Network Communications News (NCN) NCN-Sept2017 | Page 20

NETWORKED LIGHTING Optimisation of business operations PaE systems and digital lighting creates business value beyond pure lighting by utilising built-in sensors and harnessing big data analytics to drive better business outcomes. Companies can improve building use with in-depth analytics gaining visibility into use of spaces to better manage, plan and optimise. There are also improved physical security advantages as lighting powered by the network can use sensor- activated closed-circuit television (CCTV) and access controls to secure sensitive areas, or in a retail environment to reduce theft. With the current ability of standard Ethernet solutions, PaE systems allow scalable lighting systems to many tens of thousands of devices, making them uniquely positioned compared to RF based solutions, which are limited to hundreds of devices at most. The overall capital expenditure, installation and commissioning costs for a variety of LED technology solutions and installation methods are shown in Figure 2 (below), which compares five solutions, including centralised Power over Ethernet (PoE); decentralised zonal PoE; centralised PaE with intelligent control platform; PaE system controlled by an existing in- house BMS, plus a traditional high voltage LED solution. As expected, PoE solutions are twice as expensive as traditional high voltage LED solutions, even when the reduction in cabling costs is taken into consideration. In comparison, the PaE solution including the intelligent control system offers a significant benefit over traditional high voltage LED solutions and reduces costs by 65% compared to PoE based solutions. Making the switch Through Integrated System Technologies’ iDrive Power and Ethernet (PaE) lighting solution, the structured cabling industry has a significant opportunity to deploy large scale intelligent lighting solutions using category 6A cabling and LED light fixtures at 20 | September 2017 iDrive Intelligent Lighting Platform Architecture. Figure 2. a project pricing level substantially less than traditional high voltage electrical works. The iDrive PaE solution utilises exactly the same infrastructure as traditional PoE solutions, but improves maintenance aspects whilst offering clients a future- proofed building infrastructure fit for the next 25 years. It is anticipated the amount of additional cabling points required for lighting and related sensors will create a renaissance over the next decade for the cabling industry. Eddie Brady, business development executive at Cray Valley, suppliers for IST, explains, ‘The opportunities that are presented by smart Intelligent LED lighting and the ‘Intelligent Building’ concepts are huge for the network cabling contractors who engage these ideals at an early stage. Whilst the ‘Intelligent Building’ concept is not exactly new, the fact that we now live in an IP world and the advances in smart devices and the apps used on these devices has changed the way we engage with technology. This will have a direct impact on how we design buildings in the future and these concepts will become the norm.’ Eddie adds, ‘The early adopters of these concepts will get the maximum benefit from these opportunities in terms of customer retention by becoming valued advisers to their customers. Installation companies that have strong relationships with their end-user clients will benefit most from these new ideas. ‘These changes are likely to be the biggest that we’ve seen in the structured cabling industry since telephone systems started to become IP based, and will have an enormous impact upon the industry. It is important to be aware of the challenges, and also best practices in terms of design and installation to be able to offer the very best solutions to your customers.’ Eddie concludes, ‘The emergence of low voltage applications will transform the way we design buildings in the future. A good example is PoE enabled digital signage and PCs which offer huge flexibility and no longer need 13a power sockets. Cray Valley has hosted a number of technology forums with IST this year discussing opportunities that these technologies present and will continue to do so in 2018, get in touch if you want to know more.’ More Information: Cray Valley Components 01959 588 700 www.crayvalley.tech