A total of six connected lighting systems were installed on existing 30-foot poles in parking lots around Virginia Tech research facilities in Blacksburg, Virginia. The evaluation’s focus is on presence (motion) detection – whether by remote sensors or those that are luminaire-integrated – and the lights must return from dimmed to full output when motion is detected.
Key observations to date:
Connectivity takes time and effort. Five of the six systems now have wireless control, including dimming, scheduling, and reporting. However, it has taken an inordinate amount of time to reach this point and has required an inordinate amount of labor.
Connected lighting in outdoor applications requires the help of specialists. Every system required onsite support from factory personnel.
Presence detection is problematic. The passive Infrared sensors consistently failed to raise dimmed light levels in the presence of moving vehicles and pedestrians. This may be caused by inadequate sensor sensitivity or latency of response, or a combination of both. The failure to detect moving vehicles until they are well past the sensor raises questions of safety. And the failure to detect pedestrians leaving the buildings or entering the drive lanes challenges both the reality and the perception of personal security. Lacking reliable sensor performance, there may well be anxiety about using deeply dimmed lighting when activity, though intermittent, is still present. It is clear that technological improvements are needed.
There is no consistency among the outdoor systems. This lack of consistency – similar to that found in the indoor systems – goes well beyond the technology and, importantly, includes the front-end interface for property managers and installation and configuration instructions for installers.