Pharos Architectural Controls are exhibiting at PLASA Focus Leeds on 12–13 May 2026, presenting their latest developments across its lighting control portfolio, led by significant new capabilities within the Pharos Express range.
Designed to deliver powerful, intuitive control for architectural lighting applications, Pharos Express continues to evolve with the release of Express 2.1, introducing a suite of new integration and automation features that expand its flexibility and connectivity.
A key focus of the update is enhanced third-party integration. New DALI integration enables incoming DALI group commands to directly control spaces or change tags in the project. This allows for seamless control of intensity changes, scene recall, and project behaviour controlled by tags, all configured through a simple, table-based interface. For projects utilising RIO D4, a remote 4-port DALI device, integration can be tailored independently for each DALI port, offering greater control at a granular level.
Further enhancing connectivity, MQTT integration enables simple two-way communication between Express Control and external systems via any MQTT broker. This allows lighting to be monitored and controlled in real time, with key information such as intensity levels, active scenes, and tags automatically updated. A clear and predictable topic structure makes integration with popular IoT platforms like Node-RED or IFTTT straightforward and easy to scale.
Express 2.1 also introduces the ability to send Ethernet messages on scene activation, enabling direct communication with third-party devices over a network. Supporting both TCP and UDP protocols, the system allows a target device to be pre-configured, with each scene capable of triggering a specific command. This opens up new possibilities for synchronised control across wider building or entertainment systems.
In addition, enhanced scheduling functionality now allows events to recur annually across defined date ranges. This provides a simple and effective solution for seasonal or recurring events, ensuring lighting schemes can automatically respond year after year with minimal intervention. Fixture status monitoring via Pharos Cloud is also now available within Express, extending visibility and diagnostics across installations.
Alongside Express, visitors to the stand will also discover the latest advancements within the Pharos Designer platform, which continues to evolve as a highly integrated and scalable solution for more complex lighting environments.
Jack Neill, Product Director at Pharos, said, “The latest Designer 2.16 release enhances both capability and integration. With support for the new Pharos RIO 84 – offering expanded inputs, outputs, and multi-protocol connectivity – alongside native integration with Advatek PixLite Mk3 controllers, we’re making it easier than ever to deliver sophisticated, pixel-based lighting systems.”
Additional enhancements include trigger rate limiting for improved system stability, and refinements to timeline functionality with improvements to audio rows delivering a more responsive and intuitive programming experience.
Together, these developments reinforce the Pharos commitment to delivering powerful and flexible lighting control solutions, supporting projects of all scales – from straightforward architectural schemes to highly complex, integrated environments.
Visitors to PLASA Focus Leeds can explore these latest innovations first-hand at Stand N-D19.
