An approach for implementing an illumination device for interfacing with other illumination devices or user devices and for receiving and providing various services. The approach includes providing an interface to an illumination device, wherein the illumination device is configured to include a plurality of modules and wherein the plurality of modules includes at least an illumination module, a networking module, and a short range wireless communication module. The approach also includes receiving an input via the interface for specifying a service associated with the illumination device, wherein the service employs at least one of the illumination module, the networking module, and the short range wireless communication module. Further, the approach includes configuring the illumination device to provide the service based on the input.