Smart lighting control requires collaboration

From Lighting Consultation to System Integration

The role of lighting is shifting further and further away from fixtures toward control and integration. For Unifit, this meant a significant change in its operations. The company now focuses largely on Casambi-based solutions, ranging from consulting and training to technical support and project management.

“About ninety percent of our work now involves Casambi,” says Louk Blok. “We were early adopters as a sales partner and have witnessed that development up close.” Colien Snaak adds: “We started providing lighting consulting services over thirty years ago. It was always about how light works in a space and what you want to achieve with it. Building on that foundation, we’ve gradually expanded into lighting control.”

According to Blok and Snaak, market demand has also changed. “More and more often, the focus is on existing buildings that need to be made more sustainable,” says Snaak. “In those cases, you want to switch to energy-efficient lighting without major structural modifications.”

Less cabling

Casambi operates via a Bluetooth mesh network, in which components communicate with one another. “That means you need much less infrastructure,” says Blok. “Modules pass information to one another and store programming within the network. As long as there’s power, the system keeps working.”

According to Unifit, this offers clear advantages for renovation projects. “With traditional lighting control systems, it was often necessary to install additional wiring,” says Snaak. “With Casambi, you can work much more easily. You don’t have to break open ceilings or replace entire systems.” The company also sees advantages in new construction projects. “A sensor no longer needs to be physically linked to a specific group,” says Blok. “This makes it easier to set up an installation and also easier to modify it later. If a space changes, you can reassign fixtures via software.”

According to Unifit, this also changed their own role within projects. “We don’t just supply components,” says Snaak. “We guide projects from the initial consultation through to the point where everything is functioning properly.”

Major Projects

As an example, Blok and Snaak cite a recently completed hotel project in which Unifit was involved from an early stage. “We supplied the Casambi components and worked with partners to integrate them with the building management system,” says Blok. According to him, the main challenge with large projects lies in organizing the network. “This project involved thousands of nodes. Each component must be programmed and given its own name so that management and service remain organized later on.”

According to Unifit, the link between lighting and building management is playing an increasingly important role. “Architects frequently ask for hybrid solutions,” says Snaak. “For example, combining existing KNX installations with Casambi lighting. That’s now possible.” In addition, systems are capable of processing more and more data. “You can collect information about occupancy, temperature, or the use of spaces,” says Blok. “This makes lighting part of a broader technical infrastructure.”

Flexible customization

Unifit also sees opportunities in the residential market. The company has developed a retrofit dimmer that can replace existing switches on a one-to-one basis and communicates directly within the Casambi network. “This allows you to start small and expand later,” says Snaak. “That makes the transition to smart lighting more accessible.”

According to Blok, this flexibility is in line with current practices in the construction industry. “Projects need to be completed more quickly, and buildings are being reconfigured more often,” he says. “In that case, it helps if you can easily adapt a system without having to install a lot of new infrastructure.”