Network lighting control becoming the norm for OEM's

LAS VEGAS - Oct. 4, 2017 - PRLog -- Networked lighting control is becoming the norm for OEM fixture manufactures. Common in the commercial space and becoming increasingly so in retail and industrial, system controlled lighting and HVAC will soon be impacted by governmental regulations which will require such technology to be installed as part of any retrofit or new electrical application. Many people familiar with Title 24 and their restrictions know the lighting industry will only get tougher through the next few years as the government seeks a national standard and Title 24 makes sense. There seems to be little push back from states or even the IECC community in stricter requirements over controlled lighting.

Today, LEDs are wirelessly connected mostly in retrofits, using proprietary networks that can't communicate with one another. Though they may share the same protocol, many of the larger system manufactures are placing embedded security codes in their devices to insure only one option is available for the client once a system is put into place. Calls for an open standard where other devices rather than the initial installed enterprise have been gaining a great deal of traction.

Let's face it; no one would buy a GE oven if they would have to buy a GE fridge, microwave and toaster for their oven to even operate.

This is the paradox facing IoT in building automation. Everyone believes they build a better mousetrap, but unfortunately, most companies only build a part of the trap. Few enterprises offer an end to end solution for the entire facility and those who do only offer a solution which works with their product line. In the end, any expansion of the solution will come at greater cost even though there are better answers available at a more economical price.

We all understand the repetitive business model just as we can appreciate that this type of model is unstainable. Yes, for the meantime fixture giants Acuity, Philips and Cooper can dictate the market and protocol for their product while maintaining market share but, for how long. AOL was once the dominate web provider and while Yahoo gave it a run for its money, it was the smaller startups that saw the value in interoperability, "Google," which virtually put them both out of business. Though both AOL and Yahoo still survive due to the deep pockets of Verizon, how long will it be before the wireless giant has had enough?

The point is, our world is an ecosystem which must mesh in order to survive. If the past has shown us anything it is that we all must work together for the betterment of future business. Industries actually become better and more innovative when competing on the same playing field.

Ultimately the fragmented business model of building automation in IoT will be solved by the end users, the customers. After all, being beholden to one company is never a good idea and the large market share manufactures need to keep their eyes on the little guys and build open source system or companies like Osram, Lynxus Technologies and CEL may soon be sitting at the head of the IoT table.

Building automation must be able to acclimate.

For Lynxus Technologies, zigbee standardization has meant a faster path to market. We adopted an open platform which went through the certification process easily. Using zigbee allowed Lynxus to minimize the resources dedicated to software development and spend more time focusing on developing and improving hardware. In fact, Lynxus manufactures the largest line of wireless embedded LED drivers on the market.

Proprietary networks will gain ground in the short term simply through the weight of their incumbency in the market. Big lighting vendors like Cree and Philips and Lutron have their own proprietary wireless mesh-embedded LED control platforms which I don't see changing in the near future.

The question is, for how long.

Lynxus Technologies is betting that our standard-based approach, will offer lighting system manufacturers a more persuasive path toward future interoperability.

For more information visit http://www.Lynxus.com

Gerald Culbert

Lynxus TechnologiesBottom of Form