Product Review: Linear Ingrounds

When selecting linear ingrounds, two important factors must be taken into account. First, the fixtures should be well-built with strong seals and joints. Liner ingrounds face more challenging conditions than typical lighting. They will be walked on and might be driven over, depending on their placement. Regular glass can be slippery when wet, so consider whether an anti-slip surface treatment is necessary. The fixtures should also be resistant to vandalism.

Since these lights sit level within the ground, rainwater won’t easily drain off, and the surface may remain wet for extended periods. Therefore, the luminaires should have an IP67 or IP68 rating. Ensure that the cable entry is well-sealed since it is below ground. These fixtures endure extreme temperatures, receiving direct sunlight and lacking airflow during the day, while facing freezing conditions in winter. This might explain why there are fewer manufacturers of in-ground lights compared to surface-mounted or wall-mounted options.

The second key factor is effective optical control. To maximize lighting efficiency—delivering the most light to the building with the least energy consumption—and to reduce upward light pollution, the fixture should focus as much light as possible onto the building’s surface. This requires a variety of beam spread options, and some lights can be aimed or tilted.

For illuminating a building’s facade, some manufacturers provide both wallwash and wall graze optics in linear ingrounds. Wall washing aims to create even illumination across the facade, while grazing uplighters, positioned closer to the building, cast light along its surface, highlighting textures like stone or brick more effectively than a wash effect. However, a low window ledge might create long shadows with a grazing beam.

Lastly, it is essential that these fixtures are securely installed in the ground. Manufacturers typically offer a support or recessing box, sometimes referred to as a blockout, which can be significantly larger than the luminaire itself. Ensure there is adequate depth in the ground; and proper drainage arrangements are done during installation.

Most manufacturers offer a broad selection of options in optics, materials and lengths. All the fixtures reviewed are well-constructed; the key is to find exactly what fits one’s needs.

iGuzzini Linealuce

iGuzzini offers an extensive selection of linear ingrounds luminaires in the Linealuce series, which includes both surface-mounted and recessed options. While this review focuses on in-ground luminaires, the Linealuce series supports eight different installation orientations. 

The luminaires provide symmetrical beams, along with three options specifically designed for wall grazing. A standout feature is the ability to equip the Linealuce with internal louvres—available in lateral, transverse, and honeycomb styles—to reduce glare for viewers such as pedestrians or drivers. 

Additionally, the LEDs located at the ends of the luminaire are spaced halfway, preventing dark gaps when multiple units are aligned end to end. Typical lengths range from 610 to 1,500 millimeters, offering brightness levels between 3750 and 6,300 lumens in white. Options for RGB, RGBW, and Tunable White are also offered. 

With an IP67 rating and a robust IK10 rating, the Linealuce luminaires can withstand a static load of up to 2 tonnes.

Ligman Lightalk 

Lightalk by Ligman has been upgraded several times and comprises a range of in-ground, surface, wall mount and pendant luminaires. This IP67, IK10 unit is available in 455, 655 and 1,250 mm lengths from 16 – 70W. There are five symmetrical beams and a dedicated wallwash optic. Colour temperatures available are 3000, 4000K with a CRI >80 and RGBW. 

Control is via DMX RDM and there are a variety of cloud-based and LAN control options.  

Bega Linear Ingrounds with Vortex Optics

Bega offeres linear ingrounds fixtures which can be can be driven over by vehicles with pneumatic tyres. They offer load bearing capacity upto 1000kg. Additional feature of the Bega fixtures is use of their proprietary Vortex Optics which features specially developed twisted reflectors with a pure aluminium surface. This results optimised light distribution without artefacts. BEGA Vortex Optics ensures excellent visual comfort due to superior glare control.

The fixtures are installation situations with shallow installation depths. The different lengths and the compact dimensions allow a multitude of design options with linear light from ground level. The lengths start right from 100mm to 1000mm making these very versatile for any application. The fixtures are a standard IP67 rating and are available as LV / MV as well as Dimmable (DALI) options.

Color Kinetics Graze

The Graze family of luminaires from Color Kinetics is immense with over 700 products. It includes both surface and recessed units, the latter having an additional ground recessed box with a sealed front glass. As you would expect from Color Kinetics, the Graze has a huge range of optics available. The colour appearance, options range from 2700K to 6500K, tunable white, a whole range of colours. 

Graze Powercore offers the widest range of light output, light color options, and beam angles. Graze Compact Powercore is their smallest exterior linear grazing luminaire on the market. Its streamlined design lets it blend seamlessly into the background.

Control is generally via their Powercore system. This controls power output to luminaires directly from the line voltage. It merges line voltage with control data and delivers both over a single standard cable. Color Kinetics claim that this dramatically simplifies installation and lowers the total system cost.

WE-EF ETV100

ETV100 by WE-EF is a solidly constructed linear ingrounds luminaire which can withstand a static load of 3,000 kg and, under certain conditions, can be driven over at low speed by vehicles up to 5 tonnes per wheel.  It is rated at IP67 and has an impact resistance rating of IK08. 

It is available in three lengths, a nominal 600, 900 and 1,200 mm and 20, 20, 40W respectively. There are six light distributions available but what would be particularly useful are the wallwash and wall graze options. There is the option of a honeycomb louvre to reduce spill light and you can also have an opal glass to reduce the intensity if it is likely to be viewed directly. 

In addition to 2700, 3000 & 4000K CCTs, there is a tunable white option ranging from 2700 to 6000K and an RGBW version as well. Control is via DALI or DMX. 

The luminaire is factory sealed and does not need to be opened during installation. Similarly, a complete luminaire can be replaced without having to touch the blockout support.

SIMES Minilinear Miniround

Linear Ingrounds from SIMES offer unique combinations of form as well as materials. The inground` fixtures are available in small & long linear lengths as well as in curved from. The top trim can be chosen from SS trim as standard and Full Glass version (rimless).

Narrow, Medium, Wide and proper asymmetrical wall washing optics are available in 2700, 3000, and 4000K CCT. These are just walk-over luminaries with mechanical resistance IK 09 Maximum load capacity 500 Kg.