In our article we will talk about how to independently make a system for remote control of lighting in the house and on the street. This type is used quite actively not only in residential buildings, but also in offices, in production. The most popular today are control systems made using radio switches. They are placed controllers with remote control lighting, motion detection sensors, computers and even smartphones. Thanks to modern technology, you can control the lighting not only in your apartment, but also on the site, in the country, even if at that moment you will be thousands of kilometers from them. We will talk about some ways to implement such systems in our article.
The advantages of a remote control system
Using Elektrostandard remote control lighting, you can solve several problems at once:
- Save on electricity.
- The whole process of turning on and off the lighting devices in the house will be very comfortable.
- You will create the effect of presence due to the fact that the light will turn on and off from time to time. This will scare off potential robbers.
And now we will pass directly to control systems.
Varieties of systems
There are wired and wireless systems, automatic, manual. It may also be possible to manipulate lighting from devices that operate on the principles of reception and emission of waves of a certain frequency. They can work in the microwave, infrared, radio frequency, sound, voice, ultrasonic ranges. Quite an interesting look - voice, lighting control is done by issuing certain commands. Later in the article we will talk about such a management system. And also we will briefly talk about the device for remote lighting control.
Infrared control
It is worth mentioning that this type of lighting control is rarely used in practice. Typically, such systems operate over the air. But consider this design is still worth it. To manipulate lighting devices with infrared rays, it is necessary to turn on the control unit between the lamp and the power. For example, you can use the BM8049M remote lighting control unit.
With the help of such a simple device, you can turn on or turn off lighting devices even with a simple remote control (for example, from a TV or air conditioning). To turn off, you need to point the remote control at the device and press the appropriate button (any, but not the one that switches the TV channels). After that, the command will be recorded in memory. And when you press the button again, you can turn on or off the light in the room.
Disadvantages of the system on infrared rays
The main disadvantage of such a system is that you need to accurately point the remote control at the receiver, since they can only work within sight. It should also be noted that the beam has a very small range, but this problem, by the way, can be solved with the help of relay settings.
RF systems
Much more widespread are systems that are controlled by remote controls, and the signal is fed at a certain frequency to the controller. The latter allows you to adjust the process of turning on and off the lighting fixtures. Very often, such systems can be found in the design of remote control LED lighting.
The demand for such systems is due to the following:
- Light can be controlled both by remote control and computer, mobile phone.
- The signal has a rather large range - if there are no obstacles, then no more than 100 meters. If any obstacles are present, the radius decreases to 15-20 meters.
- It is possible to install a repeater or signal amplifier to better transmit commands from the control device.
Before you connect a remote lighting control, you need to consider its design. Each such system includes the following components:
- Remote control.
- Accumulator battery.
- A controller for remote lighting control (Y7 or similar), which connects to a household network and a lighting fixture.
You can install the controller in the glass of the chandelier or in the wall. Such a device allows you to control various lamps - incandescent, LED, halogen, fluorescent of any type. It is also allowed to turn on several lamps at the same time. By the same principle, it is possible to organize remote control of street lighting.
Infrared and RF switches
You can meet infrared devices on the market, but they are rare. Radio frequency ones are much more common. The design of the device is quite simple, it contains a signal receiver. Management is made using any remote control, you can even use a television. There is also a function to manually control the system.
Using the radio switch, you can control the lighting devices both manually and from any remote control. But you will need to bind it to the system in order to “train” the controller for remote lighting control. The design of the controller is practically no different from a standard circuit breaker, that is, a switch.
Interact with the lighting devices of the device using a power unit that connects to the load and the AC network. The unit can connect both incandescent and halogen lamps. It is worth paying attention to the fact that halogen lamps must be connected using a ferromagnetic or electronic transformer.
It is also allowed to connect fluorescent lamps. You can position the light switch anywhere that is convenient for you. All power blocks are preferably installed in a junction box, but can be installed in a chandelier glass.
How to use sensors
If you look at the offers of various companies, you can see that a fairly large number of various sensors are used to control lighting equipment. In particular, motion detection sensors allow remote control of lighting fixtures. Most often, motion sensors have infrared emitters. These are devices that close or open the power circuit of lighting devices if an increase in the level of radiation in the infrared range occurs.
When a person enters the field of action, light will turn on. The fact is that the body temperature of a living creature is higher than that of inanimate objects. After a person leaves the operating range of the switching sensor, the light will turn off. As a rule, motion detection sensors are installed in the entrances, as well as above the entrance doors. They are much less common in apartments.
Pros and cons of infrared sensors
The disadvantages include the possibility of a false positive. It is worth noting that the sensor responds to sunlight and warm air. When installed on the street, it will not be able to function normally, since atmospheric precipitation adversely affects it. Also, the device may not work if a person has clothes made of material that does not transmit infrared radiation.
Also, the lighting will turn off continuously after 10-15 seconds after a decrease in human motor activity. But there are advantages. With the help of such devices you can control the energy consumption. You will be able to reduce energy costs. And such devices are quite convenient to use.
How to connect an infrared sensor
In order to connect a motion detection sensor, you just need to use the circuitry that is given in our article. In order to properly implement it, you need a cable with three cores. With its help, the entire control system will be powered from the AC network, as well as connected to the load. Moreover, everything must be connected to the controller for remote lighting control.
Phases must be connected to a similar sensor pin. All neutral conductors must be connected together. The luminaire must be connected to the sensor in phase. Then you need to check the operability of the entire mechanism, for which you will have to apply a supply voltage.
How to choose an infrared sensor
In order to choose an infrared sensor, you need to pay attention to the following parameters:
- The place where the device will be installed. It should be noted that the devices have a different degree of protection - from IP20 to IP55 inclusive. You can also find mounted and built-in appliances. In the apartment it is best to use built-in appliances, while the degree of protection does not matter. But if you need to install the device on the street or in the entrance, it is recommended to pay attention to models that are protected from water and dust. It is advisable that they be mounted on a bracket.
- Range of action. You need to know that infrared sensors can detect a temperature change at a distance of no more than 20 m. In the event that you want to place the device on the street, it must have a large radius of action. If you put the device in the apartment, you do not need this parameter.
- Maximum power of the connected load. Before you purchase a sensor, find out what load you will connect to it. Depending on this, you must select the correct device.
- It is necessary that the vertical viewing angle was up to 20 degrees, and horizontally up to 360, but not less than 60 degrees.
Microwave sensors
It is worth noting that not only infrared sensors are used to control lighting fixtures. Quite often you can find microwave devices that emit and receive electromagnetic waves. As long as there are no obstacles, the device works so that the length and frequency of the waves that are emitted and reflected from all objects in the room are the same.
As soon as a person or other creature enters the coverage area, a change in the parameters occurs, switching of the lighting system circuit is activated. Of the advantages of such sensors, it can be noted that this is a high-precision device, it is able to work perfectly even in bad weather conditions. But there are also disadvantages. These are false positives, high cost, and if the sensors have a very large radius of coverage, then they can harm health.
Ultrasonic Sensors
These devices are similar to those discussed above. A sound wave generator is installed inside, its frequency is not more than 60 kHz. In this case, ultrasound is studied and reflected from all objects that are within the radius of the device. As soon as a person or animal falls within the radius of coverage, there is a change in the sound wave that comes to the sensor.
The device immediately begins to register movement. The disadvantages of such devices are still there. Among them, it is worth noting that they do not always respond to the smooth movement of a person or animal. In addition, they can cause discomfort in pets.
But there is a clear advantage of these devices. You can distinguish low cost, as well as the ability to work with high humidity, large temperature differences, and they also record movements regardless of what material the person’s clothing is made of.
Sound and combined sensors
Sound devices allow you to respond to fast and sudden changes in sound, its level must be established by changing the sensitivity of the sensor. Surely everyone saw how the lighting turned on / off with the help of claps. One of the varieties of the sound sensor is the voice switches of lighting devices.
As for the combined sensors, they combine several technologies at once that allow you to detect movement. In other words, both a microwave sensor and an infrared sensor can be installed in one device. You can find a combination of ultrasonic and microwave, such devices very high quality perform the task that is set before them.
Lighting control
In recent years, you can often find the "smart home" system. It is in them that voice control of lighting devices is present. To do this, voice sensors-switches are installed, which can also be switched by a computer or smartphone. On the latter, you must install a special program.
Voice-type lighting switches can be divided into those that require tuning, as well as those that operate without it. If you need to make settings, you have to train the device for various commands. You give a command, the microcontroller system remembers it. You also indicate what the system should do exactly for this command. If the setting does not need to be done, then this means that the commands are already in the device’s memory, just study the instructions to find out how to control the lighting. Just do not mix up voice commands.