Thomas Edison’s invention of the incandescent electric lightbulb in 1879 was groundbreaking, yet early innovators like Edison would not have comprehended just how far the lighting industry would come by the 21st Century.
Lighting has outgrown its original utilitarian purpose. Lighting fixtures can now be used to enhance a healthy lifestyle, create unique environments for both residential and commercial properties, strengthen brand identities, take Marketing of retail buildings to another level, and much more. Lighting has become an essential aspect of interior and exterior design - for buildings and for landscapes.
It’s not just how lighting fixtures can be used that’s changing either, it’s the technology that’s behind them. Low voltage lighting technology is now giving both residential property owners, specifiers and AV integrators more control over their environments through lighting.
What is low voltage lighting and how does it work?
LED lighting fixtures have led the transition to low voltage lighting, but what actually is low voltage lighting and how does it work?
Unlike traditional lighting fixtures which are powered by line voltage that runs throughout a property and powers the fixtures with 120v copper wires, low voltage lighting powers lighting fixtures with nothing more than CAT 6 network wires or speaker wires.
In this set up, luminaires are powered and controlled from an enclosure over a CAT 6 cable that powers the fixture on 48 volts. Lighting fixtures are then operated from wall keypads or remotely from any smart device, with the end-user having complete control over the color and brightness of their luminaires.
Here at Colorbeam, our low voltage lighting technology uses a panelized lighting solution that houses the low voltage electronics and our innovative GATEway processor. This processor provides users with the ability to deliver flawless, flicker-free dimming and complete control over the temperature of their luminaires.
Low voltage is enabling new lighting opportunities
Low voltage lighting is an innovative new infrastructure that’s driving smarter, more efficient and more controllable lighting solutions for both residential and commercial properties. Colorbeam’s GATEway processor is driving new innovations in human-centric lighting, the tunability of light, mood setting and flicker-free dimming.
Here’s how, with Colorbeam technology, low voltage lighting infrastructure is creating new opportunities in lighting.
Complete tunability: Low voltage lighting gives you complete control over your fixtures, allowing you to tune the temperature, warmth and brightness of your luminaires to the exact environment that you are trying to create at any given time.
Flicker-free dimming: Through the use of Colorbeam’s GATEway processor, your lighting fixtures can be dimmed perfectly to zero, flicker free.
Seamless control: Colorbeam has unparalleled compatibility to third-party lighting control manufacturers, allowing you to change your lighting environment when and how you want.
Which environments can low voltage lighting be used?
Due to its easy installation and the complete control it gives over lighting fixtures once installed, low voltage lighting can be used in a huge range of applications to either improve a person’s lifestyle or enhance a business.
Here are just a few of the top environments our low voltage lighting systems have been integrated into with great success.
Residential
Low voltage lighting gives residential homeowners the opportunity to personalize their homes like never before. They are now able to completely control their lighting fixtures depending on their mood and what environment they want to transform their spaces into.
Not only that, but low voltage lighting also has human-centric lighting applications. Colorbeam’s patented DMX processor and CIRCADIAN LIGHTING APPLICATION work in tandem to continually transition the light emitted by luminares to best replicate the color of the sun at any given time. This has health and wellness benefits for homeowners.
Hospitality
The hospitality industry - whether a hotel, restaurant or bar - is all about creating memorable experiences. The better the experiences you create, the more likely it is that you’ll receive great reviews, retain existing customers and attract new clientele through your doors.
Hospitality business owners now have complete control over that environment with low voltage lighting solutions. Interior low voltage lighting allows for the endless transformation of space to driver customer satisfaction, while exterior low voltage lighting can be used to strengthen your brand identity and entice passers-by into your business.
Commercial
Want to transform commercial spaces in a press of a button? Low voltage lighting can help you do just that, and, as a result, help you to better attract, engage, and retain customers through experiential lighting implementation.
With low voltage lighting and Colorbeam’s GATEway processor you can create and deliver endless scenes with colors and tunable white light that transform your commercial space into a more dynamic one.
Want to learn more about low voltage lighting, how it works, and how it can be used for your specific application? Contact Colorbeam today. We have 25 years’ of experience in the AV low voltage technology industry, and our experts are at the forefront of technological developments in the lighting industry.
