The Bluetooth Mesh to DALI Gateway Specification, released by the DALI Alliance, allows DALI intelligent lighting fixtures to talk to Bluetooth mesh wireless lighting and share analytics across the building management system, making it easy to address the growing demand for sustainable, human-centric buildings.
Building off the Bluetooth legacy of universal interoperability in other product categories, the Bluetooth Mesh to DALI Gateway Specification simplifies the certification and qualification of devices using the two standards, and provides global, cross vendor interoperability between lighting components, wireless control systems and intelligent luminaires. Wireless lighting control systems are central to intelligent buildings by supporting more efficient operation of other systems, including HVAC and security, for significant energy savings and improved occupant experience.
“DALI and Bluetooth mesh are a great match because this allows us to focus on amplifying the luminaire data,” said Szymon Slupik, president, chief technology officer of Silvair. “A great value is now possible because of this gateway as DALI offers a wealth of valuable standardised luminaire data, including real-time energy and power use monitoring and predictive maintenance.”
Commercial lighting products from Bluetooth member companies are already helping drive a 130 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of annual shipments of Bl enabled commercial lighting solutions by 2026. Large-scale implementations in warehouses, retail, horticulture, and commercial offices are proof of Bluetooth mesh networking’s scalability and reliability in demanding commercial settings. Wireless lighting infrastructures also establish a platform for advanced building services, such as indoor navigation and asset tracking.
“This technology breakthrough for the lighting sector will further accelerate the development of even-more advanced IoT-enabled intelligent lighting systems,” said Mark Powell, CEO of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. “This collaboration with DALI, the leading IoT standard for luminaires, and Bluetooth, the leading IoT standard for wireless lighting control, demonstrates technology standards organisations working together to fuel growth in emerging markets.”
The distinctive decentralised control architecture of Bluetooth mesh meets the requirements of commercial installations by distributing information across the network, eliminating single points of failure. Bluetooth mesh is the only complete, full-stack mesh networking solution available, defining low-level physical radio layer through high-level application layer, for easier product development and greater interoperability.
To further streamline product delivery to market, the Bluetooth SIG and DALI Alliance are also working together to make it easier to complete both the Bluetooth product qualification and DALI-2 and D4i product certification.