QALIUM is a Hong Kong based lighting control brand that makes wireless lighting control systems for architects, lighting designers and electrical contractors. It was started by lighting designers, and that shows in how the products are documented, specified and commissioned.
Why lighting designers built a control brand
The people behind QALIUM used to sit on the other side of the table. As lighting designers, they spent years reading a manufacturer's spec sheet and translating engineering jargon into something a client or a contractor could actually use. Eventually they stopped complaining about it and built the control brand they kept wishing existed.
Two convictions came out of that. Lighting control should not need an engineering degree to specify, or a closed ecosystem to operate. And it should speak the language designers already use, which is intent, atmosphere and scene, rather than channels and protocols.
What a wireless lighting control system is
A lighting control system decides how much light each fixture gives, and when. In a traditional installation, those instructions travel through dedicated control cable, run from every controller to every group of luminaires. On a fit out, that means pulling cable through ceiling voids, risers and walls, often after the layout has already changed twice.
In a wireless system, the communication between devices moves onto radio. Power and luminaire wiring still run as they always do, so the void is not empty. What disappears is the layer of control cabling between devices, and the coordination and labour hours that come with it.
QALIUM systems install up to 40 percent faster than a traditional wired system. Commissioning is wireless too, and needs no specialist hardware.
Controlling light from an app, a tablet or a button
The wireless link is also what makes scenes practical. A scene is a saved set of light levels for a space. Every QALIUM product connects through the same app, and you build a scene by touching the screen of a phone or tablet until the room looks right, then save it. Physical buttons can be used instead of the screen, or alongside it, for anyone who prefers them.
In daily use, a lobby can hold a bright scene for the morning and switch to an evening one with a single touch. At closing, one touch turns everything off.
Compact controllers that work with different dimming types
QALIUM controllers are small, and that is deliberate. Small devices are easier to place and easier to hide, which matters on refurbishments where space is already spoken for.
They also work with different dimming methods, including DALI, phase, 0 to 10V and 1 to 10V. In practice, a project is not tied to one luminaire manufacturer. A specifier can choose fixtures for the design, and the control follows, even when luminaires from several brands share the same project.
The six main QALIUM product families
Together, the six main families cover the full control stack, from the driver at the fixture to the gateway that ties a building together.
- VELA: DALI controllers in three sizes, VELA 1, VELA 4 and VELA 32, which connect to 1, 4 and 32 channels respectively.
- SOLUM: 0 to 10V controllers with forward and reverse dimming, compatible with a broad range of luminaires.
- CHROMA: 5 channel PWM controllers for full spectrum colour, used in retail and experiential spaces.
- IRIS: presence, lux and motion sensors, for both low bay and high bay applications.
- IONIX: LED drivers in 14W, 32W and 42W versions, which form the power layer.
- PORTA: the gateway for WiFi and Bluetooth connection, remote monitoring, commissioning and BMS integration.
Five more products, and a range that keeps growing
Beyond the six main families, we have added five more products to the range. UMBRA is a trailing edge dimmer for phase dimming. TENSO controls curtains. NEXO is a switch interface for physical switches. TACTUM is a series of wall buttons. ORBIS is a range extender that carries the signal further across larger spaces.
The range will keep growing. The team is always looking for new innovations that give clients more control over their spaces.
A simpler process, from order to installation
QALIUM's process is built to stay short and clear. Documentation is complete when the order is placed, not chased afterwards. There is less control cabling to install, so there is less to coordinate between trades. Commissioning is wireless, and a team that understands lighting design answers questions directly.
Unclear documentation is a common cause of rework on site, so ours is written for the person installing the system, and BIM ready assets are available from the start of design.
QALIUM also works with open protocols. There is no ecosystem that ties a project to one vendor, including for the next refurbishment.
Less energy, room by room
A room that is lit well and controlled well uses only the energy it needs, exactly when it needs it. A corridor dims when nobody walks it.
None of this looks impressive from the outside. Added up across rooms and then buildings, it means less energy drawn from a grid that is already under strain.
We are fine with quiet. We would rather be useful than loud.
Who QALIUM is built for
Lighting designers keep specification authority. The system follows the design intent instead of overwriting it.
Interior architects get infrastructure that stays out of sight, with complete freedom in the choice of luminaire.
Electrical contractors get faster commissioning and documentation that reads without a translator.
Developers get a system with no lock in, already proven on serious projects.
Where QALIUM is specified
QALIUM is based in Hong Kong, where the range is built and supported. It is specified internationally across luxury hospitality, high end retail, commercial fit outs and luxury residential projects. Examples include Vinpearl Hotels and Resort in Phu Quoc and Can Tho, Vietnam, and CH Premier Jewelers in Westfield, California.
Talking to QALIUM about a project
The most useful conversation happens before the drawings are locked. At that point the control strategy can still be shaped around the design.
If you are specifying a project now, contact the team at info@qalium.com or on +852 2525 7471.
