Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a load control device for controlling the amount of power delivered to an electrical load, and more particularly, to a wall-mounted dimmer switch that is operable to connect to the Internet via a wireless connection and to control a lighting load in response to messages received via the Internet.
Description of the Related Art
A load control device may be adapted to be coupled in a series electrical connection between an alternating-current (AC) power source and an electrical load for control of the power delivered from the AC power source to the electrical load. Prior art load control devices include, for example, lighting control devices (such as wall-mounted dimmer switches and plug-in lamp dimmers), motor control devices (for motor loads), temperature control devices, motorized window treatments, and remote controls. Some load control devices are operable to transmit and receive wireless signals, such as radio-frequency (RF) or infrared (IR) signals, to thus provide for wireless control of the corresponding loads. One example of an RF lighting control system is disclosed in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,442, issued May 18, 1999, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING AND DETERMINING THE STATUS OF ELECTRICAL DEVICES FROM REMOTE LOCATIONS, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
There is a need for a wireless load control device that is operable to connect to the Internet via a wireless connection and to control or program a lighting load in response to messages received from a wireless device (e.g., received via the Internet). It would be particularly desirable if such load control device were operable to be controlled or programmed from a Wi-Fi enabled control device, such as a smart phone (for example, an iPhone® or Android® smart phone).