Casambi Commercial Lighting Control for Offices and Commercial Buildings

What Is Casambi Commercial Lighting Control?

Casambi commercial lighting control is a decentralized wireless lighting-control system based on Bluetooth Low Energy and Casambi Mesh. In offices and office-type commercial buildings, it coordinates compatible luminaires, drivers, sensors and switches through software-defined groups, scenes, schedules, occupancy control and daylight response, without a dedicated wired control bus between every mesh node.

Casambi Mesh distributes intelligence across the network nodes, supporting local operation without a Wi-Fi router or continuous internet connection. This does not mean that every control wire disappears: luminaires still require permanent mains power, and short local DALI, 0–10 V, 1–10 V or relay connections may be required between a Casambi controller and its connected driver. Casambi commercial lighting control is a control layer, not a substitute for lighting calculations, electrical protection, glare control, emergency-lighting design or code verification.

Why Use Casambi in Offices and Commercial Buildings?

Flexible zoning for changing workplaces

Hybrid work, desk reallocation, meeting-room reconfiguration and phased tenant changes make circuit-based control groups restrictive. Casambi office lighting control can regroup window rows, desk clusters, collaboration areas, circulation paths and enclosed rooms in software after installation.

Automation with realistic performance expectations

Occupancy response, daylight scenes, schedules, task tuning and manual scenes can reduce unnecessary operating time and over-lighting. Savings are project-specific: occupancy patterns, daylight availability, operating hours, baseline controls, driver behavior and commissioning quality all matter. Do not apply a generic saving percentage without a defined baseline and measured site conditions.

Where Casambi Fits—and Where It May Not

Casambi commercial lighting control is well suited to projects that need flexible zones, future reconfiguration, phased retrofit work or a reduced dedicated control-bus infrastructure. It can be a strong fit for open offices, private offices, meeting rooms, reception, corridors, break rooms and support spaces when compatible equipment and a verified mesh layout are available.

It should not be specified by assumption. Confirm radio conditions, fixture profiles, device compatibility, network capacity, access responsibility and maintenance ownership before deployment. Projects requiring deep BMS integration, centralized supervisory functions or complex emergency-lighting obligations need an early architecture review covering gateways, APIs, DALI and BMS responsibilities. A Casambi “Emergency” priority is a system override, not proof of a compliant emergency-lighting system.

How to Define Office Lighting Zones

Zone by function and daylight exposure

Use Casambi commercial lighting control to separate open-plan work areas, private offices, meeting rooms, reception, corridors, stairs, break rooms and utility spaces before selecting devices. Within an open office, separate window-side and interior rows because daylight conditions differ; then consider desk clusters, shared support areas and circulation paths. For each zone, document luminaires, operating level, scenes, occupancy mode, daylight mode, manual control, after-hours state and links to adjacent zones.

Office Zone Control Table

Which Casambi Interface Fits DALI, 0–10 V, 1–10 V, Phase-Cut and Relay Loads?

For Casambi commercial lighting control, select the control path from the driver interface and required functions, never from fixture appearance. The driver datasheet, control current, dimming range, inrush current, fixture profile and access for the module are decisive. Casambi commercial lighting control may use an integrated Casambi-enabled driver in new work or an external controller in a retrofit, but each route has different limits.

Interface Selection Table

DALI integration directions are not interchangeable

A Casambi Ready DALI driver or luminaire is itself a mesh node and is a clean path for new fixture-level control; supported functions depend on the driver and fixture profile. A standalone DALI controller can place one luminaire or a small number of DALI drivers under Casambi control, subject to its device limits and DT6/DT8 profile support.

A Salvador DALI Controller moves in the other direction: it brings wired DALI drivers into a Casambi system as virtual luminaires. Depending on the Salvador model, it can address up to 16, 32 or 64 DALI drivers. The controller occupies one Casambi node, and each addressed DALI driver also counts as a Casambi node; use Salvador for DALI drivers, not as a direct connection point for DALI switches or sensors. In contrast, a CBU-DCS configured as a DALI Gateway/Translator exposes Casambi devices to an external DALI controller. It is not the same architecture as Salvador. DALI addresses, DT8 behavior, DALI-2 input-device export and D4i data access depend on the specific device, profile and configuration.

Analog dimming and complete off are separate questions

A 0–10 V or 1–10 V command at minimum does not necessarily turn a driver fully off. Some drivers dim-to-off; others remain at a minimum level. Where complete off is required and the driver cannot provide it, a suitable relay controller can switch the driver input supply. Confirm relay load rating and driver inrush current, not only luminaire wattage. For example, a CBU-ARP-LR provides single-channel 0–10 V control with a 2 A relay, but that does not mean every Casambi analog module includes a relay.

How to Plan Lighting Scenes and Control Priorities

Within Casambi commercial lighting control, create a compact scene set: Work for task-appropriate general light; Meeting for table and facial illumination; Presentation for reduced display-area light while retaining note-taking light; Cleaning for temporary high output; and After-hours for setback circulation or security lighting. Define the user interface and the conditions that return each space to automation. Casambi office lighting control should give meeting rooms and presentation spaces a clear override rather than allow a sensor to make disruptive changes.

Use the control hierarchy deliberately

Casambi’s hierarchy resolves simultaneous commands. In simplified highest-to-lowest order it is: Emergency/system override; Higher than manual; Manual control; Higher than automation; date and day/week timers with presence override; Presence sensors; normal date and day/week timers; and lowest-priority automation. A higher priority command wins even at a lower dim level; commands at the same level normally follow “latest takes precedence.” Multiple sensors influencing one luminaire use the highest requested dimmed level.

Manual control usually overrides ordinary sensor and timer commands. Set a manual-control timeout so automation can resume, and use Resume automation when an operator must clear active manual control. Do not confuse the “Emergency” hierarchy level with a compliant emergency-lighting system. DALI DT1 emergency devices may be integrated through suitable architectures, but emergency power, automatic testing, monitoring, documentation and jurisdictional compliance must be designed and verified separately.

How to Configure Occupancy, Daylight and Tunable White Control

Presence modes and commissioning parameters

Casambi commercial lighting control provides three useful sensor behaviors. Presence activates a scene when motion is detected and ends it after the linger time. Presence/Absence activates a presence scene, then changes to an absence scene after movement stops and linger time expires. Absence lets users switch lights on manually and removes manual control after vacancy. Configure linger time, fade time, absence timeout and “removes manual control” by space type; do not reuse one delay across an entire office. Test seated desk work, entries, partitions, adjacent corridor traffic, meetings and manual overrides.

Use the four daylight-control modes correctly

Basic uses two lux thresholds to switch the active scene on/off or to a minimum level. Closed loop uses a sensor that sees both daylight and the controlled electric light to maintain a target lux level through feedback. Open loop uses a sensor that should not receive light from the luminaires it controls and follows its lux reading and response curve. External is similar to open loop, but receives a 0–100% dimming signal rather than a lux reading—for example from a non-Casambi sensor via a suitable unit or from an external DALI controller/sensor.

Separate window and interior zones. Calibrate with a lux meter rather than relying only on an app value; a ceiling sensor reading is not automatically the same as desk-plane illuminance. Closed-loop calibration should occur close to final furniture and finishes. In the Casambi App, multiple lux sensors affecting one luminaire use an average reading; Casambi Pro daylight scenes currently select one controlling sensor. Tunable white requires a compatible Casambi Ready driver, DALI DT8 or two-channel analog interface, plus verified CCT range, profile and low-level performance. Use circadian profiles as lighting functions, not as unsupported health or productivity claims.

How New-Build and Retrofit Architectures Differ

New-build Casambi commercial lighting control work can specify Casambi Ready luminaires or enabled drivers, permanent power at controlled fittings, planned module locations, integrated sensors, wireless wall controls and tunable-white fixtures. A hybrid wired DALI/Casambi architecture can be designed intentionally where it supports the project brief.

Casambi office lighting control retrofit work begins with a fixture and driver audit: interface, circuit and switching arrangement, ceiling access, module space, radio conditions and representative driver tests. The outcome may be an external module on a retained fitting, a driver replacement, a retained DALI system with a suitable controller, or selected Casambi-enabled replacement luminaires. Pilot areas and phased work reduce operational disruption. Do not copy obsolete electrical circuits into the new functional control zones.

Casambi App or Casambi Pro: Which Workflow Should You Use?

The Casambi App supports Classic and Evolution networks and is appropriate for many local Casambi commercial lighting control commissioning workflows. Casambi Pro is intended for medium and large Evolution projects that emphasize structured, automated control. Its workflow uses a Windows PC for pre-planning and an Apple iPad for on-site pairing and upload; Pro commissioning requires an internet connection.

Do not treat Pro as merely a larger version of the App. Its functions and fixture-profile behavior are not assumed to match App behavior in every respect; it primarily works through luminaire groups rather than individual luminaires. A network created in the App cannot simply be opened and modified in Pro. Choose the workflow before commissioning, confirm device/profile support in current documentation, and train the responsible team on the selected process.

How to Design and Commission a Casambi Commercial Network

Capacity and radio planning

A Classic network supports up to 127 devices; an Evolution network supports up to 250. Classic and Evolution devices cannot be mixed in one network. These are limits, not recommended design targets. Balanced mode is recommended for about 125 nodes in small-to-mid-size indoor networks with moderate traffic, while Long Range is aimed at lower-data-traffic situations and is recommended for about 60 nodes. More sensors and automation traffic can reduce practical headroom; larger installations should use multiple networks combined into a Site.

Typical indoor communication range is approximately 30 m, and Long Range products approximately 50 m, but these are not fixed fixture-spacing rules. Metal ceilings and housings, concrete walls, risers, plant rooms and fire compartments can degrade performance. Do not completely enclose a module antenna in metal, keep a distributed set of permanently powered mesh nodes, and perform a connectivity test in the actual installed environment. Do not rely on key nodes that are routinely switched off at a wall switch.

Commissioning and handover

Apply a naming structure such as “Floor 02 – Open Office East – Window Row – Panel Group 01.” Verify pairing, profiles, group assignments, scenes, switches, sensor modes, linger and fade times, daylight calibration, tunable white, schedules, hierarchy, power-loss behavior, permissions and remote-access requirements. Local control does not need continuous internet, but network sharing, cloud synchronization, firmware-related operations, Casambi Pro commissioning and gateway-based remote access may. Remote access normally requires a continuously powered gateway within Bluetooth range of the mesh and connected to the internet.

How to Select Casambi-Compatible Commercial Luminaires

For Casambi office lighting control, collect for every proposed fitting the luminaire model; driver manufacturer and model; dimming interface; Casambi controller or module model; fixture profile; Classic or Evolution compatibility; minimum dimming level; dim-to-off or relay-off method; inrush current; tunable-white channel configuration; sensor compatibility; emergency-lighting arrangement; and sample approval result. Verify these against the current Casambi documentation and the device datasheet because functions can change with firmware, application version and profile.

For an office project, FY LIGHTING luminaires can be configured with a specified Casambi-enabled driver or control module when the technical combination is verified. Do not describe a product as Casambi Ready unless that status is formally confirmed. Send a luminaire schedule, driver model, control interface and required office zones so that a suitable Casambi-compatible configuration can be recommended and sample-tested.

Frequently Asked Questions About Casambi Office Lighting Control

Can Casambi work with existing DALI lighting in an office?

Yes. Existing DALI luminaires can be integrated into a Casambi lighting control system through suitable Casambi DALI controllers or gateways. The correct architecture depends on whether Casambi will control the DALI drivers, or an existing DALI application controller will remain the primary system. Driver type, DALI addressing, DT6/DT8 requirements and device capacity should all be verified before installation.

Can Casambi control 0–10V or 1–10V office lighting?

Yes. Casambi-compatible analog controllers can control LED drivers with 0–10V or 1–10V dimming interfaces. However, reaching the minimum dimming level does not always mean the luminaire will switch completely off. If the driver does not support dim-to-off, a controller with an appropriately rated relay may be required for full power disconnection.

Does Casambi support occupancy sensing and daylight harvesting?

Yes. Casambi can combine presence sensors and daylight sensors with lighting scenes to automate office lighting. Occupancy sensors can activate, dim or switch lighting according to room use, while daylight control can reduce electric lighting when sufficient natural light is available. Sensor placement, linger time, daylight calibration and zoning should be commissioned separately for each space.

Can employees manually override Casambi occupancy sensors?

Yes. Wall switches, push buttons, wireless controls or the Casambi App can provide manual lighting control. Casambi’s control hierarchy determines how manual commands interact with sensors and timers. A manual-control timeout can also be configured so that automatic occupancy or scheduling control resumes after a defined period.

Can Casambi create different lighting scenes for meeting rooms and offices?

Yes. Casambi supports programmable lighting scenes that can recall predefined dimming levels, color temperatures and luminaire groups. Typical office scenes may include Work, Meeting, Presentation, Cleaning and After-hours modes. Scenes can be activated manually from a switch or app, by a sensor, or automatically through a timer or schedule.

Can Casambi automatically change office lighting according to a schedule?

Yes. Casambi timers can activate or deactivate scenes according to specific times, weekdays, dates or local sunrise and sunset times. For example, an office can automatically use a normal Work scene during business hours, a Cleaning scene after closing and reduced lighting during after-hours periods.

Does Casambi support tunable white and circadian lighting in offices?

Yes, when the luminaires and drivers support the required control functions. Casambi can control tunable-white luminaires through compatible Casambi Ready drivers, DALI DT8 solutions or suitable two-channel control interfaces. Circadian profiles can automatically adjust color temperature and, where configured, brightness throughout the day. The actual CCT range and dimming performance depend on the luminaire and driver combination.

Can Casambi be added to an existing office without installing new control wiring?

In many retrofit projects, yes. Casambi can reduce the need to install a new dedicated wired control bus because communication between Casambi mesh nodes is wireless. Existing luminaires may sometimes be retained by adding compatible DALI, 0–10V, 1–10V, phase-cut or relay controllers. The existing driver interface, available installation space, mains wiring and wireless conditions should be checked before selecting the retrofit solution.

Can Casambi office lighting be controlled remotely?

Yes, but remote control normally requires a suitable gateway. The gateway must remain powered, connected to the internet and within Bluetooth range of the Casambi network it serves. Local lighting control can continue through the Casambi mesh without continuous internet access, while the gateway provides remote connectivity for authorized users or supported external services.