Tunable lighting is a subject that’s seen a lot of ink over the past several years, specifically, the potential benefits of illumination that mirrors the circadian rhythms that affect our sleep/wake (and work and “wind-down”) cycles. Crestron has recently added more features to our “human-centric lighting” offerings within the Crestron Home products portfolio.

As we’ve built the Crestron Home platform, something that’s been top of mind has been developing the most intuitive sets of controls that we could create — both for the end-user and the dealer/integrator who’s handling setup. This is especially true when it comes to lighting. We’ve been very mindful of ensuring that every control is extremely easy to navigate, that individual fixtures can be added or removed from the circadian curve (or any other programmed scene, for that matter), and that settings for a single room — or even a single fixture — can be pushed out globally to the rest of the project.

In addition to some of the default scenes that one finds in the Crestron Home platform, our circadian curve allows for customization throughout the day. For example, brightness may need to be adjusted along with color temperature. Imagine a fairly warm glow in one’s bathroom at 6 a.m. — most end-users wouldn’t want the bulb over the mirror to flip on at 100% first thing in the morning, and a simple command in the app allows instant adjustment.

There are many situations where the curves of circadian color temperatures, from warm to cool and back to sunset hues, aren’t needed throughout an entire residence. For instance, it would be completely counterproductive to have a fixture that is illuminating a painting change temperature throughout the day. With a simple command, the platform allows that single luminaire to retain consistent settings, independent from the rest of the home.

There’s another aspect of the technology that’s proven extraordinarily popular: the Crestron SolarSync system. By deploying sensors in areas where they’ll receive full sunlight, any fixtures inside the home linked to the system will mirror the light outdoors. For those who live in colder climates, the sensors are outfitted with a small heater that defeats the build-up of ice, and they also include built-in protection against the flash of a lightning bolt.

While basic settings are easily adjusted inside the Crestron Home app, advanced functions can also be password protected.

Regarding setup, Crestron has taken pains to ensure that all programming can be performed in advance, off-site. Other features, such as the “preview” function, which allows a 30-second run through of the programmed day, make for an excellent way to both check one’s work and provide a nice client demo.

All of this functionality applies to both Crestron-made fixtures and devices manufactured by the company’s lighting partners, and we’ll have much more info on that in the months ahead.

Jason Oster is Crestron's director of product management, residential solutions.

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