Lighting systems were originally designed for one purpose: to provide light for visual tasks. A simple light switch either turned on or turned off the system, while a dimmer switch changed the intensity of a lighting fixture's output. If a fixture burned out, it could be replaced, but there was no assurance that the new light would behave the same as other fixtures within the system. If the new fixture was brighter or dimmer than the other fixtures, the overall lighting would not be uniform across the area being illuminated. Other than physically noticing that a fixture needed to be replaced, there was not a way to detect if a fixture was operational.
Today, the demand for power efficiency and customization has led to the design of intelligent lighting control systems. The DALI protocol was designed to meet these demands.
DALI lighting systems have several advantages over traditional analog lighting systems, including: