Siemon has announced the release of a document, Zone Cabling and Coverage Area Planning Guide: 60W PoE Lighting Applications, to provide guidance to infrastructure designers on the selection, design, and deployment of a structured cabling system optimized to support a wide range of Power over Ethernet (PoE) lighting applications.
PoE lighting systems popularity is increasing due to the benefits of using Ethernet communication for control and balanced twisted pair cabling to deliver dc power. PoE lighting solutions illuminate over one billion square feet of commercial space globally, and it is estimated the number of smart lighting deployments will grow from 46 million units in 2015 to 2.54 billion in 2020. PoE lighting luminaires typically use light emitting diode (LED) technology, which offers the benefits of low power consumption and less heat generation than other luminaire design alternatives, while lowering capital investment, improving safety and comfort, and integrating with building automation systems.
“PoE lighting systems rely on an infrastructure of high performance balanced twisted-pair cabling, network electronics, and software connecting and communicating with Internet Protocol (IP) addressable luminaires, dimmers, sensors, and controllers to deliver performance, comfort, and energy savings benefits,” says Valerie Maguire, global sales engineer for Siemon. “Zone cabling is a standards-based design approach that is suited to support arrangements of these PoE lighting devices logically distributed throughout a ceiling space. There are a number of variables that must be considered prior to identifying the lighting solution that is best suited for a particular building environment, and it is important for infrastructure designers to have an understanding of these considerations before endeavoring to design and install the cabling system for PoE lighting deployments. It is for this reason that Siemon also recommends using a qualified Digital Lighting Partner (DLP) for low voltage lighting installations.”
With the popularity of PoE lighting and IoT-enabled systems, the landscape of structured cabling design is advancing. Siemon’s Zone Cabling and Coverage Area Planning Guide: 60W PoE Lighting Applications is a tool for designers and architects to utilize when planning PoE lighting systems. The guide highlights installation recommendations, integration with IoT applications, zone cabling for PoE lighting including coverage areas and location of zone enclosures, and more.