This blog is the first in a series related to futureproofing your lighting. Futureproofing means laying the groundwork today, so that in the future the existing lighting system can adapt without significant and costly changes.

Futureproofing Tip 1: Choose your communication protocol wisely

Choosing a communication protocol is one of the major first steps in futureproofing a lighting system. In 2023, Minnechaug Regional High School in Massachusetts made the news on Saturday Night Live’s ”Weekend Update” because the school had been unable to turn off 7,000 lights for over a year,  costing the district tens of thousands of dollars[1],[2] Co-anchor Colin Jost reported that “the students are doing fine, but the classroom hamster has gone insane.” The story behind the story was that some of the original equipment at the school failed and the lighting vendor was no longer in business; thus, custom replacement equipment was necessary to allow for the lighting system to communicate to turn off the lights. How can such a dire situation be avoided?

Make sure the communication standard is "open"

As you consider a lighting system, ask the vendor, sales representatives, and others in the process if the communication standard is “open.” You want to avoid “vendor lock,” which means using a proprietary system or components, which can require you to use one particular vendor. The Office of the Inspector General Commonwealth of Massachusetts acknowledges the benefits of smart systems in their review, but identified a risk of “dependence on proprietary systems that can require a user to rely solely on a single vendor for support.[3]” Ask questions that get at specifics about which protocols are used, what other systems can communicate with it, and what vendor-specific elements exist.

The DALI-1 standard, which ceased in 2017, was a hybrid “open” system—meaning that a portion of the protocol was open, but vendors could use vendor-specific elements in different parts. As a result, many DALI-1 systems, while technically “open,” ended up being proprietary with some of these systems causing problems upon installation. In contrast, the 2018 DALI-2 is a truly “open” protocol where each DALI-2 component is required to be tested to verify that the components are interoperable. This testing and verification aspect of DALI-2 is like the HVAC BACnet protocol that has been successful for data exchange in that industry.

Many lighting systems use 0 – 10V communication system. The V means voltage and the communication system send a voltage nominally between 0V and 10V. Depending on the specific voltage received, the lighting system elicits a specific response. The 0 – 10V protocol is a simple system originally developed for fluorescent lighting where the voltage communicates a response in the system. There are three major standards that exist for 0 – 10V, with vendors selecting the maximum voltage (8V, 9V, or 10V). Besides selecting the voltage, vendors can have different operational curves. 0 – 10V could be considered “open” because of its multiple options, but this fact also introduces risk: fixtures in the same building that are 0 – 10V can have different output at the same voltage.

Consider multiple communication protocols

If you are considering an advanced lighting control system, you might be looking at multiple communication protocols. A wireless system could include Bluetooth mesh (or Bluetooth NLC), Thread, and DALI-2 (or 0 – 10V). Ask about all the communication protocols used in the lighting system, from those used to control the LEDs all the way back to how building staff will control the system.

The technology failure at Minnechaug High was not the communication protocol, but rather the proprietary software of the lighting system. Many lighting products have proprietary software; however, using communication systems that are open and standardized can reduce the risk related to lighting controls. If a proprietary control software fails and the response and behavior of the other communication protocols in the system are known, rectifying the problem could be less of a struggle.

In the wake of Minnechaug’s lighting issue, the Office of the Inspector General Commonwealth of Massachusetts developed some good recommendations that are applicable to many lighting projects. When specifying your system, include a clear, written administrative, maintenance, and end-of-life plan, along with administrative controls retained by the organization buying the lighting system. Also require warranty information and determine if the warranty covers both hardware and software