In 2018, global spending in the field of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) was at $1.67 billion. By 2024, it’s anticipated to surge to a lustrous $12.44 billion. Its continued development could come through a seemingly unlikely power: lighting.
On an episode of Thomas Industry Podcast, Shawn Davison, software architect and CEO of DevIQ, sparked intrigue when speaking about lighting automation’s role in the industrial IoT (IIoT).
It Only Takes a Spark
“One of the applications that we’ve been working on running is basically connected lighting systems in the industrial IoT environment, being able to manage and automate lighting in factories as well as outdoor industrial environments,” Davison said in conversation with Tony Uphoff on the Thomas Industry Update Podcast.
Connected lighting systems (CLS) are a still-developing technology that, as its name suggests, connects lighting and sensors to a network that receives and sends information. This network can be controlled in person, but it also allows for remote access via desktop or mobile device. Keep in mind that fewer than 14% of machines at facilities are actually able to make use of data in real-time.
There are two varieties of CLS: networked controlled and Power over Ethernet (PoE). Network controlled is the easier of the two to implement, as it simply retrofits a company’s extant sensors so that they can collect the required data. PoE, on the other hand, replaces old fixtures with PoE-enabled ones.
While it’s significantly cheaper to go with network controlled, companies focused on future innovation should know that investing in PoE now will save time and money in the future because it’s easier to upgrade. Anixter broke down the price difference saying network controlled lighting can deliver savings in as little as 18 months compared to PoE taking four years to earn saving, and noted that some buildings take a hybrid approach.
Smart Lighting
Connected lighting systems’ remote-access capabilities were, of course, critical for businesses during stay-at-home orders amid COVID-19, but are also needed during natural disasters. Even apart from crises, sophisticated technology frees up staff time to focus on higher-level projects. As Uphoff said, “Technological investments will help your team whether they’re working remotely or on premises.”
It’s not just about remote capabilities, though. CLS offers cost savings and an ecological benefit. “In combination with LED technology, a connected lighting system can deliver energy savings of up to 80 percent,” reported Anixter.
It also is playing a role in the advancement in technology. Premise points out: “While a CLS provides automation of lighting for greater energy savings, its real power is the ability to capture data. As a CLS controls the lighting in a building, it also tracks outages and spikes, monitors usage levels, and collects other data that feeds into the IoT network.”
Lighting Is the Backbone for IIoT
The benefits of connected lighting systems are vast. This is thanks to its ability to gather and transfer data.
The Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy explained: “Connected lighting systems (CLS) comprise an emerging class of lighting infrastructure that does more than just light spaces. Through the incorporation of distributed intelligence, network interfaces, and sensors, CLS become data collection platforms that enable a wide range of valuable new capabilities as well as greater energy savings in buildings and cities.”
Enterprise IoT Insightsprovided a few examples of the transformative nature of the technology: “In addition to occupancy and daylight sensors, other sensors that might be installed include, for example, those that measure carbon dioxide, vibration, and sound – resulting in such “smart building” or “smart city” benefits as air quality monitoring, theft detection, and guidance to available spaces (e.g., office, parking).”
As Davison said on the podcast, “Lighting is becoming essentially the backbone for a lot of other capabilities, including networking, WiFi, audio detection, air quality metering… The list goes on.”
Lighting the Way for Others
A lot of businesses are still unfamiliar with the full range of capabilities offered by IIoT, which why a company like DevIQ serves as an asset. DevIQ builds software to help their clients thrive. Or as their website puts it: “We use technology to redefine the way people work and enable them to achieve things previously not possible.” Among their areas of expertise are Internet of Things (IoT) and UX/UI product design.
“At DevIQ, we say our purpose is building solutions that improve people’s lives. And we’re liaisons from concept to reality. So it’s really about: how do we help our clients get from point A to point B?” said Davison.
On the Thomas Industry Podcast, he related an example of helping a lighting manufacturer who built an “incredible product” to take a leap to “lighting as service.” The case study on the DevIQ website explains in more detail how they helped Visionaire Lighting by “Developing an open platform that supports multiple IoT device types and control systems, while delivering an incredible User Experience.”
We’re seeing an uptick in automation sourcing at Thomas too. On the Thomasnet.complatform, sourcing activity forautomation equipment has grown 24% month over month, 16% year over year, and 24% over Q3 of 2022.
“Industry 4.0 is often discussed as though it were already firmly in place and delivering trackable benefits. But broadly, the revolution is only just getting started,” according to a recent report.
