Page 52 - RC21 EDGE Summer Issue

SPOTLIGHT: Power Over Ethernet
UPGRADE TO CONNECTED LIGHTING AND AUTOMATION WITH POWER OVER ETHERNET
TYLER ANDREWS
CEO
PoE Texas
WITH COVID 19’S IMPACT on real estate market conditions, commercial buildings must offer digital age amenities
to attract tenants and their employees. Facility owners and developers need a cost-effective way to incorporate connected lighting and automation with advanced technology amenities to new and existing buildings. This article will show how Power over Ethernet (PoE) can help achieve connected lighting and automation with the best return on investment.
Why choose PoE?
PoE means you can choose to invest in the technology backbone that drives modern business cost-effectively. You can expect:
Most importantly, PoE is inherently safe. Per the National Electrical Code (NEC) 725, the system is considered Class 2 wiring. Most local building codes support the installation of PoE without the requirement of conduit or Class 1 labor rates.
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• 30%CAPEXsavings
• 15-45%OPEXsavings
• 36monthReturnonInvestmentoverequivalent
traditional technology
Finally, PoE operates on the same RESTful API to protocol as the internet, effectively future-proofing your facility when it is upgraded against any form of obsolescence or supply chain risk.
Leveraging PoE to create a comprehensive connected lighting and automation controls platform for enterprise facilities does far more than a lighting control system. Such a platform utilizes PoE to create a full facility auto- mation platform on an Internet Protocol (IP) network.
Five Steps to Upgrade
Upgrading facilities to connected lighting and automation is easier than you think. The challenge to upgrading is not the technology, which has a 20-year track record; it is managing the strategy and the process of adoption.
1. Pick the Right Partner(s)
The right connected solution manages on one platform the full range of building systems such as: traditional AC lighting and AC systems, wireless IoT devices, retrofitted low voltage automation, PoE- enabled IoT devices, and any non-PoE building device such as LED lights. It must be fully compatible with other systems that may currently be employed.
The best platform, by design, will connect PoE to non-PoE devices including access control, sensors, cameras, tablets for digital signage, and, yes, LED