Journal · 10 articles
Energy & Smart Home
Wattage, app control, Alexa, Google, HomeKit and Control4.
Energy & Smart Home · 6 min
Low-Voltage vs Line-Voltage Exterior Lighting
Landscape fixtures typically run on low voltage while a home's main circuits run on line voltage. Here is the practical difference for exterior lighting.
Energy & Smart Home · 6 min
Surge Protection for Exterior Lighting Systems
Exterior lighting sits on circuits exposed to storms and power fluctuations, which is why proper grounding, GFCI protection and quality components matter.
Energy & Smart Home · 5 min
Camper and RV Lighting Control on Bluetooth
The camper and RV version of Thraxel's lighting system runs over Bluetooth instead of Wi-Fi, since a moving vehicle cannot depend on a fixed home network.
Energy & Smart Home · 6 min
Scheduling and Sunset Automation for Exterior Lights
The Thraxel Lighting app can schedule scenes to start at sunset and shut off at a set time, so a roofline lights itself without anyone opening an app nightly.
Energy & Smart Home · 5 min
Wi-Fi Requirements for Exterior Lighting
A permanent lighting system connects over standard home Wi-Fi, usually the common 2.4 GHz band most routers already broadcast, to run the Thraxel Lighting app.
Energy & Smart Home · 5 min
LED Efficiency Explained for Exterior Lighting
Individually addressable LED pixels draw about 0.3 watts each, the reason a 168-LED permanent system costs roughly $52.80 a year to run at 6 hours a night.
Energy & Smart Home · 6 min
What the Thraxel Lighting App Controls and Does
The Thraxel Lighting app runs scenes, warm white, color and schedules for a permanent system, and pairs with Alexa, Google Home, HomeKit and Control4.
Energy & Smart Home · 6 min
Control4 and Whole-Home Lighting Integration
Homes and properties already running Control4 can fold permanent roofline lighting into existing room-by-room automation instead of running a separate app.
Energy & Smart Home · 6 min
Alexa, Google Home and HomeKit Lighting Control
Thraxel permanent lighting pairs with Alexa, Google Home and Apple HomeKit for voice control, on top of the Thraxel Lighting app used to build scenes and colors.
Energy & Smart Home · 6 min
How Much Electricity Do Permanent Lights Use?
A typical 168-LED permanent lighting system costs about $52.80 a year to run at 6 hours a night. Here is the math behind that number and what changes it.