Parking lot lighting is a major part of exterior lighting, parking lot lighting also contributes to safety and a sense of security. Typically, an average illumination level of 10 to 50 lux provides adequate visibility for parking lots and sidewalks. But poor lighting not only wastes energy, it also makes parking lot lighting harmful (it is a major source of sky glow). overlighting and unreasonable light distribution  (light directed toward the sky) has two main causes. The image below is a satellite photo at night, and many of the hot spots are parking lots in plazas and shopping malls. As a result, parking lot lighting needs to be controlled more effectively. We will present the application of traditional light control, microwave sensing, time control and wireless intelligent control in parking lot lighting control. At the same time, we will present the advantages and disadvantages of each technology. We hope you have a deeper understanding of parking lot lighting as well as smart parking lot lighting control.

The Role of Parking Lot Lighting

Keeps property safe: installing parking lot lighting keeps your business assets safe. If your business has an unlit parking lot, it is more likely to attract unwanted attention from thieves and burglars. Having adequate lighting can reduce the number of criminals robbing property in the parking lot in the middle of the night.

Protecting Pedestrians: Installing lighting in your parking lot can also improve the safety of pedestrians and customers. Brightly lit parking lots create a safer environment for passersby and local pedestrians, whereas dark parking lots not only cause traffic accidents, but also provide hiding places for criminals and thieves. Additionally, parking lot lighting creates a safer, more comfortable environment for employees who may be working late or parking their cars in the lot.

Functions of Smart Parking Lot Lighting Controls

Energy Efficient: The primary function of parking lot lighting controls is to regulate the output of fixtures (reduce power), which can optimize energy consumption and save up to 50-80% of energy costs.

Effective Lighting: Parking lot lighting control in the energy savings can still ensure that the lighting system to meet the lighting requirements of the parking lot. At the same time, should improve the yield parking lot lights when necessary.

Extended Life: Because parking lot lighting does not need to work at full power all the time, which can reduce the accumulation of heat, and led itself has greater heat dissipation performance, can greatly delay the service life of parking lot lamps and lanterns.

Photocells are a simple way to control led parking lot lights. The lights come on at dusk and go off at sunrise. That's why parking lot lights with photocells are also known as parking lot lights with dusk to dawn sensors. The main principle of a photocell is that it has a built-in photosensitive resistor that collects ambient light. When the ambient light brightness falls below a threshold value, the resistance of the phototransistor will fall below a specific value. Then, the driver transistor conducts (relay closes) and the parking lot light comes on. Conversely, the lamp goes out. Phototransistors can be deployed in two ways. One method is to install photocells at each parking lot light, just as municipalities install streetlights. Another method is to install a remote photocell in the line between the power source and the parking lot lights. When installed this way, all the lights can be turned on and off at the same time.

How parking lot lights with photocells work

Advantages of photocell Parking Lot Lights

Cheap price

Can be pre-installed or installed online by an electrician for ease of use

Lights turn on and off automatically, no need to manually turn them on

Disadvantages of photocell parking lot lights

Trees or buildings have an effect on the use of photocell Dirty lenses of the photocells cause the lights to stay on during the daytime

Waste of resources in the middle of the night when the lights are not needed and are still on

Parking lot lighting with photocells and timers

Photocells and mechanical or electronic clocks are two simple ways to control LED parking lot lights. Combined, they are excellent ways to control LED parking lot lights. The timer mentioned here is now usually a built-in LED driver. It's kind of like an electronic clock, but a little different.

For example, a parking lot light with a photocell and a timer will operate as follows.

When the photocell turns on the parking lot light at 16:00 and turns it off at 7:00, it starts at 100% brightness. 100% output is maintained from 16:00 to 22:00. But after 4 hours, the brightness will change to 50% from 22:00 for 8 hours until 6:00. finally from 6:00 to 7:00 (last hour) it will be 100% brightness.

This light control program works well and in many cases it meets stricter lighting regulations. As soon as it gets dark, the photocells turn on the LED lights in the parking lot. Once it's time to turn off the lights, the photocells turn them off. Throughout the second half of the lighting process (midnight), a built-in clock adjusts the output of the fixtures to ensure that the illumination level matches the flow of people and traffic.

How Parking Lot Lights with Photocells and Timers Work

Advantages of parking lot lights with photocells and timers

Inexpensive, led drivers generally have time control built in

Easy to use, no need to manually turn lights on and off and dim them

Significantly lower energy consumption

Disadvantages of parking lot lights with photocells and timers

Dirty photocell lenses can cause the lights to stay on during the day

If the parking lot is occupied in the middle of the night, the light may not be able to meet the requirements for use.

The time control is not precise enough because it is a timer and not a real clock.

A motion sensor is an occupancy sensor that turns on the lights when it recognizes that someone is in range and the lights stay on for a preset amount of time. If the motion sensor persists, the length of time is adjusted back to the preset time. After the person leaves, the light will stay on for the preset time instead of going off. If no one is present when a motion sensor test is performed during the hold time, the parking lot light will go out. As technology advances, more advanced motion sensors no longer simply turn off the lights completely, but instead dim the lights to a percentage of the maximum available light when no one is in the area after a preset time. This way, areas with reduced lighting are still illuminated for safety. This type of occupancy sensor is programmable, allowing you to set preset times (hold time and standby time) and fixture brightness percentages as needed.

How Parking Lot Lights with Motion Sensors Work

Advantages of Parking Lot Lights with Motion Sensors

Improved energy efficiency of LED lights

Great flexibility to ensure lighting needs

More friendly to the environment

Disadvantages of parking lot lights with motion sensors

Additional costs, usually the cost of motion sensors is higher than the cost of photocells

More complex initial installation and operation

Adds more points of failure, in our experience parking lots with body sensors have a higher failure rate

Expectations grow when wireless parking lot control systems hit the market. Finally, there is an advanced parking lot lighting control system that does not require complex wiring. While wireless controls have great potential and offer the most options and flexibility, the upfront cost of wireless controls is the highest of any lighting control system.

Wireless control requires additional hardware to receive and transmit signals. Devices are connected to drivers, which must be compatible, i.e., compatible to transmit information capable of accepting dimming signals such as 0-10v or DALI. Once the parking lot lights are set up, they communicate with a central control unit. A wireless control system is deployed to handle basic functions such as turning lights on, off and dimming. At the same time the control unit can collect data and send alerts to the administrator. For example, if a light malfunctions, the administrator will know immediately without having to send an employee to walk around the facility looking for the malfunctioning light. At the same time, we can set up different lighting programs to meet the lighting needs of different scenarios. Find the KINLIGHTS Smart Parking Lot Lighting project here.

How parking lot lights with control  work

Advantages of Controlled Parking Lot Lights

Improve energy efficiency of led lights

Meets real-time monitoring needs

The system is intelligent, modern, wireless wired

Multiple scenarios, flexible switching

Disadvantages of control parking lot lights

LED fixtures and controllers are expensive and costly to deploy

Complicated installation and operation, need some time to learn

If real-time control is required, professional staff is needed and labor costs are high in the later stages

Parking lot lighting is very necessary, but we can not think that the higher the illumination the better, the longer the lighting duration the better. This is because unreasonable parking lot lighting is not only a waste of resources, but also may cause light pollution. The above parking lot lighting control methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. Since there are advantages and disadvantages to each lighting control method, Kinlights believes that these parking lot lighting control methods can be selected based on the needs of the installation project. For example, we prefer methods that are inexpensive and relatively energy efficient. We believe that parking lot lights with photocells and timers are the best. If the budget is very limited, you can only choose the parking lot light solution with timer. Parking lot light solutions with motion sensors, we think are suitable for parking lots or plazas that need some lighting, but in most cases the number of users is low. Parking lot lights with wireless control, we think it is suitable for those who have enough budget, willing to learn new technology and want to set up different parking lot lighting methods for different scenarios.