zencontrol offers a wireless lighting management (DALI+) solution built on International Standard IEC62386 Part 104 which is ‘Wireless DALI over Thread’.
The DALI standards were adopted in their entirety as the Australian/New Zealand standard for lighting control (AS/NZS 62386).
A new independent certification process for DALI+ (wireless) devices is being developed by the DALI Alliance.
The wireless DALI+ system manufactured by zencontrol provides the full functionality of a standard wired DALI-2 system and employs the same protocol allowing interoperability with devices from other manufacturers.
Other Wireless Systems
Other wireless lighting controls available in New Zealand are proprietary solutions and although they may use an open band for wireless communication, the end-user will be locked into that manufacturer for the life of the system as replacement product can only be supplied by them.
Additionally a proprietary system is rarely based on any Standard, and will certainly fail to comply with all elements of our country’s Lighting Control Standard. Any data that can be accessed is purely a feature of their system rather than based on a recognised Standard.
Without the protection of official standards and open protocols, the end client has no protection regarding future upgrades, availability of security patches, or indeed, against obsolescence.
Advantages of DALI+ Wireless Lighting Management
Being an open protocol standardised DALI commands are employed which provide enhanced diagnostics (including energy monitoring data) via DALI certified devices.
zencontrol wireless controls are based on Thread which provides the full bandwidth capability which is needed for complex control such as required for human-centric lighting.
Thread
Thread is based on the broadly supported IEEE 802.15.4 radio standard, which is designed for low power consumption, low latency and offers both device to device and device to cloud communication.
Thread incorporates robust security features to protect communication between devices. It uses encryption and authentication mechanisms to ensure that only authorised devices can join the network and exchange data securely.
Security
Security of this level should be considered essential in all areas of building technology as security vulnerabilities can have privacy and safety implications, as well as threaten the business itself.
zencontrol also take security very seriously. Their DALI systems are built on secure foundations and deployed worldwide using Amazon web services. Data storage is cloud-based so there is no requirement for local storage, so no risk of theft of a head-end PC for example.
Every zencontrol device is programmed with a unique and strong 32byte encryption key.
Devices are upgradeable so security patches can be applied to protect against future exploits. Cryptographically sined firmware security updates can even be pushed to systems remotely if required in response to new security issues.
Users can be added or removed by the client, with different access levels applied as required. When an employee leaves, their access can immediately be revoked.
Continuity of Supply
Defined by an international standard, forwards and backwards compatibility is assured. Devices can be swapped out for certified devices from another manufacturer with no issue. Maintenance is easy.
Wired and Wireless Solutions
DALI-2 (wired) and DALI+ (wireless) solutions can be provided to work together (hybrid system), both speaking native DALI. This is the only protocol that provides this seamless interface between a wired and wireless platform.
Many zencontrol devices already come with wired and wireless capability built in, enabling their use in either a wired DALI system, a wireless one, or a hybrid system.
Enhanced Features
A zencontrol wireless lighting management system also offers a wide range of additional features, some as standard, and some as advanced options. These include such things as heat maps, power monitoring, reporting on environmental factors such as humidity, CO2, sound, temperature as well as information provided as standard such as device status (and maintenance information), colour temperature, occupancy, etc. All provided on user-friendly dashboards that can be customised to suit the client’s needs.
Emergency Lighting
Emergency lighting control is also available through the same DALI-2 (wired) and DALI+ (wireless) platform. Compliance becomes easy by automating testing and reporting.
Emergency lighting tests and battery changes can be recorded for full traceability. Fault reports (for emergency lighting testing/monitoring, and standard lighting) can be sent directly to maintenance personnel.
Cloud-Based
As above the zencontrol cloud-based system is protected by high level cyber security based on international standards.
The software can be accessed via PC, tablet or mobile phone.
Although connection to the cloud is necessary for remote monitoring, storage of data, etc, it is not necessary for the lighting controls to operate. Without access to the cloud, the wireless lighting management system will still operate.
Warranty and Maintenance
Reports can be supplied throughout the defects and liabilities period of the project. If the client chooses to adopt a Service Maintenance Plan with Intelligent Environments, then monthly reports will continue to be sent for as long as the Maintenance Plan is in place.
As long as a Maintenance Plan is in place, a back-to-base warranty applies on all zencontrol system hardware (excluding damage to system units outside of the control of the manufacturer).
