Intellectual lighting - we get used to this term. Plus a remark from Redwood: lighting should be comfortable, economical and safe

Redwood is part of the CommScope group and develops solutions related to lighting control. For Redwood, the phrase “intelligent lighting” is not a catchy phrase or a marketing ploy. The company proposes to revise the entire system of building lighting - from light sources to power supply and control. The new system is called Redwood Systems .





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What does the manufacturer focus on? It is proposed to replace traditional lamps, including energy-saving, with LED light sources and at the same time review the entire approach to the organization of electrical wiring. In addition, it is necessary not to give the light control system to the device, which has only two positions: “ON” and “OFF”. The familiar switch, of course, has its advantages, but it cannot bring its owner 50 thousand dollars a year: it is calculated that it is so much that it saves electricity and heat of only one industrial dry-cleaning enterprise, in which the Redwood control system is used. If we assume that we are talking about a network of enterprises scattered around the city and country, then the annual savings can reach impressive amounts.



Let us dwell on the system. The first thing that is proposed to do is to abandon conventional lamps and use LED light sources. By conventional lamps we mean energy-saving lamps, but powered by 220 V AC. LED (LED) lamps are distinguished from them not only by the principle of converting electricity to light, but also by the power supply parameters. The power supply voltage of the LED lamp, depending on its type, varies within just a few volts of direct current. And it gives at once a number of undoubted advantages. The first is security. You will never be killed by a current, even if you touch a bare wire, and even if this wire feeds not one lamp, but ten fixtures in several rooms. Naturally, the likelihood of room fire is reduced, and insurance costs are automatically reduced. The second advantage is that the electrical wiring for lighting can be started up along the so-called “weak point”, or according to the usual SCS. That is, for the same boxes where the Ethernet cables go and the devices are powered by PoE, the lamps are powered. Thus, the requirements for electrical work and the electrical network as a whole are significantly reduced. The third is management. This is where the main advantages of the system are revealed.



Quite often we are confronted with the fact that the light in the corridors and in separate rooms is constantly on, regardless of whether someone is in them or not. Redwood Systems' sensors monitor the environment and turn on the light only where it is needed. Fragmentation of clusters can be any, for example, you walk along a corridor or a ladder, and the system turns on the light in front of you, without forgetting to turn it off behind, leaving only emergency lighting. The second typical application is the premises themselves. We will not be cunning, we often encounter the fact that the first employee who comes to the office turns on the light, and the last one turns it off, or the guard comes on the night shift. The light burns all day, even if a bright sun shines through the window. Redwood cannot afford such a luxury. Sensors will reduce illumination to a comfortable level or turn off the light altogether. Network detailing and management is carried out by room or by sector of each room, depending on the location of employees.



Now I would like to say about the sensors. They monitor not only the light, but also the temperature of the air. Excessive heating of the room is not only discomfort, but also an unreasonable waste of energy for heating and air conditioning. By the way, any sensors can be connected to the Redwood system, even water supply. The interface allows you to integrate any input data into it, and Redwood Systems can also be controlled from a regular smartphone or tablet on the Android platform or from a video conferencing console. Not to mention the stationary computer of the system administrator. It should be noted that all switching occurs instantly. We also note that the system can be configured according to the scenario you chose or according to your technical task. For example, when you turn on the projector, the lights in the conference room will be muted automatically.



Putting the Redwood system on site makes it possible to reduce energy consumption by up to 75%. This figure makes you wonder. Moreover, the object is understood not only as an office, which we cited as an example. The system works in any building, be it a business center, an industrial enterprise, a residential building, a shop, a stadium, a library, etc.



What else would like to say. LED lamps last four times as long as they are energy efficient and even more economical. They also allow you to make the light close to natural. In addition, the introduction of the system is a contribution to the environment, because its use reduces CO2 emissions. Another advantage is that when the power is turned off, the lighting can be maintained for some time at the expense of uninterruptible power supplies.



We emphasize that Redwood Systems does not force you to completely abandon lighting devices powered by 220V. In some cases, they cannot be replaced, but in no case does Redwood throw them to the mercy of fate and control them as much as other elements of the system. Below is a diagram of Redwood and its main elements.



Management Module - Redwood Director (single-unit)







Power supply - Redwood Engine (two-unit)







The device can be mounted in a rack or mounted vertically to a wall.



Sensors



Gateways



Dimers and accessories



Management interface







Schematic diagram of the inclusion. The red line at the bottom right is the 220 V network, the rest is a low-voltage DC network.



Connecting peripherals to the Redwood Engine



Monitoring of room areas using sensors





For clarity, we offer to get acquainted with the video presentation of Redwood Systems.







In conclusion, I would like to say that CommScope's Redwood system is successfully distributed, it is installed, for example, at Facebook headquarters. In Russia, at the CommScope office, the network is installed by the CompTech distributor. The manufacturer trusts us, but we, in turn, would like to share our knowledge and practical skills in new innovative projects.