Ketra FAQ

Where is Ketra headquartered?

Ketra is headquartered in the heart of Austin, Texas—a vibrant design and tech hub recently monikered “Silicon Hills.” While Austin is firmly established as a technology and music hub, the city is emerging as an art and design destination, and we’re excited to be in the center of that transformation.

When was Ketra founded?

Ketra was founded in 2009 by Horace Ho, Jason Lewis, and David Knapp, three visionary engineers with a flair for connecting the analog world and digital worlds. Together, they developed a driver chip that addressed the deficiencies of typical LED lighting, while also improving the performance and range of the light source.

When was Ketra acquired by Lutron?

In April 2018, Ketra was acquired by Lutron Electronics, an established leader in the lighting control and shade industry with a rich history in manufacturing excellence. By pairing Ketra's innovative lighting technology with Lutron's world-class controls and shades, we bring new and exciting possibilities to both brands and to our customers.

How does Ketra mimic natural sunlight?

Ketra’s unparalleled ability to move precisely along the “Black Body Curve” is what allows us to mimic the dynamic nature of sunlight. By shifting in color temperature and intensity throughout the day, Ketra light seamlessly emulates sunlight so people feel more connected to the outdoors. While many color-changing solutions on the market attempt to mimic natural light by jumping between a limited set of color temperatures, Ketra shifts gradually over time like true daylight.

Is Ketra a circadian lighting solution?

Ketra is a human-centric lighting solution built with advanced technology to produce high quality and dynamic natural light. The word “circadian” refers to human biology and is often linked to health claims, which we prefer to leave to the experts. That said, we’re encouraged by researchers who are discovering how lighting influences our wellbeing—and we continue to follow and support their progress.

Do I need a tunable white or a color tunable lighting solution?

There’s a lot to consider when selecting a lighting system. Start by determining which of the following options is the right fit for your project and the experience you want to create:

• Tunable white solution: Uses two LEDs—one warmer and one cooler—to create a moderate range of white light.
• Tunable color light solution: Mixes red, green, blue, and white LEDs for a broader range of white and colored light but typically requires extra programming to create custom scenes.
• Ketra’s tunable color solution: Offers 16.7 million colors and the widest available range of high quality white light to accurately mimic natural light and incandescent dimming. Learn more about Ketra’s Tunable Lighting solution here.
   

What is Dynamic Spectrum light?

Ketra’s Dynamic Spectrum light creates white light experiences that no other architectural lighting solution can produce from a single source. By tuning the amount of energy across the visible spectrum of colors, precisely following the black body curve, and changing the “recipe” of white light, it creates the following human-centric experiences:

• Natural Light: Brings natural light indoors by offering flexible color temperature and light intensity.
• Natural Dimming: Allows white light to be gradually adjusted to match the dimming curve of traditional light sources.
• Vibrancy: Creates unique white light formulas, enhancing your space and the objects within it.

What is Vibrancy?

Vibrancy changes the recipe of white light to enhance a space and the objects within it. As you “sweep” the Vibrancy control on a Ketra product from 0-100%, the recipe of white light within that fixed correlated color temperature (CCT) shifts, revealing a previously hidden spectrum of color nuances in a space. Rather than tune the color of a light, Vibrancy tunes white light to bring color to life. It is often applied to art displays, showcasing works in their best light and rendering colors the way the artist intended. Learn more about Ketra Vibrancy here.

How low do Ketra lights dim?

Ketra lights can dim down to 0.1% while uniquely emulating the warm glow of a sunset. Because we combine white LEDs with varying amounts of red, green, and blue light, Ketra’s white light can be gradually adjusted to match the dimming curve of a traditional light source and mimic incandescent dimming—shifting to an amber color as intensity goes down. Unlike other LED light sources, Ketra lights dim by adjusting their CCT while always following along the black body curve. Learn more about Ketra's Natural Dimming here.

How is Ketra different from other consumer color changing lights?

Ketra is an architectural lighting system that offers premium lighting experiences for projects ranging from luxury residences to complex commercial spaces. 

Architectural lighting solutions like Ketra offer professional designers a collection of integrated lamps and luminaires with multiple beam and trim options, and more advanced technology than traditional tunable white or tunable color solutions.

Consumer-grade colored lights don’t offer the same range and flexibility for professional installations. Ketra is designed to seamlessly integrate into A/V and building management systems and provide luxury experiences that adapt to changing needs. Learn more about the Ketra difference here.

How do Ketra lights communicate with each other?

Ketra light sources communicate through a proprietary wireless protocol designed specifically for light sources.

How is Ketra lighting controlled?

Ketra lights are controlled through a 2.4 GHz wireless network that facilitates flexible installation. Ketra lights can be wirelessly controlled through mobile apps and a variety of wall control options, including Lutron’s premium Palladiom keypads.

Can I use Ketra for a project seeking WELL Certification?

The WELL Building Standard focuses on several aspects of wellbeing in the built environment, one of which is lighting. Ketra’s high degree of tunability, addressability, spectral power distribution (SPD) and control—along with its pre-programmed Natural Light show—offer a solution that closely aligns with WELL’s lighting requirements. See how Delos HQ in New York used Ketra to meet WELL standards for their space here.

Can I use Ketra lighting outside?

Ketra lights are not rated for outdoor use.

Can I control Ketra lighting from my phone?

Yes, Ketra lighting can be controlled through mobile apps. You can control scenes, shift color temperatures, and more—all from your phone.

Does Ketra operate over Wifi?

No, but Ketra occupies wireless channels adjacent to WiFi networks. Our proprietary wireless mesh protocol is built to IEEE 802.15.4 standards, designed to maximize communication between devices. Ketra’s radio antennas are designed and tested for superior performance in built environments. Ketra also has the ability to change channels along the 2.4 GHz to optimize performance.

Does Ketra integrate with Lutron HomeWorks?

Yes, Ketra’s residential lights use Lutron’s proprietary Clear Connect Type X wireless protocol to enable direct communication between lighting controls and light sources. Clear Connect Type X operates on a 2.4 GHz frequency.

Does Ketra integrate with Lutron Vive?

Ketra lighting does not currently integrate with Lutron Vive.

Does Ketra integrate with Lutron RadioRa2?

Ketra does not currently integrate directly with Lutron RadioRa2.

Does Ketra integrate with Lutron Quantum?

Currently, there’s no integration for Ketra and Lutron Quantum, however, Ketra does integrate natively with Athena, Lutron’s premiere architectural lighting control system for commercial spaces. If your project is currently using Lutron Quantum and you’d like to incorporate Ketra lighting, contact your local system sales engineer to determine the best approach for your project.

Does Ketra integrate with Lutron Athena?

Yes, you can now use Athena to integrate Ketra light with Lutron shades as well as third party light sources for seamless, comprehensive control of commercial spaces. Learn more about Athena here.

Which smart home systems work with Ketra?

Ketra lighting can be used with Google Home, Amazon Echo, Apple HomeKit, and Josh.ai. Learn more about our Ketra + HomeWorks solution here.

Where can I see a demo of Ketra products?

You can experience Ketra at the Lutron Experience Center in New York, or at one of our certified residential dealer showrooms across the US. We’re working to expand our showroom coverage in partnership with Lutron, so you can always check our Contact and Where to Buy pages for the latest list of showrooms. In the spring of 2020, Ketra opened its new headquarters in Austin, TX. Explore the inside of Ketra's new HQ.

Where can I buy Ketra products?

For residential projects, work with a Lutron sales rep and/or Ketra qualified dealer in your area. They’ll help you design and customize a personalized lighting system for your smart home. For commercial projects, a Ketra sales representative can design and provision a complete lighting solution.

Where can I visit to see real applications of Ketra light?

These are a few of our favorite spots to experience Ketra light in action:

• Nike - House of Innovation 000 in New York, NY: A 68K sqft dynamic retail experience that integrates the personalization of digital shopping with the tactile thrills of traditional retail.

• Honeybrains in New York, NY: With a neurologist and nutritionist on staff, Honeybrains creates food that promotes the overall wellbeing of the body and brain.

• The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, IL: The historic museum houses 300,000 works of art, ranging from ancient artworks to creations by some of today’s most prominent artists. From sculptures to modern photography to ancient altarpieces, the AIC’s color tunable lighting offers infinite possibilities while still ensuring the highest standard of preservation.

• Ramen Tatsu-Ya in Austin, TX: Restauranteurs Tatsu Aikawa and Takuya Matsumoto created a space that evokes the comforting, traditional vibe of ramen—without sacrificing the beauty of a modern aesthetic.

• Eataly NYC Downtown in New York, NY: Guests can indulge in Eataly’s vibrant marketplace with fresh, regionally-sourced ingredients while they shop and immerse themselves in Italian culture.
• Tamarindo in San Clemente, CA: Transformed from a beloved food truck to a vibrant brick and mortar space, Tamarindo is a feast for the eyes and the palate.

Can Ketra lighting be adjusted after it’s installed?

After a space is built, painted, and furnished, designers are typically bound to the color they chose when the lighting was first installed. With Ketra’s advanced wireless control capabilities, designers are able to pick the Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) they want, even after installation. Ketra lighting can be adjusted to suit the finished space, and with Ketra’s D3 downlights’ field-adjustable optics, modifications of light positions and beam angles can also be made. Personalized scenes and lighting zones can also be reprogrammed after installation, ensuring that the lighting accommodates the unique and evolving needs of the space’s occupants.

How much does Ketra lighting cost?

Since Ketra is a professional grade lighting system, the cost of the lighting is determined by the individual design of a space. A certified Ketra dealer or a lighting designer can help you develop a lighting plan to inform the recommended Ketra products for a space. If you’d like to learn more, reach out to a Ketra dealer or commercial sales rep who would be happy to assist you.

Is Ketra available outside the U.S.?

Yes, Ketra is currently available in Canada and Mexico.

What is the warranty for Ketra products?

All Ketra products come with a warranty of 5 years, starting at the date of shipment. For more details, read Ketra’s full warranty policy here.

What is human-centric lighting?

Human-centric lighting is dynamic, flexible light that simulates natural light and enhances the human experience. It seamlessly blends with daylight, allowing you to start your day with bright, energizing light, and wind down with the same warm evening glow of sunset. By satisfying the human craving for natural sunlight, human-centric lighting allows people to look and feel their best.

Lutron HXL—a broad approach to human-centric lighting—incorporates several elements of lighting design to promote comfort, enhance well-being, and foster human engagement. Learn more about Lutron HXL here.

What is warm dimming?

“Warm dimming” refers to a light source’s gradual shift from a cooler, “daylight white” at a higher level of brightness, to a warmer, amber color at a lower level. Ketra’s white light can be gradually adjusted to match the dimming curve of a traditional light source, such as an incandescent lamp—shifting to a warm amber as the intensity goes down. Learn more about Ketra’s warm dimming capabilities here.

What are lighting optics?

Through reflection and refraction, lighting optics place light where it’s wanted—and away from areas where it’s not. It shapes a wide distribution of light into a selection of beams, from narrow spotlights to wide floodlights. Ketra’s TruBeam optical system is our unique, patented approach to optics. A tightly packed cluster of LED die within our proprietary silicon dome creates a small-point light source. A reflector optic collimates the light, while a secondary pillow-lens optic smooths the beam. By combining the reflector and lens, Ketra produces the maximum range of beam spreads at a uniform color and intensity.

How do I make keypads for a particular installation available remotely?

Minimum app version 1.4.0, minimum hub firmware 1.14.0: The installation must first be enabled for remote access - this can only be done in Design Studio while Design Studio is on the installation’s local network. The app will then display a cloud checkbox for the installation on the Installation page. Tap the cloud to enable remote keypads for that installation; you will be required to enter the installation’s password. After successful authentication, all keypads in the installation will be available remotely. Remote keypads will appear under the installation's name in the keypad list - look for the cloud in front of the installation name.

The dimmer doesn’t work on my 3 button keypad. How do I fix this?

Version 1.3.0 and later: The app will always display a dimmer when a dimmer operation should be available. Three button keypads that have not been upgraded to firmware version 1.12 or later and/or were installed with Design Studio 1.6 or earlier will ignore dimmer operations. To fix, upgrade those keypads with firmware 1.12 or later, and re-publish them with Design Studio 1.7 or later.

I created a new installation using Design Studio and the app doesn’t find it. What’s wrong?

Make sure you’ve published the installation, then exited Design Studio while connected to the internet.

Wondering why is this necessary? After creating a new installation, if you didn’t publish it, it won’t be available for use by the hardware. If you didn’t exit Design Studio after publishing, or did so while not connected to the internet, the Ketra Cloud won’t know about the new installation for that user, and that installation will not be on the user's list of available installations. The app uses that list to determine which N4's to which the user may connect. If it’s not on the list, the app never knows that the N4 has an installation for the user so it doesn't try to connect to the N4 and it doesn't display the installation in the Installations list.

I prefer to see my keypads displayed in a simple list rather than in a hierarchy based on keypad labels. How do I do this?

Version 1.2.8 and later: Tap Settings-Preferences. Turn off “Display keypad list hierarchy”.

I prefer to choose my keypad rather than let the app choose the most recently used keypad. How do I do this?

Version 1.2.7 and later: Tap Settings-Preferences. Turn off “Auto-select most recently used keypad”.

How can I easily set maximum or minimum brightness?

Version 1.2.5 and later: Tap near the end of the dimmer slider and it will snap to maximum or minimum brightness. Tap anywhere else on the dimmer slider to set that value. Tap and hold the slider to slide it to whatever value you like.

When does my phone and hub need internet access in order to use the app?

This answer assumes your hubs are already installed and working correctly.
If the phone and hubs are on the same network, not different subnets (most networks):

• Your phone needs access to the internet when logging in an account in order to verify your account.
• For secure installations (i.e. not demo), the hub needs access to the internet in order to validate the account the app is using when it attempts to connect to the installation.
• This is only required the first time the Installation is accessed on a particular hub.

If the phone and hubs are on the same network but different subnets (typically a sophisticated corporate network):

• Your phone needs access to the internet when logging in an account in order to verify your account.
• The hub always needs access to the internet (secure or demo installation)
• Version 1.2.4 and earlier: your phone needs access to the internet whenever the app connects to a hub on a different subnet.
• Version 1.2.5 and later: your phone needs access to the internet whenever the app connects to a hub on a different subnet for the first time, or if that hub’s IP address has changed since the last time the app connected to it.

Why did my user account disappear from the accounts list?

If the app can’t retrieve the account’s user login credentials from the phone’s secure storage, the user account can no longer be used and is removed from the list. Re-login to the account to re-establish the credentials.

How do I organize my keypad list into groups?

When an installation contains a large number of keypads e.g. more than 15, keypad selection can become cumbersome due to the need for scrolling (note that this may or may not be an issue as the app presents keypads most recent first). The app allows you to group keypads in order to display the keypad selection list in a “drill-down” hierarchy. The user does this by “labelling” each keypad name as follows:

• /label1/label2:.../labelx/keypad name
• Labeled and unlabeled keypads can be used at the same time. The initial ‘/’ character is required when using labels. If the initial ‘/’ character is omitted, the keypad name will not be labeled and the ‘/’ can be used elsewhere as part of the keypad name
• You don’t need to add a space character before or after the ‘/’ label separator. This is not recommended as the app will add these for you when displaying the keypad name
• A keypad can be put into more than one hierarchical group by adding multiple labels, separated by commas
• Commas cannot be used in a label, but they can be used in the keypad name

Example: if you give your keypads these names in Design Studio

• /Master/Bed/All
• /Master/Bed/Downlights
• /Master/Bed/Decorative
• /Master/Bath/All
• /Master/Bath/Downlights
• /Master/Bath/Vanity
• /Master/Bed,Bath/Hall (Within the Master label, Bed and Bath share the Hall keypad)
• Kitchen
• Dining

The keypad list would be organized into 3 screens

• Screen 1 Screen 2
• Dining
• Kitchen Screen 3 (from Bath)
• Master Bath All
• Decorative
• Downlights
• Hall
• Screen 3 (from Bed)
• Bed All
• Downlights
• Hall
• Vanity

How do I change the order of virtual keypads that are cascaded or mirrored?

Cascaded/Mirrored keypads are ordered primary keypad first with their child keypads ordered alphabetically by name. To change the order in which the child keypads appear, change their names and re-publish. The app only displays the primary keypad name, so you can name their child keypads anything you like to get them to sort alphabetically the way you’d like. Example:

Master Bedroom (primary keypad)

Master Bedroom 1 (first cascaded keypad to appear)

Master Bedroom 2 (second cascaded keypad to appear)

Having trouble updating the app?

If you’ve updated your phone’s operating system recently, you may need to power off and power on your phone to let it finish updating. Try updating the app afterwards.

Not all installations are available, even though I’m on the correct WiFi network

This can happen when hubs are installed on a subnet of the WiFi network and the app doesn’t have access to the Internet. Make sure your phone is connected to the Internet, then refresh the Installations list, or connect the phone to the WiFi subnet. If you’d like the details, read on.

If the app is connected to a WiFi network, and the hub is connected to a subnet of that WiFi network, the app can’t find the hub because it can’t access the subnet while it is on the WiFi network. However, if the app and the hub have access to the internet, it can retrieve the IP address of the hub from your Ketra account and use the IP address to connect to the hub on the subnet.

I updated the installation on a hub but the app doesn’t show me the changes

If you publish a new installation, the changes you made e.g. scene name changes, adding/removing keypads etc. won’t appear in the app until the app gets the new installation information from the hub. Go to the Installations screen (Settings-Installations), wait until the screen is no longer busy, then return to Keypads. If you’re already on the Installations screen, tap the Refresh button at the bottom, wait for the Refresh to complete, then return to the Keypads screen.

No Installations found

Verify the hub(s) are set up on a network that the phone can reach via WiFi.

Verify the phone is connected to the same WiFi network or any WiFi network that has access to the hubs.

Verify a user ID that has access to the installation on the hub(s) is logged on in the app and enabled on the Accounts screen (Settings->Installations->Accounts)

Verify the hubs are enabled on the Installations screen (Settings->Installations)

Keypads are listed that aren’t available on the current network

This can happen when the phone changes WiFi networks while the app is on screen. Rather than restart the app, go to the Installations screen, then back to the keypad screen.

How do I know the lights have been changed if I can’t see them from my location?

When you change the lights, a busy indicator is shown. When the busy indicator goes away, the lights have been changed to their new setting.

My Username or Email is not displayed correctly after I updated it

The app will sync any changes to your user information when it refreshes the Installations screen. If you have changed your user information, go to the Installations screen (Settings->Installations) and it will update its copy of your user information.

I have a multi-PAN install but the app only connects to one of the hubs

This is not a problem. The app only needs to connect to one of the hubs in order to control the installation. Any of the hubs will do, it connects to the first one it finds.

How can I see the Introduction pages again?

Go to Settings-Accounts, delete all accounts, then restart the app.