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With a dedicated aim to make installation of IoT technology in luminaires easy now and in the future, leading lighting and LED driver manufacturers, Internet of Things (IoT) technology companies and groups have announced a joint agreement for the formation of the IoT-Ready Alliance. The Alliance will aim to set industry standards that will enable LED light fixtures to be IoT-Ready, facilitating a quick and easy installation of advanced IoT sensors - as simple as changing a light bulb. It will also enable building operators to easily upgrade the sensors, ultimately future-proofing their buildings as IoT technology continues to advance at a much more rapid pace than that of LED fixtures.
Lighting fixtures are an ideal carrier for IoT technology in smart buildings, providing ubiquitous location for granular data collection throughout the building while delivering electric power to the sensors. Yet today, only a small percentage of LED fixtures are known to have smart sensors. After the initial installation of LED fixtures, installing a sensor is cost prohibitive, making the later addition of sensors unlikely. LED light fixtures typically boast a long lifetime of 15 years or more, while IoT and smart sensor technology is evolving rapidly, at a similar pace to that of the mobile phone. This means major IoT technology upgrades will certainly occur throughout the LED fixture's life. These upgrade cycles for the IoT sensors call for a cost-effective, low-impact method of changing sensors. And the IoT-Ready Alliance will stress the need to solve this challenge immediately.
The Alliance's initiative addresses this challenge head on – standardizing an interface between any luminaire and any IoT sensor. This allows the sensors to be easily added or upgraded at any point in time. It is currently working to standardize the key interface characteristics needed to make this happen. Both fixture-integrated and external sensors are being addressed. The IoT-Ready standards will include definitions for electrical interfaces, connectors, and mechanical form-factors.
IoT-based lighting systems are known to have tremendous potential to optimize energy efficiency and bring new kinds of value to the lighting and building industries and beyond. By standardizing the interface between these IoT systems and the luminaires they are attached to, the IoT-Ready Alliance is addressing an essential aspect needed to unlock the full technology potential and enable widespread adoption.
Initial industry participants include Aruba (a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company), Click Technology, DECO Lighting, DesignLights Consortium, Enlighted, ERP Power LLC, Focal Point, MEAN WELL, Orion Energy Systems, Selux, Shenzhen Lighting Control, Silergy, Tridonic, Universal Lighting Technologies and USAI Lighting.
