Illuminance measurement by mobile devices with a diffuser dome: a comparative analysis of different platforms and applications

Studies in the literature suggest that smartphone-based applications are not suitable for measuring illuminance levels. The measurement of this photometric quantity is useful in several sectors, including monitoring the adequacy of lighting conditions in workplaces. This work investigates the contribution of attaching a diffuser dome to the embedded light sensors of smartphones and tablets associated with different applications on their performance for measuring illuminance. Two experimental arrangements were developed using an LED lamp (294.84 lx, 475.58 lx, 880.39 lx) and a xenon arc lamp (607.94 lx, 1013.72 lx, 4012.26 lx, 23933.33 lx). In the comparative analysis, the impact of using diffusion dome attachment was evidenced, indicating its potential to enable some of the device/application combinations to achieve adequate performance for being applied in the daily assessment of illuminance.