Controls

My contribution to the Lighting Controls Association’s website in January takes aim at cybersecurity concerns when specifying networked lighting systems, and provides eight tips on things to look at and address for enhanced security.

My lighting column for the January issue of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR talked about why and how electrical contractors should talk to IT departments when working on projects involving installation of networked lighting controls.

The Department of Energy’s Next Generation Lighting Systems (NGLS) program is accepting “requests for interest” from lighting manufacturers for participation in the NGLS outdoor evaluations of connected lighting parking lot systems.

In this article for LD+A, Michael C. Skurla takes a hard look at lighting’s potential as a player in the Internet of Things.

As an energy-saving and long-life product, TLED lamps are generally well suited to applications with high energy costs, long operating hours, or where the owner wants to minimize maintenance. Compared to other options such as replacing the luminaires, they are specifically well suited to applications where the owner wants to maintain a similar space appearance, has a limited budget, or is spot relamping a large facility. However, control options are often limited. Enter connected TLED lamps, which offer sophisticated wireless control.

I recently contributed an article to the Lighting Controls Association website breaking down the new lighting control requirements in the 2018 version of the International Energy Conservation Code.

Manufacturers may market their connected lighting products as IoT-enabled, which means it features connectivity, intelligence, sensors, and bi-level data communication. This enabling has led to claims that installing a connected lighting system proofs a facility for future IoT enactment, which is true in theory but requires diligence in specification, addressing issues such as interoperability, scalability, security, and more.

One year after its founding, in May 2018 the IoT-Ready Alliance released a standard specification allowing any type of Internet of Things (IoT) sensor or control module to connect seamlessly to a luminaire or other building system. Standardization is a significant step in enabling the IoT.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Robert Karlicek, Jr., Ph.D., professor and director, Center for Lighting Enabled Systems and Applications (LESA), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The topic? The future for lighting and the Internet of Things.