Wipro Lighting is betting big on the concept called, Internet of Lighting (IoL), which is aimed at smart and connected indoor and outdoor lighting. The company's IoL solutions will enable performance tracking with real time updates on lighting system status in modern workspaces. The lighting solutions will also be able to provide real time updates as well as historical data and analysis of occupancy in workspaces helping facility managers to gain insights and in turn manage spaces effectively.
The IoL will be based on IoT (Internet of Things) and big data. Already Wipro's IoL solutions have been installed across six locations in Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru, and the company has collaborated with networking major Cisco and pureLi-Fi, Scotland. The collaboration with Cisco will enable the company to offer its Power over Ethernet (PoE) based lighting solutions and its tie up with pureLi-Fi, Scotland will help it to deliver high speed and secure data transmission through LED luminaires. Through such solutions it would be possible to have internet data and lighting integrated into a single cable and it will also result in faster downloads.
“The whole commercial indoor lighting market in India is around Rs 3,000 crores and though our IoL it would be possible to control the lighting systems through a laptop or a phone. At the same time, through IoL it would be possible to save on cable costs as the same cable will be able to carry internet and lighting. Though the initial costs of implementation will be high than the conventional systems, the long term benefits are immense. Currently, customers setting up new facilities are coming forward to install such systems in India. The IoL features can go a long way in optimizing energy usage and bring down the operating costs. The possibilities with IoL are immense and it will touch all aspects of human life ranging from smart homes, modern workspaces, hospitals, educational institutions and smart outdoors,” Vineet Agrawal, Chief Executive Officer, Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting told THE WEEK.
Interestingly, the technology for PoE based solutions include the lighting fixtures as the hardware with network switches enabling the control of these devices. The software part comprises of an application to control lighting through connected devices such as smart phones and tablets. The company believes that with LED lighting in place, digital technology smart and connected lighting is here to stay. Wipro claims that the remote control based operation of such lighting solutions will facilitate ease of maintenance for the city administrators, while real time energy metering and report generation will help them to analyse and decide optimum electricity usage.
