Magnetic track is the most useful thing to happen to ceiling lighting in years, and it is still oddly unknown outside architectural circles. The idea is simple: instead of wiring each fixture to its own point in the ceiling, you install one rail carrying safe low voltage, and then attach light modules anywhere along it. They hold on magnetically. No tools, no wiring, no fixed positions.
How it works
A driver converts mains to 48 V and feeds the rail. Because the rail runs at low voltage, the conductive surface is safe to touch and modules can be repositioned while the system is live. Each module contains its own small LED engine and simply picks up power where it lands.
Rails come in three mounting styles: surface (screwed to the ceiling, visible), recessed (sunk flush into plasterboard, only the slot is visible), and suspended (hung on cables, common over kitchen islands and meeting tables).
Why people choose it
The layout is not permanent. Move the sofa, move the lights. Rearrange a shop display, rearrange the beams. This is why retail adopted it first.
You can mix module types on one rail. A narrow-beam spot to graze a picture, a linear bar for general fill, a small pendant over a counter — all on the same track, all matching, all fed by one driver.
Recessed rails look like nothing. Fitted into a plasterboard ceiling, you see a slim dark slot and the light itself. It is a far cleaner look than a scattering of separate downlights.
Maintenance is trivial. A module fails, you pull it off and press a new one on.
Choosing a system
Rail width is the first decision, and it is not interchangeable between systems — modules only fit the width they were made for. We stock 1.1 cm, 1.9 cm, 2.6 cm and 3.9 cm profiles, plus a 3 cm mini range. Narrower rails suit homes and look more discreet; wider rails accept larger, higher-output modules for commercial spaces.
Driver capacity is the second. Add up the wattage of every module you intend to run, then choose a driver with at least 20% headroom. Running a driver at its absolute limit shortens its life.
Plan the rail length generously. Rails join end to end, and empty rail costs far less than cutting into a finished ceiling later because you want one more spot.
A realistic caveat
Magnetic track costs more up front than four ordinary downlights, and the recessed version needs to be planned before the ceiling is closed. It earns that back in flexibility, and in the fact that the ceiling stays clean-looking for the life of the room. If you are renovating and the ceiling is already open, it is the moment to decide.
Our magnetic range runs to just under 300 components — rails, spots, linear modules, pendants, connectors, corners and drivers.