Helvar has added support for its DALI-2 wall panels to ActiveAhead, its wireless lighting control solution. Announced on 13 February, the update means a room run by ActiveAhead can now use the same wired DALI-2 panels as a Helvar Imagine system, and the room works out of the box with default button functions and presence detection.

What changed

ActiveAhead connects luminaires and devices over a Bluetooth Mesh network, and uses standard DALI devices for the luminaires and sensors in each space. Helvar says the update greatly broadens the range of panel designs that can be used. With it, Helvar DALI-2 wall panels connect to an ActiveAhead Node Multisensor or a Node Advanced, and the Nodes link the room to the rest of the network for grouping, corridor hold and other networked features.

Plan of a meeting room with ten luminaires wired in red to a central ActiveAhead node over the table, and two wall panels by the doors
A meeting room with a Node Multisensor and two DALI-2 wall panels. Image: Helvar.

Out of the box, then tuned

After installation, the Node gives each panel button a default function, so a typical room is usable as soon as it is powered: lights on, off and dimmed from the panel, presence detection from the sensor. If the space needs something different, the button functions are changed in the ActiveAhead mobile app.

Helvar lists four benefits in its announcement: plug-and-play installation with Helvar panels, easy lighting control set-up through the app, a wide choice of panel designs, and a better experience for users. Daylight harvesting and occupancy detection work as before, which is where most of the energy saving comes from.

Phone screen showing the Helvar ActiveAhead mobile app listing nearby ActiveAhead devices to configure
Button functions are changed in the ActiveAhead app. Image: Helvar.

Why it matters on fit-out projects

On office fit-outs here, the wall panel is often the item the interior designer cares most about. It is the one part of the lighting control system people touch, and it has to match the switches, the sockets and the finish schedule. A narrow choice of panels is a common objection to wireless systems, and this update takes most of it away.

Now an office can mix the two approaches more freely: wireless ActiveAhead in open plan and meeting rooms, where it saves cabling and allows easy changes, with the same DALI-2 panel range used across the building. For a contractor that also means one panel range to stock and install.

Next steps

The ActiveAhead nodes, sensors and app are in our Helvar controls range. If you are weighing wireless against wired DALI for a fit-out, send us the layout and we will suggest a split.