A power supply to an LED-based street or area light is operated to provide a dimming control signal, which is in turn processed by a circuit to produce 0-10 V DC, pulse width modulated (PWM) signals, or any other suitable signal that can variably control LEDs within the light. The on/off power interruptions could be provided, for example, from a photoelectric control, a timer circuit, or a pre-programmed or manually controlled timer/contactor. The signal to the on/off device could also or instead be initiated by an RF or power line carrier signal to cause the power interruptions.