IP addressing lighting systems for smart buildings and more

Lamps with IP addresses? What can this achieve? Firstly, being able to connect lamps that can communicate to the Internet or other networks will allow a significant expansion of possibilities. From a lighting perspective, a dedicated control unit may no longer be necessary, as turning on and off in various rooms, scene setting, colour changing and dimming can be controlled using a smartphone or PC. A TV or games console could also be used.

 

How does it work? The LED lamps concerned contain very small integral integrated circuits (ICs) that have been designed to be sufficiently small and cheap to fit inside at a reasonable cost. Therefore, each lamp can be assigned its own IP address, and can be controlled from any internet-enabled device. The technology used is quite similar to the wireless protocol ZigBee and Philips MasterLED is believed to be the first European lamp to incorporate this IP technology.

 

There are currently two versions of this IC - both intended for lamps. The first has been designed for compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and one for LED lamps. These operate using the same wireless sensor networks that are already employed in some so-called 'smart homes' to control a variety of smart appliances, such as heating and lighting control, motorised window blinds, home cinema and security systems, as well as energy metering.

 

In addition, the IC-enabled lamps can interface wirelessly with other devices. These include - in the domestic lighting context - presence and absence detectors. Interfacing with these enables very complete lighting control in homes. 

 

 

Above all, the energy saving possibilities - despite the fact that ICs themselves consume electricity - are extremely important, given that lighting consumes 14% of all electricity in the EU and 19% globally1. In addition, around 85% of lamps currently in EU homes are energy inefficient, though this is improving. About 25% of domestic energy consumption is consumed by lighting, and at least 30% of that is wasted energy in the form of heat.

 

The latest types of energy efficient lighting can greatly reduce overall energy consumption, especially if they are carefully controlled so that, for example, they are not turned on when there is nobody in the room. 

 

This is why IP-enabled lamps are so potentially important - they can be set to be used, or turned on and off exactly when needed, at predetermined brightness levels and times - remotely if necessary. It will also be possible for the network to function with sensors wirelessly, so that indoor lighting can be adjusted according to ambient lighting levels. The way in which lighting is designed, controlled and managed in the home can be greatly improved, helping to save a great deal of energy in the process.

 

Semiconductor specialist NXP (formerly a division of Philips Electronics), which designed the ICs, says that it will not be competing with ZigBee - the main aim is to provide a product that consumers will want to purchase. Called 'GreenChip', the IC has been produced by NXP in partnership with TCP and GreenWave Reality. 

 

 

The practical manifestation of this technology is Philips ‘Hue’, which combines ‘brilliant LED light with intuitive technology - then puts it in the palm of your hand’, as the company puts it. Users can experiment with shades of white, from invigorating blue/white to cozy yellow/white, or play with all the colours in the spectrum.

Hue can be used to wake users up, protect their homes and improve their moods. 

 

With tunable white light and a full spectrum of colour, at the tap of an app, users can set the perfect tone and enhance a moment - in an instant – using the Hue bridge. This is, as the name implies, a bridge between the app and the lamps. Linked to a Wi-Fi via a router, it can connect up to 50 lamps at a time, as well as Hue’s other accessories.

 

 

The GreenChip network - called JenNet-IP - operates using the same wireless frequencies used by 'smart meter' technologies, allowing interoperation with them in principle. The network software provides ultra-low-power wireless connectivity for the GreenChip iSSL (for LED lamps) and GreenChip iCFL (for CFL lamps) modules, bringing together wireless IP connectivity, energy-efficient lighting and low power standby in a compact, low-cost solution that enables new ways to control lights and manage energy consumption.

 

JenNet-IP is a 6LoWPAN mesh-under tree network with low memory footprint, specifically targeting low-power IEEE 802.15.4-based networking for both residential and industrial applications. Based on the JenNet network protocol stack, JenNet-IP provides a highly robust self-healing tree network proven at over 500 nodes, supporting IPv4 and IPv6 with over-network upgradability. It is said to be highly secure, offering 128-bit AES encryption with secure authentication and device joining. 

 

EnNet-IP network software provides the ultra-low-power wireless connectivity for the GreenChip iSSL and GreenChip iCFL modules, and the 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.15.4 compatible wireless microcontroller features a Tx/Rx current below 17mA. 

 

The complete lighting product portfolio includes high efficiency, low standby power converters, CFL, solid-state LEDs (SSL) and TL drivers and high performance, low power IEEE802.15.4 compatible single-chip transceivers and microcontrollers. NXP also supports the main lighting-relevant software stacks such as Zigbee and JenNet.

 

In addition to lamps, other IP-enabled devices, including various domestic and kitchen appliances, will get their own IP addresses. This will help create an 'Internet of things' in a highly connected world. In such a world, uniquely identifiable objects (the 'things') and their virtual representations in an Internet-like structure could transform our daily lives (Fig.3).

 

However, an 'Internet of things' will not be achievable if the technology remained proprietary, so NXP has said that it is making the technology open and available to everybody. For example, lamp manufacturers will simply have to be licensed to incorporate IP addressing in their lamps. The technology has, therefore, been made available under an Open Source license.