New Alliance Seeks to Establish Industry IoT Standard

A group of lighting and LED driver manufacturers, Internet of Things (IoT) technology companies, building management companies and other industry groups have established the “IoT-Ready Alliance,” to create a common standard for IoT-enabled lighting fixtures.

Organizers said this standard will ensure all new LED light fixtures will be shipped with a standard socket to easily add intelligent IoT sensors to the fixture after the fixture has been installed. It will also enable the IoT sensor to be easily replaced and upgraded during the life of the fixture.

The group said currently less than 5% of new LED lighting fixtures are shipped with an IoT sensor. LED light fixtures typically boast a long lifetime of 15 years or more, while IoT and smart sensor technology is evolving rapidly, at a similar pace to that of the mobile phone. This means major IoT technology upgrades will certainly occur throughout the LED fixture’s life.

By installing IoT sensors into the lighting fixtures, it becomes possible to measure and optimize every square foot of space within a building. This IoT sensor grid enables a host of applications like HVAC optimization, space planning, asset tracking, safety and security enhancements, and more.

Initial industry participants include Aruba (a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company), Click Technology Co., Ltd., DECO Lighting, DesignLights Consortium, Enlighted, ERP Power LLC, Focal Point, MEAN WELL, Orion Energy Systems, Inc., Selux, Shenzhen Lighting Control Co., Silergy Corp, Tridonic, Universal Lighting Technologies and USAI Lighting.

The IoT-Ready program is initially being targeted at commercial and public buildings — offices, factories, warehouses, stores, schools, hospitals, etc.  

You can visit www.iot-ready.org for more details.