it was critical to:
➥ Train all of the salespeople and electrical desk sta
➥ Create a consumer display showing how a hub works
➥ Partner with major IoT suppliers
➥ Emphasize the convenience and security
bene ts to customers
“Home security is an important concern for many
customers — especially women,” Fleischer notes. “Smart lights can be turned on remotely, before the resident gets home at night. Cameras can also be integrated, like the Nest or Ring doorbell and cameras.”
She adds, “Legrand o ers scene presets that au- tomatically time the lights to turn on at sunset and o at sunrise using an astronomical clock. Bond is another great product that turns any RF ceiling fan into a smart fan that is controlled by a phone app.”
Hermitage sells smart appliances as well. “A smart oven can preheat by remote command, and a consumer can see into their smart refrigerator with an app while shopping at the grocery store,” Fleischer states.
EYE ON IoT
Where to pUt it
One of the big questions in smart homes is where to put the “smarts?” The radio and computer chips that create smart wireless devices can be placed into a portable lamp or ceiling/wall xture, built into a control, or added to a socket/socket adaptor. Any of these solutions allow devices to be controlled via a smartphone app.
Which approach is be er? Fleischer shares, “I o en recommend smart switches over smart bulbs because smart switches control the whole circuit, not just one bulb at a time. Smart socket adapt- ers are lower cost and more exible/movable than hardwired smart sockets.”
VoiCe assistants
A very important trend in smart homes is the rise of voice-activated digital assistants. Currently, this fast-growing market is dominated by three giants: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit. In many ways, these voice assistants are becoming standard in smart homes, and many connected de- vices are rapidly becoming compatible with one or more of these voice assistants. This compatibility is something that showrooms should look for in smart lighting products and smart lighting controls.
existinG homes Vs. neW homes
Digital voice assistants are a good way to bring IoT control into existing homes. In new home construc- tion, more comprehensive systems can be installed,
PROS
CONS
SMART LAMP OR FIXTURE
Smart lamps can upgrade existing xtures, without wiring. Smart xtures can integrate cameras and sensors for more functions.
Smart xtures require wiring installation.
SMART CONTROL
Can control an entire circuit of lights, rather than one bulb or xture at a time. Converts existing lighting to smart lighting.
Smart controls require wiring installation.
SMART SOCKET/ADAPTER
Allows remote control of any legacy non-smart device with a plug.
Not applicable for hardwired devices, such as most lighting xtures.
March 2019 | enLIGHTenment Magazine 57