LEX News

Li-Fi – derived from ‘light fidelity’ – is an emerging technology in which LED lighting provides a broadband Internet connection through light waves. Its adoption by the market leader could be transformational if Philips put the necessary technical and marketing resource behind it. Philips Lighting CEO Eric Rondolat promised that the company would licence its technology to OEMs, ensuring that the Li-Fi capability could be bundled in luminaires from many brands.

If the goal of “community-friendly lighting” is to create environments with improved visibility while limiting light trespass and glare, and at the same time preserving the ambiance of a given community, one would think it a good idea to talk to the folks who live there before swapping out all the lights. Such community outreach is unfortunately rare, according to Bob Parks, Executive Director of the Smart Outdoor Lighting Alliance(SOLA). Parks presented a seminar on Community Friendly Lighting last week at the LEDucation Conference in New York.

Instead of using light switches, HBMSU’s lighting is controlled in a variety of ways: by occupancy sensors in luminaires that detect people’s presence, switching on and off lighting; by automatic adjustment of light levels according to the availability of natural daylight; by a smartphone or tablet app; or from a central console.

Cities across the world are using data-enabled services to drive efficiencies, solve stubborn problems, and in general improve the lives of residents; Connected Lighting Systems play a critical role.

Look around at the lighting landscape right now and Heraclitus’ infamous, “The only thing that is constant is change” quote appears to be playing out in nearly every corner of the market. Rapid advances in lighting technology, mergers and acquisitions, leadership changes, and changing buyer preferences are all having a profound impact on how electrical distributors go to market and sell their lighting products.