We have recently been working with DANLERS Limited to create an app which can allow a user to set up and control lighting within a space via their smartphone.

DANLERS Limited manufacture a vast range of energy-saving lighting controls and controls for heating, ventilation and air conditioning.ControlZAPP is the latest addition to their portfolio of innovative ideas.

The ControlZAPP lighting products are designed to save energy by automatically turning on and off at appropriate times. Using the ControlZAPP app, these products can be made to automatically respond to people being in or out of the room, to the level of natural light, or even the times of sunrise and sunset.

In addition, the products have an internal calendar that can be programmed to behave in alternative ways at different times of the day or different days of the week. For example, you can ensure that lights are always on in crucial areas during work hours. Holidays can even be programmed into the ControlZAPP calendar.

Using the app, it’s possible to control lighting in such places as offices, warehouses, retail units, hospitals, schools and leisure parks, for example.

Each of the products contain a small computer that runs the latest version of Bluetooth, known variously as Bluetooth Smart, Bluetooth 4, or Bluetooth Low Energy. This technology allows the device to communicate with a smartphone using very little power compared to older Bluetooth versions. For example, battery-operated Bluetooth 4 devices such as Heart-Rate Monitors can operate for months or even years on a single set of batteries. As a result, this technology fits in with DANLERS goals of saving their customers energy.

Building the app was a fairly challenging task as Android actually did not support Bluetooth 4 at the beginning of the project, and the initial versions that Google released did not work particularly reliably. However, by working closely with DANLERS regarding the firmware, Calvium was able to build an app that performed well.

The app will soon be available free for Android devices with Bluetooth 4.0 capability and Android OS 4.3 or above.

ControlZAPP has been making much noise in the lighting industry and stole the show at the recent biennial Light + Building trade fair in Frankfurt, where it was unveiled and showcased.

Find out more about ControlZapp here.