Lighting and Control
The Crestron Home® OS can control outdoor lighting just as easily as its indoor counterparts. Getting control from point A to point B — from, say, the homeowner’s smartphone to an all-weather luminaire — is easy, even in the trickiest situations. Crestron Zūm® Wireless lighting is a terrific example of a solution that’s ready for getting lighting control wherever a designer might need it: It’s a scalable system that connects devices over a secure network. The system can handle literally thousands of devices all connecting back to a central location, or run them as standalone zones, room by room — or patio and pool. Crestron integrates with a wide range of lighting solutions, including accent lighting, ambient mood lighting, lighting for water features, walkway illumination, security and emergency lighting, and more. It’s all programmable and easily automated. “You can even sync lights to music with the right programmer handling the integration,” notes Sutton.
If you’re deploying a Crestron control system indoors, it’s a simple matter to add that control to outdoor spaces. “Because it’s all part of the Crestron ecosystem, the user interface will remain consistent across every space, indoors and out,” says Sutton. A terrific illustration of all of this can be found in the Crestron case study mentioned above, the Jones Residence in Hawaii:
Utilizing the full sandbox of programming options from Crestron, a variety of subsystems, including lighting, shading, climate control, security, audio, and pool control, were easily integrated into a unified Crestron touch screen interface. This enables the homeowners to tackle several actions, including customizing their lighting preferences or being notified of security issues. Additionally, the system offers remote monitoring and automatic network optimization.
Outdoor entertaining isn’t just a tropical phenomenon, however — demand for pool and patio spaces has been growing everywhere. After all, those who live in “four seasons” regions want to take full advantage of those zones whenever possible, and outdoor heating solutions can stretch that window. “Mix in some of the other tech solutions — everything from fire suppression to automated awnings — and outdoor living can be as safe and comfortable as any indoor living room,” says Sutton.