The Internet of Things (IoT) has become the topic of conversation for technologists around the world, at every conceivable product level. Lighting is no exception. To understand how such a dynamic field it is, one has to think beyond traditional models of control and connectivity. The integration of intelligent functions opens the door to the judicious use of data and energy that cannot be achieved using closed and localized technologies, which cannot access them due to their limited utility functionalities. To fully understand the power of intelligence and data sharing, one must grasp the number of opportunities that are being missed with existing system architectures. For example, lighting equipment is ubiquitous in the built environment. Wherever there are humans working, there will be lighting systems made up of fixtures, sensors and controls. These are currently managed in an encapsulated universe, connected only in a local context. Other systems, such as HVAC systems, computer networks, security, scheduling, and data collection also operate within their own bubbles, using overlapping controls and sensing topologies.
The IoT provides the foundation for load control, data collection, and interpolation across a wide range of heterogeneous devices, with minimal redundancy. Lighting equipment provides a natural platform for integrating sensors that detect occupancy, footstep resonance, temperature, daylight availability, and security event monitoring. In addition, through the integration of LiFi (light data communication), the lighting can also serve as a communication platform for smart appliances, HVAC controls, data collection nodes, as well as for the commissioning of sensor, load and control systems.
Light on IoT technologies
One of the great advances of the Internet is the emergence of technologies IoT (Internet of Things), in other words “the Internet of Things”. This universe represents all the equipment, devices and systems connected to the internet network to make them intelligent. In other words, the IoT allows us to send and receive information about our objects, to control them.
Does this term seem recent to you? Think again:
The connected objects are far from new!
Mentioned for the first time, it was in the 2000s that the first experiments appeared. By 2025, the number of active devices in the smart home is expected to exceed 13 billion according to the Research report. Today, we are all followers of this technology on a daily basis. What is rather new, however, is the awareness of the extent of the possibilities offered by the IoT. Our first IoT or Poe Lighting technologies were developed in 2018. Today this experience allows to operate IoT systems in a broader housing environment, with more advanced functionalities.
Which IoT technology for the home?
The communication protocol
Of course, everything starts from the internet. But to transmit information between connected objects housing in a reliable and efficient way, there are several specific communication protocols, other than the commonly Wi-Fi . These protocols make it possible, in a way, to create a parallel network, where the smart objects use a different language. You may have already heard of protocols such as Z-wave, Zigbee, EnOcean, RTS… In short, many technologies exist on the market.
Compatibility
It must be understood that the products communicate with each other only if they use the same protocol. Otherwise they cannot communicate directly with each other, since they do not have the same language! However, products using the same communication protocol but from different brands are not necessarily compatible… We then speak of a proprietary or non-proprietary protocol : a manufacturer can effectively restrict the language of the devices for its brand. At, our ecosystem is mainly based on the Zigbee 3.0 open protocol , one of the most reliable and widespread on the market today.
Benefits Of IoT Devices
Additionally, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) and WiFi networks, PoE (Power over Ethernet), Led Lighting low-voltage controls, and self-powered controls all provide opportunities for system intelligence gathering. The IoT brings this information together in a larger cloud that enables the use of intelligent software to improve the human experience, while providing valuable data to those who wish to offer new products, new building design functionalities, improved working conditions, new shopping experiences or better home comfort.
At home, the IoT will provide owners with real-time information on the status of food supplies, security status, energy usage, warranty status of appliances used, scheduled maintenance for automobiles. This trend will increase rapidly as more consumer devices with IoT capabilities are purchased to replace older hardware and owners are ready to seize this opportunity.
In the commercial field, the opportunities will go even further. Restaurants will have the ability to easily locate and manage perishables, gauge customer behaviors and preferences, monitor real-time profits, manage facilities, organize menus, and even communicate menus directly to smart devices, push customer orders directly to kitchen staff, and seamlessly track satisfaction across multiple locations. Interconnection via IoT between online consumer product search, brick-and-mortar retailers, wholesale suppliers and manufacturers, means there are fewer unsold products on the shelves and fewer customers ending up without desired items.
Many of these concepts have been realized with closed proprietary data systems within large-scale entities, but the layers of redundancy remain. Even for those with sophisticated market data intelligence, reliance on interconnectivity between building systems and remote services is virtually non-existent. By integrating intelligent functionalities into equipment, control and lighting devices, security, network systems and communication platforms, the IoT not only enables access to data concerning company products , but also transforms the operation of facilities.
Lighting hardware is of particular interest in the emergence of IoT deployment. Lighting fixtures are not only ubiquitous in all occupied spaces; they all have a power supply and can integrate additional detection and communication technologies at a reasonable cost price. Between this portal and the cloud, other devices can be added and integrated. Activated lighting commands are now a service request, which provides light, as well as changes to temperature and shade settings, while identifying occupant activity, which is useful for operations management.
Two critical issues In IoT
Although the IoT promises to advance the human experience and provide retailers with the data they need, two critical issues remain to be addressed. The first concern concerns the security of systems with such extensive interconnectivity and data availability. For the IoT to be practical, all connected components must serve their intended purpose, while incorporating security features to block access to them for harmful purposes. The second concern is planned obsolescence, where a service interruption instruction is routed to a device, requiring it to be replaced to maintain functionality.
IoT developers are addressing both of these issues because they understand that without the willing participation of customers, the concept will fail. Additionally, when IoT-enabled devices rely heavily on internet connections to function, internet connection stability becomes a critical design factor. The most reliable systems include local operational functionality when internet communications fail. For lighting, this is critical, as disrupting operation until internet service is restored is an unacceptable failure.
While marketing efforts supporting the deployment of IoT may give the impression that it will be deployed universally in a very short period of time, concerns about security, operational features, device interfaces, vulnerabilities to unscrupulous business practices and the deployment of universal communication protocols will mitigate the impact. However, the opportunity to generate revenue as well as the potential for improving operations and the human experience of our built environment are too great to ignore. For these reasons, the IoT will eventually be present in lighting and everyday life, like and in concert with smart phones, now accepted as necessary.
