Swarm Networking of Outdoor Luminaires via Bluetooth Mesh

Bluetooth Mesh is often associated with the smart home or larger building automation systems. However, Bluetooth Mesh is also an interesting application in outdoor areas – through the swarm networking of outdoor lights.

Swarm Networking of Outdoor Lights

Nowadays, luminaires in outdoor areas usually have to be wired through a complex changeover circuit. If sensors are integrated, they are often analog and only switch a single luminaire. Other wireless technologies such as ZigBee or Wi-Fi are also unsuitable for outdoor use because they require a central hub or router.

Bluetooth Mesh offers a decisive added value precisely here: all outdoor luminaires can be set up, automated and networked without wiring and without a central interface. No Wi-Fi router and no internet are required. With Bluetooth 5, ranges of up to 200–300 meters are possible outdoors.

Configuration of a Single Luminaire

If you install only one luminaire in the garden, it can already be set up using a smartphone app via Bluetooth. For example, it can be specified that the luminaire automatically switches on at 100% brightness at sunset, but dims down to 25% brightness from 9:30 PM. If a presence sensor is integrated, a rule can be defined that increases brightness to 75% for 30 seconds when presence is detected.

Networking Multiple Luminaires and Sensors

If you add further lights or sensors, they form a secure Bluetooth Mesh network among themselves. Thanks to the improved range of Bluetooth 5, the distance between two lights can be up to 300 meters. The settings defined for the first light can be automatically transferred to all other lights.

Swarm Networking

To enable advanced intelligence, the rule engine can be used to create swarm networks. If, for example, all luminaires are grouped along a garden path, all other luminaires can be controlled when presence is detected at the first luminaire.

For example, the first luminaire dims up from 25% to 100% when presence is detected. Three luminaires in the immediate vicinity dim up simultaneously from 25% to 75%. All other luminaires further away dim from 25% to 50%.

Smart Functionality

Together, the outdoor lights can be set up so that all lights switch on automatically at sunset. At the same time, it can be defined at which time the lights have which dimming state. If sensors are integrated into the network, a swarm network can be set up so that lights further away also dim up. All luminaires can be set to switch off at 11 PM or at sunrise.