Ketra, the supplier of premium digital lighting systems, is bringing dynamic light into the high-end residential market. Dynamic light is light that changes in intensity and color temperature in accordance with time of day, occasion, or occupant preference. With the ability to shift continuously, dynamic light allows for exact replication of natural light, delivering health benefits through regulated circadian rhythms. Exposure to natural light cycles improves sleep, productivity, and overall wellness. In addition, dynamic light improves general aesthetics, can be tailored to evoke any mood, and offers the versatility of complete customization.

 “The age of static light is coming to an end,” said Ketra CEO Nav Sooch. “The future of lighting is made up entirely of dynamic light – light that changes throughout the day according to the needs and desires of our customers, as well as the changing natural light outdoors. We’ve seen success with dynamic light in the commercial space with brands including Tiffany & Co., Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago), MGM Grand, and Google; and we are seeing increasing demand for a residential solution. For consumers who require the highest quality light in their homes, our system of lighting and universally compatible controls means that the wait is finally over.”

Ketra logo. (Ketra/LEDinside)

Beyond the advanced capabilities of its system, Ketra offers one element that appeals to the vast majority of today’s homeowners: warm dimming. Warm dimming is the simplest example of dynamic light, and is familiar to consumers because incandescent light changes in both color and intensity when dimmed – yielding soft, warm light. With the banning of incandescents, warm dimming in homes became a thing of the past, resulting in significant sacrifices in quality of light. Consumers who have made the switch to LEDs experience harsh color, optical issues, and an inability to dim well. Ketra has combined the energy-efficiency and cost-effectiveness of LEDs with the desirable aesthetics of incandescents – preserving a traditional model of dynamic light while introducing groundbreaking new use-cases.

"Ketra is the biggest advancement I've seen in lighting in my twenty-year career as a designer," said Sean O'Connor, award-winning lighting designer and principal of Los Angeles-based firm Sean O'Connor Lighting. "A complete LED solution this elegant, accurate, and cost-effective is a total game-changer in our industry."

Accessibility and Integration

Until now, dynamic lighting of this kind has been inaccessible in the consumer space because of cost and implementation complexity. Ketra has created a system of fixtures and controls that all work together – something that has never been done before – and delivers ease of implementation as well as superior performance. The Ketra system offers a simple, retrofit solution and delivers complete control over its products via wireless communication. Ketra is the first lighting company to create independently every necessary element within a cohesive system of fixtures, controls, and software. The autonomy of Ketra’s system allows unprecedented access to dynamic lighting by discerning consumers.

Ketra integrates seamlessly with existing infrastructure and standard lighting fixtures. Ketra light bulbs can be screwed in and used with existing dimmers. To layer on additional functionality, Ketra’s Design Studio software or mobile app can wirelessly communicate with lights to customize color, vibrancy, and temperature, or to program dynamic light shifts and pre-programmed events. Ketra’s wall-mounted X1 Touchpad gives a permanently installed control option, eliminating the need to access an app every time the light needs to change.

Technological Differentiators

• True warm dimming that exactly matches traditional incandescent lights when dimmed
• Full range dimming to very low light levels (0.1%), vital for dim nighttime/dinner events
• No light flicker at any light level, even on a dimmer
• Compatibility with all dimmers, both forward and reverse phase
• Beautiful full range color rendering (95 CRI and 95 R9)
• Full gamut of saturated colors as well as pastels and white light
• No color shift over time or operating temperature
• UL listed to be used in fully enclosed light fixtures and in damp locations

Inside the Innovation

Ketra has developed a vertically integrated solution from custom driver chip and LED module all the way to lighting and controls products and software solutions. This guarantees optimal performance, quality and experience from set-up to daily use.

• Lamps & Luminaires – Provides the power of digital control and complete programmability in high-quality LED light. Whether as a stand-alone element or as part of a complete lighting system, our lamps and luminaires impeccably render the full spectrum of saturation and hue, while remaining fully customizable through Ketra’s software.
• Custom Driver Chip – Engineered to deliver industry-first, proprietary color-point maintenance to within one MacAdam ellipse (limit of human perception) for the lifetime of the product. Enables accurate, calibrated light, compatibility with all dimmers, advanced functionality and wireless capabilities.
• Custom LED Module – Delivers tunable white light, pastels and saturated colors all from a single point source – no dots of light, striations, color variations, etc. Enables both high intensity spot/flood lights and omnidirectional light bulbs.
• Controls – Enable built-in control points for the lighting without requiring a mobile device, as well as integration capabilities for controlling other products or being controlled by others. Cloud-based control allows one control device to speak to every system in an installation.
• Mobile App – Provides easy control and modification of settings, and access to physical and virtual keypads.
• Software – Allows Intuitive setup and configuration of advanced functions for professionals.

Lighting Products

• Light Sources – S38 PAR Lamp, A20 Light Bulb, G2 Linear Accent
• Controls – N1 Programming Tool, N2 Wireless Repeater, N3 Satellite Interface, N4 Network Hub
• Interfaces – Design Studio Software, Ketra App, X1 Touchpad