Open lighting-control standards and future-proofing

August 6, 2020

The market for smart lighting and connected controls is growing at a good speed and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future, according to Pål Karlsen, a research analyst for building technology with Omdia.

DALI is already in a strong position, and is set for further growth, says Karlsen, describing DALI as “the largest wired digital open protocol in the world for lighting.”

Looking ahead, he forecasts that open protocols such as DALI, Zigbee and Bluetooth will be the growth winners over the next few years in smart lighting and connected controls.

Karlsen’s article entitled “Lighting Controls – Future-proofing and Open Standards Lead the Way” appeared in the May/June 2020 issue of LED Professional.

The article argues that future-proofing and a clear business case help reduce the risk of investment in smart lighting technologies. One of the approaches to future-proofing is to choose popular, open protocols with an ecosystem surrounding the technology, as a way of assuring the availability of substitute suppliers.

Compared with analogue controls, “smart” requirements like colour-temperature tuning, individual fixture control and integration with various sensors has made digital controls, such as DALI-2, a  necessity.

DALI-2 is well suited for systems with colour-tuning, daylight harvesting and multi-platform compatibility, says Karlsen, adding that DALI is often combined with building management platforms such as KNX or BACnet via a gateway.

The article also discusses the benefits and limitations of other protocols, including Power over Ethernet, EnOcean, Zigbee and Bluetooth.

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