Network Communications News (NCN) NCN-Sept2017 | Page 19

NETWORKED LIGHTING devices. Employees can quickly find a drop-in workspace or locate another employee’s workspace, and customers can get directly to the depar tment they seek. In case of emergency, the systems can direct occupants automatically and safely out of the building. In retail environments, smart lighting powered by the network can be used to measure store traffic patterns; better understand customer and staff behaviour and traffic flow to identify premium locations for featured products and services and optimise sales. The systems can also feature special promotions, sale items and continually change them without having to make physical lighting changes. It’s also possible to guide customers to specific items or areas with light and closely mimic natural light to show truer colours and reduce return rates. Powering intelligent lighting systems T h e m a j o r i t y of i nte l l i ge nt l i g h t i n g s y s te m s c o n s i s t of a c e nt ra l i s e d L E D p owe r s y s te m t h at p rov i d e s a D C c u r re nt to l u m i n a i re s o r s e n s o r s i n s ta l l e d i n t h e c e i l i n g . T h e re a re t wo wa y s o f a c h i ev i n g t h i s :  ower over Ethernet (PoE): P A standard that allows both power and control signals to be transmitted along the same RJ45 cable to an intelligent light containing an electronic LED and control interface. P aE solutions: A system where manufacturers provide power to LED fixtures from centralised LED driver units, which may include the ability to use sensors with RJ45 or other connection methods. PoE systems have a significant cost implication as the only high power (>25W) systems available are proprietary, which limits high volume deployments. See Table 1 (right) for an explanation. A new, highly cost effective DC-based solution from Integrated System Technologies termed Power and Ethernet (PaE), offers improved benefits over standard PoE, without the cost prohibitive PoE end-points (similar to LED drivers), whilst improving overall system reliability. In contrast to PoE, the PaE digital lighting system provides Ethernet connectivity to a centralised LED driver rack unit, which then provides DC power to remote fixtures or sensors via standard PoE RJ45 Category 6A cabling infrastructures. There are significant advantages of the iDrive Power and Ethernet solutions, including rapid setup and programming compared to traditional control systems, such as DALI, Ethernet-based systems offer 500x speed improvement for commissioning, PaE also delivers reduced commissioning costs with no need for programming engineers. All that is required is simple low voltage wiring, no need for specialised electricians, as mains voltages are not prevalent in the system. This approach also reduces the need for large mains distribution boards within confined riser cupboards. PaE also delivers significantly fewer issues with inrush currents and RCD trip currents compared to standard LED driver solutions and the Category 6A cabling infrastructure reduces installation Standards Max Current Energised Paris Power at Device Standard Ratified PoE IEEE 802.3af (802.at Type1) 350mA 2 12.95W 2003 PoE+ IEEE 803.3at Type 2 600mA 2 25.5W 2009 PoE++ Proposed IEE 802.bt Type 3 600mA 4 49W Expected 2018 PoE++ Proposed IEEE 802.3bt Type 4 1000mA 4 96W Expected 2018 Non-PoE standard- based Cisco UP0E 600mA 4 96W No official ratification Non-PoE standard- based HDBase-T 1000mA 4 96W No official ratification iDrive ® PaE Standard DC power 1600mA 4 76.8W Use standard DC power Type Table 1: Comparison of PoE and PaE solutions costs up to 20% compared with conventional AC-powered systems. Finally, the concept enables project timetables to be accelerated as secondary works can be undertaken during lighting installation as the low voltage makes them safe. Maintenance phase savings Figures 1a (left) and 1b (right) demonstrate how low voltage DC PaE systems reduce the amount of wiring and complexity for installations Once fitted, the systems continue to offer benefits. Centralised iDrive LED drivers are easy to access, reducing the need for high level maintenance work, this in turn reduces downtime and out-of- hours labour costs. LED drivers are also easy to access, without disrupting retail spaces, school, hospital and commercial buildings. Less disruption of course means happier clients and to keep them that way, it’s very easy to change lighting configuration, as systems are DC-based with simple RJ45 plug-and-play connections. PoE systems are commonly used today within buildings to support VoIP telephone and security CCTV systems, where devices have low power requirements. There are two reasons why PoE is not currently being deployed in lighting installations, no ratified standard for high power (>25W) devices exists and current high power systems are hugely expensive (>£250 per luminaire point). September 2017 | 19