With the Internet of Things (IoT) market growing exponentially, smart lighting is a popular industry topic. Did you know that smart lighting market will be worth 8.14$B by 2020 (according to Markets and Markets)? So, what do smart lighting manufacturers need to consider for compliance? What are the best ways to integrate wireless radio modules in today’s lighting products?
How has lighting changed? Are there new applications?
Outside of illumination, lighting now provides many other applications, including but not limited to:
- Simulating sunlight (and thus increasing productivity)
- Changing colors (thus affecting mood)
- Temperature
- Brightness
- Syncing with music and video
- Means of communication
As you see, lights are much more than they used to be. This makes compliance much more challenging, but interesting at the same time. In this blog post, we will look at considerations manufacturers need to consider. We will also take a look at whether it is best to custom build or use pre-approved radio modules.
What are the key considerations manufacturers need to consider?
So, now that we explored applications, here are the four main categories manufacturers need to consider:
- Regulatory Compliance - Requirements include standards related to Product Safety, Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMC), Wireless, Environmental and Energy Efficiency.
- Interoperability – Create a test plan based on the intended environment with different technologies (I.e. ZigBee is often used for home lighting application; IP based building management systems (BMS) for buildings)
- Performance – Testing products to industry specific requirements, custom protocols or specific conditions.
- Security (Network) – I.e. Communication devices using standard 802.11 a/b/g/n wireless communication protocols uses the appropriate encryption provided by the network.
Are off-the-shelf pre-approved vs. designing custom radio modules better?
Both pre-approved and custom radio modules hold unique benefits, while they can also be applied in different environments.
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Pre-approved Radio Module |
Designing a Custom Radio Module |
- Speed up the compliance process
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Are There Specific Power Limits? How are These Controlled?
Make sure to know the rules and target country’s published maximum regulatory transmit power level limits for various frequencies. The actual transmit power level must be less than the published regulatory limits. In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has documented limits and procedures for transmitters and products operating in well-known and commonly used un-licensed bands:
- 902-928MHz
- 2400-2483.5MHz, and
- 5725- 5850MHz
In other countries, these are regulated by Industry Canada (IC), European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Korea Certification (KC), National Communications Commission (NCC, Taiwan) and other similar organizations.
Now, that we have explored the areas of considerations, what types of testing should we consider?
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Type of Testing: |
Examples of Testing: |
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Electrical Testing |
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Mechanical Testing |
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Environmental Testing |
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Photometry Testing |
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Security Testing |
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