Specialty
App, schedules and scenes for your Naples landscape lighting
The best-controlled lighting is the kind you never think about. It comes on at dusk, steps down late in the evening, looks lived in while you are away, and answers your phone when you want it to.
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If you are not always there
What smart control changes on a Naples property you are not always at
If your house sits empty for part of the year, or you are tired of resetting a timer every time the clocks change, a smart controller fixes both. It follows sunset on its own, runs a different scene late at night or while you are away, and lets you check and change the lighting from your phone, wherever you are.
Naples has a great many seasonal homes, and an empty house is where landscape lighting is most often wrong. The timer was set in November and is now running an hour early. A zone has gone dark and nobody is there to notice. The lights are on at full at three in the morning in August for no one.
A controller with astronomical timing and app access removes most of that. The schedule tracks sunset and sunrise through the year. The away scene runs on its own. And when something needs changing, it can be changed from a phone. The lighting we use is FX Luminaire’s, and its Luxor controller is the one this page describes, in FX’s own words.
What it does not do is design the lighting. Control is only as good as the zones it controls, which is why the companion page on how the property is divided into zones first comes before this one.
- Schedule
- Follows sunset and sunrise through the year, not a clock time.
- Scenes
- Everyday, entertaining and away, each a stored balance of the zones.
- Access
- From the app, on site or remote, with a network module.
Landscape lighting schedule
A night on a schedule, hour by hour
This is one evening on one property, run by the controller with nobody touching it. It begins at dusk, changes through the evening and ends before dawn. Scroll through it. Each step is a different balance of the same zones, set once and repeated every night.
Dusk: on with the light, not the clock
The controller brings the lights up as the sky fades, not at a fixed hour. FX Luminaire describes astronomical timing as letting "the controller’s sunrise/sunset time to automatically change with the seasons throughout the year." So the lights come on at dusk, whatever the date; the next section shows why that matters.
7 to 10 pm
The full scene
Once it is properly dark, everything comes up to its set level: the entry, the walls, the palms, the fountain and the drive. This is how the property is meant to look, for the hours when people are arriving, eating outside and looking out of the windows.
- Runs
- From dusk plus an offset until a set time.
- Zones
- All, at their designed levels.
10 pm to midnight
The late scene
The decorative zones step down and the palms dim. The entry, the drive and the paths stay up a little longer for anyone coming and going. Nobody notices the change happening, which is the point.
- Runs
- A set time, the same every night.
- Zones
- Entry and drive held; wings and palms dimmed.
Midnight to dawn
Overnight, or off
Either everything goes off, or a low level stays on at the door and the drive so the house can be seen and found. On a seasonal home the overnight choice is usually the low level. At sunrise the controller turns off whatever is still on.
- Runs
- Until sunrise, tracked the same way as sunset.
- Zones
- Entry and drive low, or nothing.
Astronomical timing
Why the schedule follows sunset instead of a clock
A timer set to a clock time turns the lights on at the same hour all year, but sunset does not stay put. In Naples it moves through the seasons and jumps an hour when daylight saving starts and ends, so a fixed timer is early for part of the year and late for the rest. A controller with astronomical timing works out sunset every day. Drag the timer below.
- Evenings on in daylight
- 0
- Evenings dark before they come on
- 0
Lighting scenes
Scenes: everyday, entertaining, away
A scene is a saved state of the whole system, recalled with one tap: which zones are on and at what level. A schedule is scenes placed on a clock. Most properties need three: the everyday evening, a fuller one for entertaining, and an away scene for the months the house is empty. Choose one to see it.
Everyday
- What it is
- The ordinary evening: the designed scene from dusk, stepping down late.
- How it runs
- On the schedule, every night, without being touched.
- What it is for
- Most nights of the year.
Entertaining
- What it is
- More light on the routes guests use and the places they gather, and the pool and garden up.
- How it runs
- Chosen for the evening, then the schedule takes over again.
- What it is for
- Parties, dinners, a houseful.
Away
- What it is
- The house lit as if lived in in the evening, then a quiet overnight level.
- How it runs
- Set when you leave for the summer and left alone.
- What it is for
- Seasonal homes, which in Naples is a great many of them.
Date-limited scenes work the same way: seasonal color on a calendar.
Ways to control it
The app, the controller on the wall, and voice
Most control is the schedule, running at the controller beside the house. The app is how you change it, on site or away; FX Luminaire says Luxor needs a network module for app control and runs on iOS and Android. Voice control depends on the controller and its software, and we confirm it before promising it.
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The app
FX Luminaire says Luxor app control needs a network module, runs on iOS and Android, and works "for on-site or remote adjustability." From the app you change levels, switch scenes and edit the schedule, at home or from wherever you spend the summer.
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The controller on the wall
The controller itself lives in its enclosure beside the house, and it is where the schedule and scenes are stored. FX describes the Luxor enclosure as 304 stainless steel and powder-coated galvanized steel. It connects to the network by its included LAN module or a Wi-Fi module accessory.
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Voice
Some owners want to say "lights on" to a speaker in the kitchen. Whether a particular controller supports a given voice assistant depends on the model and its software, so we confirm it for your system before promising it. The schedule, not the voice, should be doing most of the work.
When things go down
When the Wi-Fi drops, the internet is down, or the power goes out
On a controller with built-in astronomical timing, the schedule lives at the controller, not in the app or the cloud. If the Wi-Fi drops or the internet is down, the lights keep to it and only remote access waits. A new router means reconnecting the controller. After a power cut, the clock and schedule are checked.
If a zone goes dark while the schedule is running, the fault is on the run, not in the controller: see tracing a fault across the run.
Ask about controlIf something goes downNightScapes Landscape Lighting
- Wi-Fi drops The schedule is stored and run at the controller, so the lights keep to it. Only the app loses touch.
- Internet is down Remote changes wait until it is back. Nothing on the property changes.
- Router replaced The controller has to be reconnected to the new network. Worth knowing before the old one goes.
- Power cut When power returns, the controller and its clock are checked against the schedule. We show you how.
- Away for summer The away scene runs on its own; a neighbor or manager can see it from the drive at dusk.
- Something looks wrong A dark zone with the schedule running is a fault on the run, not in the controller.
The schedule runs at the controller.
Integration
Tying landscape lighting into a home automation system
Where a house already has a home automation system, the landscape lighting can join it. FX Luminaire lists Luxor integration with Lutron, Crestron, Control4, Savant and Elan, and says integration is done by professional integrators and authorized dealers. We set up the lighting side and work alongside your integrator.
What integration gives you
The outdoor lighting appears alongside the indoor lighting, shades and audio on the same keypads and the same app. A single "evening" button can bring up the landscape scene with the house. "Goodnight" can step everything down together.
Who does what
FX Luminaire is direct about it: "Only professional integrators and authorized dealers can perform integration." The integrator programs the home system. We design and install the lighting, set its zones and scenes at the controller, and make sure the integrator has what they need. Neither job replaces the other.
When integration is not worth it
If the house has no automation system, the controller’s own app and schedule do almost everything integration would, without another layer to maintain. Integration earns its place where there is already a system the household uses every day.
Sources, read 2026-10-13: FX Luminaire, Luxor controller product page; FX Luminaire, Landscape lighting design guide (2021).
Upgrading
Adding control to a system that is already in the ground
Most of the systems we put on a smart controller are already installed. A new controller brings the schedule and the app straight away. Dimming and separate zones depend on what is beyond it: FX Luminaire notes its ZD MR-16 lamps can add zoning and dimming to other low-voltage fixtures, and some runs have to be split.
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A new controller on an existing system
The most common upgrade: the old timer or transformer comes out and a smart controller goes in, with the existing runs connected to it. The schedule and app control arrive at once. How much more you get, such as dimming and zones, depends on the fixtures beyond it.
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Zoning and dimming through the lamps
FX Luminaire notes that its ZD MR-16 lamps "add zoning and dimming capabilities to any brand of low-voltage lighting fixture." In a system with MR-16 sockets, that can bring individual control to fixtures that were never designed for it, without replacing them.
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When the runs need rework
Control is only as fine as the wiring allows. If one cable feeds the front, the side and the back together, they can only be switched together until something changes. Sometimes that is a lamp; sometimes a run has to be split. That is covered under our redesign and expansion page.
Who does the work
Who sets up the control: NightScapes Landscape Lighting, Naples
NightScapes Landscape Lighting has designed and installed outdoor lighting in Naples since 1998. Todd and Sherry own and run it, outdoor lighting is the only work it does, it is a Hunter Preferred Contractor, and its Google Business Profile shows 63 reviews at 5.0. We set the schedule and scenes with you.
Many homes in Naples and on Marco Island are empty for part of the year. Smart control is how their lighting keeps working properly while nobody is there, and how the owners can see that it is.
We will set the schedule, build the scenes with you, and show you how to change them. When the yearly visits come round, the schedule is checked along with everything else: see yearly service visits. Seasonal color on a calendar is on our holiday lighting page. When the timer or photocell in an older cabinet fails, see when the timer or photocell in the cabinet fails.
Ask about control - Since 1998
- Lighting properties in Naples and Southwest Florida.
- Todd and Sherry
- Family and locally owned. The owners are the people you deal with.
- 63 Google reviews
- Rated 5.0 on the NightScapes Google Business Profile.
- Hunter Preferred Contractor
- Hunter Industries is the maker of FX Luminaire fixtures and Luxor controllers.
Questions we hear
Questions Naples homeowners ask about smart lighting control
What smart control actually does, whether the lights keep working when Wi-Fi drops, whether several controllers can share one app, whether the lighting can join a home automation system, whether a smart switch would do instead, and whether it is worth it on a second home. Product facts are quoted from FX Luminaire.
NightScapes Landscape Lighting Outdoor lighting only, Naples since 1998 Choose a question
- What does smart control actually do on a landscape lighting system?
- Do the lights still work if my Wi-Fi goes down?
- Can I control more than one controller from the app?
- Can my landscape lighting tie into my home automation system?
- Can a smart switch or a plug-in timer control my lights instead?
- Is smart control worth it for a second home?
Ask us about controlling your lighting. Choose a question, or call and we will answer it on the phone.
What does smart control actually do on a landscape lighting system?
It runs the lighting on a schedule that follows sunset, stores scenes for different kinds of evening, and lets you change things from an app on site or away. On a controller like FX Luminaire’s Luxor it can also control zones and dim them, in FX’s words "0-100% in 1% increments."
Do the lights still work if my Wi-Fi goes down?
On a controller with built-in astronomical timing, the schedule is held and run at the controller, so the lights keep to it. What you lose is the app until the network is back. If you replace your router, the controller needs reconnecting to the new network, and it is worth planning that.
Can I control more than one controller from the app?
Larger properties sometimes have more than one controller, for example one for the front and one for the water side. Whether they appear together in one app, and how, depends on the controller model and its app version. We set it up so you can see and change all of it from one place where the system supports that.
Can my landscape lighting tie into my home automation system?
FX Luminaire lists Luxor integration with Lutron, Crestron, Control4, Savant and Elan, and notes that "only professional integrators and authorized dealers can perform integration." If you have an integrator, we set up the lighting side and work with them so the two systems talk to each other.
Can a smart switch or a plug-in timer control my lights instead?
A switch or timer on the transformer’s power can turn the whole system on and off, and FX notes plug-in timers and photocells "eliminate the need for the user to manually switch the lighting." What a switch cannot do is dim, set zones or change scenes, because those happen at the controller and the fixtures, not at the plug.
Is smart control worth it for a second home?
It is where it matters most. A seasonal home needs to look lived in through the evening, run quietly overnight, and be checked or changed from wherever you are. An away scene and remote access do that, and a neighbor or manager can confirm from the drive at dusk that it is running.
Free Consultations and Estimates
Ready for lighting that runs itself?
Tell us what you have now: the timer, the transformer, how many runs, and whether the house is empty for part of the year. We will tell you what a controller adds and set the schedule with you.
- Follows sunset all year
- Everyday, entertaining and away scenes
- Free consultation and estimate
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