When we think of the ways that technology has improved our lives, we tend to think first of the huge advances that have had massive impacts on society—advances in modern medicine, global connectivity, and space travel, to name a few.
But there are so many smaller, overlooked technological advances that impact and improve our everyday lives that are worth celebrating.
Electricity may have been a huge, society-shifting breakthrough, but since its widespread adoption, plenty of developments have made our lights even more convenient.
Sure, you may no longer be lighting oil lamps when the sun goes down each night, but if you’re still swapping out burnt-out incandescent bulbs and wrestling with tangled bundles of string lights, we’re here to let you know that there’s a better way.
App-controlled LED lights are a game-changer when it comes to lighting your home or business—and with a few easy tips, you can take advantage of them and make the most of your lighting.
Why Switch to App-Controlled LED Lights?
App-controlled LED lights are a total game-changer when it comes to convenience, versatility, and maintenance (or lack thereof).
Below are some of our biggest reasons why you should consider making the switch.
They Provide Endless Customization Options
App-controlled LED lights give you more options than other traditional outdoor lighting.
You can use the Gemstone Lights app to set your lights to display millions of color options, countless patterns, and exciting motion animation.
Choose from pre-built patterns or create your own—you can save them to the cloud so that you’ll be able to access them from all of your devices.
We have hundreds of free downloadable patterns available (and are constantly adding more) that are perfect for your favorite holidays, sporting events, and even movie premieres.
If you’d rather fully customize your lights and create your own pattern, you can even enter a hex code to match your lights to the exact color you’re looking for.
You’ll Use Them Again and Again for All Occasions
One of the best features of app-controlled lights is that once one holiday or special occasion has ended, you can switch your lights to reflect the next one at the push of a button.
In fact, our Gemstone Lights app allows you to preset up to 64 individual daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly timers, which means you can set your lights and forget about them with full confidence, knowing that they’ll automatically reflect your chosen colors, pattern, or animation exactly when the time is right.
In between the special occasions and events, you may choose subtle architectural lighting that accentuates the features of your home in a warm golden glow or an icy white.
They’ll Save You Money on Running Costs
LED light bulbs generate less heat than incandescent or halogen bulbs. This allows them to be more efficient, resulting in lower voltage and lower electricity usage, which translates to lower monthly electricity bills for you.
You can also use the app to set timers or choose our sunset/sunrise automation, which will automatically turn your lights on at dusk and off at dawn.
That way, with no extra effort on your part, your lights will only be on when you want them to be, and you won’t have to worry about wasting precious (and costly) electricity.
We Put Safety and Reliability First
Our permanent app-controlled lights are installed by professionals, which means you won’t have to put yourself at risk by climbing ladders and dealing with electrical work.
LEDs are also inherently safer than incandescent or halogen lights, because they run on low voltage power and don’t give off heat—reducing the risk of shock or fire.
To give you further peace of mind, our lights are covered by UL and ETL certifications for North America and are approved for sale and installation in the United States and Canada.
Furthermore, each component of the Gemstone Lights Track Lighting system is protected using surge protectors, which will help protect your investment in the event of a power surge.
Beware of cheaper, unverified systems that could lead to frustrating, costly, or even dangerous situations.
You’ll Be in Control From The Comfort of Your Living Room
One of our favorite things about app-controlled lights is the ability to control them from anywhere. You can change the color, brightness, pattern, and motion animation of your lights all from our iOS- and Android-compatible Gemstone Lights app.
You don’t even have to be home to control your lights. Our permanent LED lights and app are cloud-controlled, so you can adjust your lights via the app from anywhere in the world as long as you have internet access.
Our lights are also compatible with smart home systems, so you can control them with voice commands via your existing Amazon Alexa or Google Home system.
They’re Built to Last
One of the biggest issues we hear with contemporary technology across the board is that “they just don’t build ‘em like they used to.” When we developed Gemstone Lights, it was important to us that that sentiment didn’t apply to our products or our technology.
Gemstone Lights were developed in Calgary and are built to withstand harsh winds, rain, UV rays, and even the coldest winters.
Our long-lasting LED lights will last decades with regular use, and in the rare event that something does go wrong, all of our components are covered under our comprehensive bumper-to-bumper warranty.
Beware of cheaper, unverified systems that could lead to frustrating or even dangerous situations.
You Only Need to Install Them Once
We’ve already established that app-controlled lights are versatile—you can change the colors and pattern of your lights with the push of a button—and the added bonus of this versatility is that you won’t have to climb up and down a ladder every time you want to change out your lights for a new holiday.
Our experts will install your lights once (usually in as little as a day), and you’ll be able to enjoy them for all occasions for decades.
You’ll Only See Them When You Want To
Ok, this might not be true of all app-controlled lights, but permanent app-controlled LED lights from Gemstone Lights are designed to seamlessly integrate with your existing architecture, so you only see them when you want to.
Our permanent track lights are installed within a color-matched track that’s selected to blend in with your building’s facade.
They’re among the most discreet permanent app-controlled lights on the market and can work with any architectural style.
How to Get the Most Out of Your App-Controlled Lighting
Sure, you could use your app-controlled LED lights like any other lights, simply turning them on when you need them and off when you don’t, but if you really want to maximize your usage and get the most out of your investment, try a few of the tips below.
Dim Your Lights to Suit Your Mood
Not every occasion calls for super bright lights, and app-controlled smart lights are so much easier to dim than the standard LEDs you’ll find at a big box store.
We love to dim our lights so that they emanate a soft glow for dinner parties, then crank up the brightness so that guests can make their way to their cars safely after the party has ended.
Game day might call for brighter, colorful lights, whereas a Sunday night in December might call for a soft twinkle. Play around with the brightness as well as the colors and patterns of your lights to find something that fits your mood.
Set Timers for Special Events
Never miss an important event again! Take advantage of the Gemstone Lights app’s ability to store 64 different timers and schedule your special event lighting in advance.
It will be one less thing you’ll have to worry about when game days, holidays, and birthdays roll around. We recommend setting aside a little time once a month, season, or even once a year to look at your calendar and schedule lights for any upcoming events.
You can always change them later on if you change your mind, but this way, you’ll know that even if you get too busy with other things, your lights will be ready to shine.
Adjust Your Lights From Anywhere
Not only do you not have to be near a wall switch to control your lights, but you don’t even have to be in the building—or the state—to adjust app-controlled lights. Cloud control enables you to change your lights from anywhere, as long as you have internet access.
Take advantage of the ability by turning your lights on during your commute home from work, adjusting your timers when you’re on vacation, or surprising a family member with their favorite colors even when you’re out of town on business.
Select Patterns and Colors - Then Save and Share Them
You already know that you can use the app to change the colors and pattern of your lights, but you can also use it to save and share patterns that you’ve created.
Your folders and patterns will sync with the cloud, so you’ll be able to save them and access them across devices—which makes them super easy to share with other members of your household.
Take Advantage of Sunset/Sunrise Automation
If you want to use the app to schedule your lights to turn on each night when the sun goes down and shut off as the sun rises, you don’t even need to set timers.
Our sunset/sunrise automation will automatically adjust your lights at dusk and dawn, even as those times change throughout the year within your region.
With our new Gemstone Lights app, you can even offset your sunset/sunrise automation—if you want your lights to come on an hour before sunset and turn off an hour after sunrise, the app can handle that for you.
Set Permissions for Employees
If you’re a business owner using our app-controlled commercial lights, take advantage of our permission settings.
You can allow your employees selective access to app features to ensure that they can adjust the lights in the ways that they need to, but won’t be able to adjust the settings you don’t want them to touch.
Even though you can adjust your lights from afar, you won’t have to worry about babysitting them on your day off. Of course, if you want to check in, you can always see what your lights are set to via the “now playing” screen on your app.
FAQs
Answer: Not all LED lights can be controlled with a phone or other smart device. Only app-controlled smart lights like Gemstone Lights can be controlled with your phone via our iOS- and Android-compatible app.
Answer: You can control your lights via our app using any smart device, such as a tablet or phone, or sync it with your Amazon Alexa or Google Home smart home system. Anyone that you invite to your account can control your lights, and you can set permissions for users like employees, for example, if you don’t want to give them full access.
Answer: Yes, you can control your lights via the app and a local Bluetooth connection, even if you lose WiFi.
Upgrade Your Lighting System and Maximize Its Potential
With a few simple upgrades, you can outfit your home or business with a lighting system that does more for you.
You’ll be amazed at how much efficiency, convenience, and joy app-controlled LED lights bring to your life.
If you’re ready to get started, contact one of our authorized dealers for a free quote today!