Lighting systems for residential and commercial aquatic environments (e.g., pool, spa, water parks, etc.) are becoming increasingly sophisticated. In some instances, lights in a lighting system can output different colors that can be used to generate a variety of “light shows,” which, as used herein, refers to the ability of the lights to output color(s) either statically or dynamically over time. As an example, a light show may include outputting a color from a light, where the color of the light remains the same until the user changes the color of the light. As another example, a light show may include repeatedly outputting a sequence of colors from a light over time.
One approach to controlling which light show is output by the lights includes connecting the lights to a manual switch, such as a conventional wall mounted light switch. To control which light show is output by the lights, the user manually cycles the switch between its on and off position. For example, each time the user cycles the power to the lights by turning the light switch off and then on, the lights can increment to the next light show that can be output by the lights. As a result, a user may have to cycle the power several times to select a desired light show to be output by the lights. The use of a manual switch can also limit an operation of a lighting system that is configured to output light shows. As one example, it may not be possible or practical to implement dimming functions, to change a rate at which the lights cycle through colors in a selected light show, and/or set a timer or schedule an operation of the lights using a manual switch.
Another approach to controlling which light show is output by lights in a light system includes incorporating networking capabilities into the lights so that the lights can be controlled by a central controller via a data network, where each light includes a unique identifier/address and the central control issue packets of data over the data network to the lights using the unique identifiers/addresses of the lights. While this approach provides improved flexibility and sophistication over the manual switch approach, it can be cumbersome and time consuming to install and may add unnecessary complexity to a lighting system.
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