Experts question the intelligent networking lighting technology standards and design challenges

LED semiconductor Lighting network communication lighting market is gaining strong momentum. Consumer adoption of the app has begun to scale up, and development kits that simplify the design of smart connected lighting are maturing. Market-oriented expectations for intelligent networked lighting, Alex Koepsel, product marketing engineer at Silicon Labs, has recently begun to address some of the pressing issues facing the market, including understanding different technologies and standards, some of the most common applications, and developers. Design challenges faced. Through this article "Intelligent Networking Lighting", you will be able to build a more comprehensive knowledge and understanding before you put into product design.

How big is the wireless lighting market today?

According to IHS Markit? research data, by 2020, the wireless lighting market is expected to increase from today's 17 million units to 52 million units. Other sources, such as wireless sensor networks, are more optimistic, and by 2020, the number is forecast to be as high as 230 million units.

What is driving the market to wireless development?

For home lighting applications, quality of life and convenience are the most valuable reasons; for commercial applications - such as retail and hotel - aesthetics are the most important; for industrial applications, the main driver is cost savings.

Is there a dominant wireless lighting technology?

Based on the above answer, it is easy to see that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The right solution depends on the application and the requirements of the end user. For example, home lighting will likely be prioritized for ease of use and installation, while multi-building manufacturing facilities with thousands of lights and different predetermined operational requirements may require more reliable, secure systems, and long-distance networking capabilities.

Are there some examples of popular wireless technologies?

It depends on the specific environment and user needs, but some popular technologies are zigbee and Sub-GHz proprietary protocols, and other Thread and Bluetooth lighting are becoming increasingly popular. Now zigbee PRO and its predecessor

Zigbee Light Link is the most widely used. Controlled by the Zigbee Alliance, these specifications help to describe the application messaging protocol for lighting control, and include a simple operating mechanism out of the box, and, in addition, for engineering, makes development simple. It is worth noting that the zigbee 3.0 specification announced in 2016 is expected to replace the current specification in 2017 as part of the market rebranding, which is now known as zigbee?, where the previous application library became IoT The central application layer is now called dotdot?.

If Bluetooth is for streaming audio, why is it used for lighting now?

Bluetooth has actually expanded beyond the audio stream, it is a popular technology because it connects to some of the most popular devices - smartphones. These updated and more user-friendly devices are the perfect settings for controlling wireless lighting networks and offer some really cool applications such as advertising for Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons, geolocation and other dual purpose applications . Having said that, due to the proven software and the scalability of companion technologies, Bluetooth lighting in many lamp extension systems will likely be joined by another wireless technology.

Why not use Wi-Fi?

Many people like Wi-Fi because it is widely used around the world, but Wi-Fi power consumption is high, and there is no special software for lighting design, which is called "application layer" by software developers. There are no application layers or software toolkits to build a project development cycle that tends to increase for months. In addition, Wi-Fi hardware tends to be slightly more expensive than alternative 802.15.4 solutions such as zigbee and Thread.

What factors determine the right wireless technology?

Many factors will work depending on your application. For example, the system can be as simple as a single on/off light switch or as complex as a full featured lighting solution for a hotel/casino or manufacturing plant. Some considerations include the size and density of the network (how many lights or nodes will be controlled), the overall building environment, setup and installation requirements, installation budget, and maintenance requirements.

What are the biggest challenges or obstacles in developing wireless lighting?

The biggest challenges are cost pressure, time to market, and a learning curve that understands the wireless portion of the design. For developers who are not familiar with the internal work of the Internet of Things, this can be difficult. In terms of lighting, an average zigbee bulb has 15,000 lines of code. A simple wired on/off lamp can be programmed on the MCU and can be encoded in less than five minutes.

Are there any plug-and-play solutions on the market (for developers)?

Some application notes and white papers have been provided by lighting experts and semiconductor companies. There are also some hardware and software reference designs, and some are purchased as open source designs to help developers solve some of the more difficult network problems.

How do I choose which wireless protocol to use in my system?

This question is difficult to answer because of the variables mentioned so far. However, one of the issues to consider in order to reduce future outdated risks is to find a solution that is flexible and can support many protocols. Innovations in the semiconductor market space have enabled this capability to simplify hardware design using a single-chip solution.

How about network software? Can I only license wireless lighting software to save my time?

Some companies have solved this problem and are working hard to make developers better use wireless lighting software ("stack"). The previously mentioned zigbee is a mature solution, and a few companies have developed a “golden unit” approved stack that can be purchased through a low cost kit. Silicon Labs, TI and NXP are just a few examples of vendors. Since zigbee is a mesh technology, some of these companies now extend their leadership to the Thread and Thread stack products, which adds Internet (IP) addressing.

What are the best recommendations from the development team for wireless lighting applications?

As with most complex engineering projects, understanding consumer requirements is the most critical, designing a good concept from the very beginning. Then, from there, valuable resources can be used to help shorten development time and deploy world-class wireless lighting products. I have seen engineering teams of all sizes taking advantage of this.

Examples of these resources include hardware reference designs, software design files, development plug-in tools, network debugging tools, and training resources such as application notes. Overall, the use of expertise and solutions from other industry leaders will make a huge difference.

(Source: Alex Koepsel, Product Marketing Engineer, Silicon Labs)