What is "Control hierarchy"?

The control hierarchy allows manual lighting control and automatic lighting control to work together.  Manual control is any physical action, like selecting a scene by tapping on the scene icon in the app, pushing a switch, push button, or adjusting a rotary control. Automated control is, for example, commands generated by presence sensors and timers. Each control action has a specific priority and if multiple controls are simultaneously active on the same luminaire it will adhere to the highest priority. For switches, it is also possible to define the priority level for individual actions if the Controls priority switch function is used (see the Switches section for more information).

When the highest active priority control is removed, the luminaire will fade to the next active highest priority. If the hierarchy is empty, the luminaire will fade OFF.

Priority levels (Highest to lowest)

• Emergency
• Higher than manual
• Manual control (App, switches, push buttons, rotary control)
• Higher than automation
• Date timer (with sensor override)
• Week timer (with sensor override)
• Presence (sensors)
• Date timer
• Day/Week timer
• Lowest priority automation

Luminaires react to the highest priority commands affecting them, even if lower priority commands are also active and affecting the same luminaires simultaneously.

A higher priority command with a lower dim level will still override a lower priority command that has a higher dim level.

Commands of the same priority level are actioned in “latest takes precedence” order. If multiple sensors are simultaneously affecting the dimmed level of the same luminaire, the highest dimmed level takes priority.

Priority level descriptions

Emergency

This highest priority level and overrides any other control of selected luminaires in a defined scene. Despite the name, it is not intended for normal emergency lighting purposes! It is intended to be used more like a “system override”. If luminaires are controlled at this priority level, no other command at any other priority level will have any effect on the luminaires for as long as the Emergency priority command remains active.

Higher than manual

Active commands at this level will be prioritised over any lower-level commands. This level of priority command could, for example, be assigned to a trigger from a relay contact closure in a building management system if an emergency occurs. Alternatively, this priority level may be required if integrating Casambi with a DALI system and you require commands from the DALI system to override any manual commands that may be in use in the Casambi network. 

It should be noted that, using the Controls priority switch option, switches can be configured to trigger actions at this priority level, even if a switch is normally classed as a “manual” (i.e. physical) action.

Manual control

This is the default control priority for anything in the Casambi system that is manually (i.e. physically) activated, such as pushing a physical button, or triggering a scene from a scene icon in the Casambi app. Manual control can be set to timeout (i.e. automatically deactivate) after a set time or stay active on the affected luminaires indefinitely. Configurable timeouts for manual control can be assigned for day and night periods of each weekday (see the Control options section for more information).

Tapping the @ button icon in the app will manually remove active manual control from either all luminaires in a network, or for a specific group of luminaires.

Higher than automation

Active commands at this level will be prioritised over any automation commands (i.e. All lower-priority level commands from any timer, sensors, or manual commands from switches that are set to trigger at the Lowest-priority automation level).

Date timer (with sensor override)

This timer has the same description as a Date timer (see below) but has its priority level increased by activating the Override presence function so will still affect luminaires even if they are also being controlled by a motion sensor (Presence). This could be used, for instance, to prevent sensors from activating luminaires on a certain date at the set time.

Day/Week timer (with sensor override)

This timer has the same description as a Day/week timer (see below) but has its priority level increased by activating the Override presence function so will still affect luminaires even if they are also being controlled by a motion sensor (Presence). This could be used, for instance, to prevent sensors from activating luminaires at a certain time of day.

Presence (sensors)

Commands triggered by motion sensors will affect the defined luminaires unless a higher priority command is already active for those luminaires.

Sensors in Presence/Absence mode, the absence scene will still be considered by the system to be active at the Presence priority level in the control hierarchy. If a lower priority command, such as a Day/Week timer, is required to affect the luminaires at some point then the Absence timeout option must also be configured to ensure the active absence scene will deactivate after the defined time to allow control from lower priority commands.

If multiple sensors are triggered and configured to be affecting the same luminaire but at differing dimming levels, the luminaire will be set to the highest of these levels.

The sensor linger time dictates how long the triggered scene will stay on after motion is no longer detected. When the linger time expires the associated luminaires will be faded to the next highest active priority command affecting them, to the configured absence scene (if the Presence/Absence function has been selected for the sensor), or fade OFF if there are no other active commands affecting the luminaires.

Note that Switches can also be configured to mimic sensor functionality and thus can also operate at the Presence level of the control hierarchy.

Date timer

Timers configured for a specific date have a higher priority than Day/Week timers since the date may fall on a different day of the week each year.

Day/Week timer

The lowest priority type of timer that can be configured. Activation/deactivation is defined based on days of the week, times of the day and/or sunrise and sunset times (if location has been enabled for your network). A timer configured with this priority could, for example, just be intended to switch lights on at a low level in the morning before people arrive at the office. When people arrive the lights then start to be controlled with higher priority commands coming from motion sensors and/or switches.

Lowest priority automation

Commands assigned at this hierarchy level are the least important command type and can be overridden by any other type of command in the control hierarchy.

Tip: To allow easier testing during commissioning, network control hierarchy can be reset (i.e. Any current active commands can be deactivated) by selecting More > Network Setup > Configure all luminaires > Restart Network.

Indicators of the hierarchy level currently affecting a luminaire

• An Emergency priority command is affecting the luminaire.

• A Higher than manual command is affecting the luminaire.

• One (or more) Sensors is currently affecting the luminaire.

• A Timer is currently affecting the luminaire. Note that this is just indicates that a timer at one of the 4 possible timer priority levels is affecting the luminaire!
• Hierarchy commands currently without any additional indication:
  • Manual control.
  • Higher than automation.
  • Lowest level automation.
  • No active command is affecting the luminaire.

Please note the below video refers to an earlier version of Control hierarchy. Additional new hierarchy levels have subsequently been introduced and are described above.