The art of refurb with wireless

Construction is big business and looking at a 2017 report by the Property Industry Alliance I found some rather interesting figures that are quite incredible when you start to put them into context. In 2016 the report mentioned that we built approx. 45 million square feet of commercial property each year.

According to the report the commercial property market has been adding 45 million square feet of new space every year and in the last decade the three main sub sectors of Offices, Retail and Industrial added 0.7% to the total stock of commercial property each year. Huge numbers, yet the existing building stock which is by far and away the bigger opportunity remains relatively untouched.

We are all aware that once a building is constructed, handed over and the client occupies the space that its often left to the Facilities and Maintenance teams to make sense of the building and optimise the space to make it work for the occupants and to deliver an efficient and useable space.

Buildings, whether these are offices, retail or industrial spaces evolve as the business evolves to meet the ever-changing demands of the market. The challenge for the teams managing these spaces is how to manage the systems and really where do they obtain the information necessary to make accurate, informed decisions.

We also need to consider whether they can change any of the system variables within the building? If the system is locked to a particular manufacturer, as has been the case historically or should the project have been “Cost Optimised” then any changes to the system may be limited or in some instances frankly impossible.

It’s the old Capex/ Opex argument, build as cost efficiently as you can, whilst the building users need systems and products that allow them to manage the space efficiently.

Legacy systems for the most part cannot be changed as they are based on dated technology when sharing data or working within open protocols wasn’t really a prime focus for the system provider.

I have outlined the problem as well as the opportunity in that we have a huge market that needs to address inefficiency and technology that often isn’t fit for purpose or indeed relevant.

Wireless is a potential solution where we have the capability to upgrade systems without impacting the existing infrastructure whilst at the same time adding value and flexibility. It’s worth repeating a warning that not all wireless is the same and that we have proprietary systems in the market that work well, however these are linked to one manufacturer and that is a potential risk when looking at the life of any major project.

We should also consider at what level you integrate wireless as we can embed technology in the smart devices such as a sensor or driver or we can gateway between one ecosystem and the wider lighting system.

It’s a complex topic that does need some explanation and I am happy to discuss this in more detail should the reader wish to contact me directly. In the meantime, let me give you an overview of what I believe is the best way to integrate wireless into your existing building as well as any potential new builds.

We are all familiar with DALI or to give it its full title IEC 62386 and the various parts that describe its base properties, those of the devices being driven such as a ballast or emergency invertor and the control devices; these are known collectively as parts 101, 102 & 103.

In addition, we now have the DALI over wireless standard IEC 62386 Part 104 which provides a framework for wireless communication based on DALI using Thread, Bluetooth or Zigbee.

This is a game changer as interoperability is assured and with a certification program being developed by the DALI Alliance later this year you can be confident that different manufacturers products will work on the same network.  There is no guess work as each product will be independently verified and you are not locked to a single manufacturer.

Whether its Thread, Bluetooth or Zigbee it makes sense to work with the industry and use IEC 62386 Part 104 as the benchmark for wireless.

We at zencontrol have already launched Thread enabled products and will support Bluetooth based on the work undertaken by the DALI Alliance.  Each protocol has a slightly different approach, and this is reflected in the way in which you integrate the different ecosystem and how they relate to DALI.  

Thread allows us to send DALI commands over the Thread network and therefore allows us to integrate wireless into sensors, switches, drivers and emergency invertors. The DALI commands are defined for each device type and ensure we get a valid response when asking a DALI device a question. Within the zencontrol software platform we can mix wired and wireless seamlessly.

Each protocol has its pros and cons and it’s up to the individual user to understand what works best for them. We see part 104 as digital wiring in that functionally  its the same whether wired or wireless it’s just a different method of delivery.

Wireless can be integrated into the control devices as previously discussed or can be a gateway to a controls eco system such as Bluetooth or Zigbee where the sensors and switches work on the ecosystem and not on the DALI network.

The gateway is a device that allows the ecosystem to access DALI devices and obtain some information from the drivers, however it cannot see the wired controllers, so sensor and switches are not visible via the gateway. They can of course operate at a local level although the data obtained via the gateway relates purely to the driver. Emergency devices are excluded from this so the gateways cannot schedule tests or obtain test/ fault records.

We obviously have our views and opinions on what makes a good wireless solution, and the choice of protocol does have a huge impact. One weakness with Bluetooth is the abundance of devices already in the market that use their own flavour of Bluetooth.

It’s not my intention to criticise individual solutions as many are very good, however most cannot be mixed in the same ecosystem.

Bluetooth SIG worked with the DALI Alliance to create a framework for interoperability and has resolved these issues so selecting the right Bluetooth solutions has never been easier. It’s just a case of deciding at what level you want to integrate, device or gateway.

Interestingly Zigbee’s new platform Zigbee dot dot works with Thread so the wireless space is increasingly becoming unified.  

In summary, we have a refurbishment market that is not fully serviced and where wireless will make a significant impact. Global standards such as IEC 62386 Part 104 ensure interoperability so the restrictions of the past where products were locked to a proprietary protocol or individual manufacturer can be avoided. Freedom of choice is essential for any smart technology to work.

Hardware from different manufacturers must work together to provide choice and DALI over wireless achieves this as it sets out a clear framework and defined reporting structure so detailed analytics can be obtained to support change an innovation.

Finally, Covid has changed everything and therefore the role of the office has forever changed. Remote working and smarter more flexible office spaces will be what is required of both new build and our existing building stock.

Technology exists to update current buildings and bring them up to a level of flexibility that can and will save companies money. Moving is no longer the only option if your building controls are dated. Using a smart wired/wireless solution that is scalable allows you and your building to evolve over time and meet both current and future demands.

Be wireless aware and choose the industry standard IEC 62386 Part 104   

author: Stewart Langdown FSLL

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