What Is DALI?
DALI — Digital Addressable Lighting Interface — is the open standard (IEC 62386) for digital lighting control. Think of it as a small, resilient local network for lights.
The bus
Two wires carry both power and data. A single branch supports up to 64 devices, addressable individually, grouped into 16 groups and 16 scenes. You dim from 0 to 100% with smooth, flicker-free control.
Why "addressable" matters
Because every luminaire has an address, a control system can dim one fitting, a zone, or a scene without extra wiring. Re-zoning is a commissioning change, not a re-wire.
DALI-2 and D4i
DALI-2 added certified device types so products interoperate. D4i pushes control inside the luminaire with power and memory — see D4i vs DALI-2. XGW's DALI-2 drivers are certified to the standard.
Typical uses
Offices, retail, warehouses and outdoor/street lighting where you want dimming, scheduling and energy reporting without a proprietary system.