The Power of Smart Lighting - Casambi
We interviewed Stephen Jackson from Casambi about smart lighting and where it fits within the overall smart building industry, as well as the challenges and opportunities the market faces.
If you'd prefer, you can listen to the interview in full on our podcast.
Casambi is one of the leading wireless lighting control companies. Stephen joined in 2016 when wireless technology was still very much in its infancy and has seen it develop over the years and become more widely adopted.
How has the industry changed over the past few years, and has it changed for the better?
I think there's been a lot of changes over the last eight or nine years around both lighting and lighting control technology. I would say fairly confidently that wireless technology has become more of a medium that people have begun to respect. It's definitely much more accepted as a solution and is being included in more diverse projects. There are now more opportunities for technologies to be integrated into buildings via wireless protocols.
I think lighting control has developed beyond the traditional lighting controls companies. This provides lighting manufacturers and even electrical contractors with something they can get more involved with. In the past, they would have found it very difficult to first of all understand and second of all control.
It's also helping BMS companies, and Master System Integrators as everything can connect to one system. The industry has moved from being very closed to embracing this more open standard. Previously, companies would have put barriers up to stop collaboration, but they're now lowering those barriers and wanting to work together.
I would say that DALI has fallen behind when it comes to wireless technology. The wireless part of the industry is very reliant on DALI because it's the de facto lighting controls protocol. So, it's highly important that DALI is easy to interface with, which currently isn't always the case. They do have some developments coming soon, but wireless protocols have leapt forward in progress in recent years, and DALI is currently lagging behind.
Is there anything that you predict changing in the future?
Wireless technology is becoming more mainstream and decentralised. I think the focus will be more on software as opposed to hardware; technology will become more embedded, whether that's inside a switch, a light fitting, a sensor, or a well-defined technology provider. It will be more about user interfaces and how slick and easy software is to implement.
I also think that will reflect on the BMS side of the industry where there are entrepreneurial leading-edge technology providers. Together we will find a way of making integrations a lot simpler and easier.
How important is it that BMS is integrated with the lighting system?
I think the integration is still a bit early in its development when it comes to these newer technology systems like wireless Bluetooth. But, what is very clear is that end-users want to decarbonise their buildings; there is pressure to make them more efficient and integrating the lighting is part of that. So, working relationships are starting to be created between integration, BMS and lighting – this will be very strong in the future.
This is weighted more towards retrofit projects, but it will also apply to new builds too; they will be built to be more efficient from the start of their lifecycle.
In addition, decentralisation is a big agenda topic. Having two systems working together, being less reliant on hardware and becoming more software-driven makes integration a lot easier to achieve; a lot of it will be driven by algorithms and empowering users through data visualisation.
Emergency lighting is obviously a regulatory requirement, but it doesn't necessarily have to be something that's timely, a manual process, and it doesn't have to cost a fortune. It's an essential requirement within buildings, and we've seen landlords and building owners taking this a lot more seriously now, especially since recent tragic events such as Grenfell. It's caused a big proportion of large occupancy buildings to review their disaster prevention strategies and upgrade their approach. So, in your opinion, what can be achieved with smart emergency lighting control?
I think first and foremost, emergency lighting is, by its nature, our life safety system in a building and, as such, should be treated that way. There needs to be a level of respect and understanding, meaning that it's not just an add on to a lighting installation; it should be treated with more understanding to comply with the legislation.
One of the fundamental requirements from our side is the automated testing standard for self-contained systems - EN62034 encompasses the whole system and not just individual parts, albeit the individual parts are important.
DALI already has played a significant part in emergency lighting for quite a number of years now, and the well-established DT1 specification is generally understood and well respected.
So, the medium for being able to achieve simple monitoring and easy testing is already there and has been there for quite a number of years. That functionality can be reflected into projects as an easy and fastest solution in instances where a refurbishment of emergency lighting is required, and wireless really fits well in this application area. I also think the legacy installations for emergency lighting must be upgraded in new buildings bringing current technology and legislation together.
Do you see more demand now for automated emergency lighting systems?
I do, cost versus return of investment is still on the client's agenda, but I think there is more of a desire to ensure that the system is operational throughout its lifetime.
There is demand for wireless emergency, and through our fantastic partnerships with amBX and Tridonic, in particular, Tridonic's EM Pro and SceneCOM products, it really gives us a great opportunity for both new and refurbished buildings.
At Casambi, we've always tried to be agnostic through the technology that we provide and the wireless mesh. This is really relevant to lighting manufacturers; many are already aware of DT1 and also Tridonic's EM Pro hardware solution. So, our first step into wireless emergency has been in line with DT1 and Tridonic's products, which also brings with it a great opportunity for lighting manufacturers to then offer their own solutions around DT1 functionality using Casambi and associated hardware in conjunction with remote monitoring from amBX. I think it's a really good, already mature solution because DT1 and Tridonic's hardware have been about for quite some time, so it adds a lot of credibility to the joint solution.
Is remote monitoring something that is viewed as important?
I think it's got its place; application areas where remote monitoring can offer value would be in larger installations, campus-wide buildings and also where there is an easy and credible way of getting access to the IT infrastructure in buildings. The common pushback would be IP security and the reluctance from some clients to give access to their IT infrastructure remotely. At Casambi, we think together with Tridonic we've got quite a good solution which can be used as both an on-premise and remote option, but we shouldn't belittle the topic of security in buildings because it is very important and always something that needs to be considered.