What is Casambi?

The word Casambi may mean very little to you but it’s a term that has established a place in the lighting world and could be a useful to you as a lighting interface into the Internet of Things. In this article, we will take a closer look at what is Casambi, how it works and how best to use it.

What is Casambi?

Casambi is a Bluetooth mesh technology for your lighting choices to become ‘smart’. It offers an easy way to control LED lights with your smartphone or tablet. Casambi can be used in or with any lighting product and makes it possible to dim LEDs without the need for a remote control, dimmer wall plate or special wiring.

What is Casambi Dimming?

Casambi dimming is a smart lighting technology that uses Bluetooth mesh to wirelessly connect and control lights. It’s similar to other popular smart lighting technologies like Zigbee and Z-Wave, but it has some distinct advantages.

As long as a dimmable Casmbi device is used with a compatible dimmable lighting product, the lighting can be controlled remotely via an app.

Why is Casambi Smart Lighting?

Casambi lighting is considered “smart” because it can be controlled wirelessly from your mobile device using their app. This means you can potentially turn on the lights, dim them, change their color, and create lighting scenes without ever having to touch a physical light switch.

Advantages of Casambi Lighting Control

1. No gateway required. Casambi lights can be controlled directly from your smartphone or tablet without the need for a separate gateway or bridge like the Philips Hue eco-system requires.
2. Easy to use. The Casambi app is very user-friendly and easy to set up.
3. No monthly fees. There are no monthly fees associated with using Casambi, unlike some other smart lighting technologies that charge a subscription fee.
4. Energy Savings: Casambi lights can be dimmed to very low levels, which uses less energy and extends the life of the LED bulbs.
5. Flexibility: Casambi lights can be controlled wirelessly from your smartphone or tablet, giving you more control over when and how your lights are used.
6. Convenience: The Casambi app makes it easy to create lighting scenes, schedule timers, and dim the lights without ever having to touch a physical light switch.

How to Use Casambi Lighting

Casambi can be used as a standalone lighting control system or it can be integrated into other smart home systems like Control four, Crestron, Lutron, and Savant.

To use Casambi as a standalone system, all you need is the Casambi app and one or more Casambi-enabled light fixtures. The app is available for iOS and Android devices.

Once you have the app, setting up your lighting system is a breeze. Simply create an account, add your lights, and start controlling them from your mobile device.

First Time Set Up Tutorial

Standalone Lighting Example

The Brief: to control some lighting with an app but the lights themselves are not smart lights – they are just ordinary luminaires.

The Situation: The lights may be positioned in a difficult place to switch from a wall, maybe some outdoor lights that are controlled from an inconvenient room and you want to control them from your armchair.

1. Choose the lights and connect to the lighting circuit
2. You can control them normally from a wall switch that does not matter, so up to now it’s a normal installation.
3. To switch on an off: Add a Casambi relay to each lighting circuit located before the 1st light fitting.
4. To dim: Add the appropriate Casambi device to each lighting circuit and ensure that the lights on that circuit are dimmable.
5. Download the Casambi app
6. Find each lighting circuit and control them together as set up scenes or individually.

Compatible Lighting Products

Although any lighting circuit and therefore any lighting product can be controlled this way, it does not mean it will immediately become a fully functional smart light.

Take a look at the specification of this up and downlighter from Astro Lighting:

Under the Category of Smart Lighting – it confirms it can be with a Casambi Relay. What does this mean?

It means this light can be controlled by the app as long as the switching on and off device (‘relay unit’) is placed on the circuit before the first lighting product. It does not go inside the product but on it’s lighting circuit.

The app will find that ‘Relay’ device via bluetooth connection and interupt the power getting to those lights with either being on or off. It will not dim the product but becomes ‘smart’ because it is connected to the wider eco-system and can be included in scene settings and controlled from a smart phone.

Partner Products

There are many manufacturers of lighting products that have been specifically designed to work with this bluetooth eco-system. These products have built-in Casambi devices and do not require a separate relay or dimmer module.

Some of the most popular manufacturers of Casambi’s partners’ products include:

• Aeotec
• Cree
• Energetic Lighting
• GE Lighting
• Osram
• Philips Lighting
• Zumtobel Group

Does Casambi Make All Lighting Dimmable?

No, it does not. The app will only find those lights on a circuit that also has the right dimming device (‘node’) associated with it.

So, what’s the big deal? Well, this means even if you have an old lighting system that is not LED but uses fluorescent or incandescent bulbs – they can be controlled via the Casambi app as long as you place the necessary devices on those lighting circuits.

What are the Limitations?

The main limitation with Casambi is that it only works with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) compatible lights. This means that not all smart lights on the market will work with Casambi. However, more and more manufacturers are starting to include BLE compatibility in their products.

Another limitation is that Casambi does not currently support voice control via Amazon Alexa or Google Home. However, the company is working on adding this functionality in the future.

Can it be Used in Any Lighting Product?

Casambi can be used in any lighting product that has a Casambi-enabled light fixture. Casambi-enabled light fixtures are available from a variety of manufacturers, including Philips, Cree, and Osram.

As long as the product is Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) compatible and has the appropriate Casambi devices placed on the lighting circuit, then yes – it can be used in any lighting product.

Integrate into Other Systems

If you want to integrate Casambi into a larger smart home system, you’ll need to purchase a Casambi CBU (Casambi Bluetooth Unit). The CBU is a small device that plugs into a light fixture and allows it to be controlled by a compatible smart home system.

Casambi Bluetooth

All Casambi products use Bluetooth mesh technology to wirelessly connect and control lights. Bluetooth mesh is a low-power, wireless network that can be used to control large numbers of devices over long distances.

How Does Bluetooth Mesh Work?

Bluetooth mesh works by creating a “mesh” of nodes, or devices, that can communicate with each other wirelessly. Every time a lighting circuit has a Casambi dimmer module or relay on it, it acts as a bridge to pass on the bluetooth signal to the surrounding other devices thus creating a sprawling network of bluetooth signal ready for your smartphone app or your compatible wall switch to pick up.

What are the Limitations to Bluetooth Lighting Controls?

The biggest limitation of Bluetooth mesh is its range. Bluetooth mesh networks can only support up to 32,000 nodes, and each node can only be connected to a maximum of 255 other nodes.

It is also dependant on other devices being used within the building to create a network. If a single device is being used then it’s range will be as far as your phone will allow you to listen to a smart speaker before dropping off. It’s the same bluetooth technology.

Casambi Technologies

There is a growing range of devices that offer more choice and compatibility with modern LED lighting technologies.

Casambi Xpress

Xpress is a battery powered wall mounted controller to control your lights without the need for a CBU or gateway.

Xpress is a wireless user interface that you can use to control your lights. You can do this by using the app. There are four target buttons that you can use to control a scene or an animation of your choice. Or, you could simply control one light, one group of lights, or all the lights together.

Xpress has buttons that you can use to dim the lights. If you tap the “dim down” button, the light will go to 0%. If you tap the “dim up” button, the light will go to 100%. If you hold one of the buttons, the light will dim slowly.

Features:

• Luminaire control: You can use this to control the light fixtures in a room.
• Group control: This lets you control several light fixtures at the same time.
• Control all luminaires: You can use this to turn on/off all the light fixtures in a room or area.
• Recall Scenes: You can save different scenes with different light settings, and then recall them later. This is useful if you frequently change your lighting settings.
• Recall Animations: If you have set up any animations, you can use this to recall them quickly and easily.
• Smooth Dimming: This lets you smoothly dim the lights, instead of having them suddenly change brightness levels.
• Change of Color: You can also change the color temperature of the light and how much indirect light there is compared to direct light.
• Change of indirect/direct lighting ratio: The ratio of indirect to direct lighting in a room affects how comfortable people feel in the space. Too much direct light can be harsh and cause discomfort, while too much indirect light can make a space feel dreary and uninviting. A good balance of both types of lighting will help to create a feeling of warmth and comfort in any room.

Casambi Tuneable White

Tuneable White is a new feature that allows you to change the color temperature of your lights using the app. You can set the color temperature to anything from 2700K (warm white) to 6000K (cool white).

To control the color of white light you’ll need a light fixture that is equipped with a Casambi-enabled LED module. Tuneable white is not available on all Casambi-enabled light fixtures, so be sure to check with the manufacturer before purchasing.

Casambi RGBW Control

Casambi RGBW is a new feature that allows you to control the color of your RGBW LED lights using the app. You can choose from 16 million different colors, and you can also create custom light scenes.

To control the colors of your light you’ll need a light fixture that is equipped with a Casambi-enabled RGBW LED module. RGBW is not available on all enabled light fixtures, so be sure to check with the manufacturer before purchasing.

So there you have it! A quick introduction to the Casambi eco-system and how it can be used as a standalone smart lighting system. Be sure to check back soon for more smart home tips and tricks!

Andrew Orange, the owner of Orange Lighting qualified and worked as an interior designer in 1993 before specialising in lighting working on high profile projects based in London. Since starting Orange Lighting Ltd in 2003 he has been sharing his knowledge and unique teaching style mostly to his designer clients, offering practical real life advice born from running a busy consultancy and lighting supply business. Launching in 2020, his blog has evolved into Quick & Easy Lighting, curating some 25 years design experience into making the lighting choice and design process achievable and easy to understand for all.