ADURA TECHNOLOGIES - Wireless Lighting Control + Energy Management Solutions
Adura® Frequently Asked Questions
About Wireless Lighting Technology
Wireless
What is the wireless technology? Will it work if I have other wireless in my building?
The wireless technology uses 2.4GHz low-power radio communication, built to the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, to build a wireless communication network. The technology is designed to coexist with WiFi™ networks and other 2.4 GHz products in your building.
More information can be found in a white paper published by the ZigBee Alliance about the coexistence of ZigBee and other wireless products, downloadable here. In the white paper, Paul Williams, VP of Support Services for Control4, a major vendor of wireless home automation products, says the following:
"In the two years we have been shipping products, we have not encountered an issue where ZigBee or Wi-Fi has interfered with, or caused problems with, the operation of products using either communications protocol... We have thousands of systems in operation today around the world with the majority of the installations containing both large ZigBee and Wi-Fi network implementations, all working without interference or problems."
Is this system using ZigBee? What is ZigBee?
"ZigBee" is a set of industry standards and protocols for wireless communication that allow products to communicate and work together. There are different types of ZigBee standards that define different levels of interoperability.
Our system uses the ZigBee platform for reliable network communications. We are not currently compatible with other non-Adura ZigBee devices and applications but we are exploring the possibility of integrating with them in the future.
How robust is wireless in commercial settings?
Our system uses a network structure called "mesh networking" that makes wireless communication is reliable and robust in commercial settings. In mesh networking, messages are "hopped" between nodes to get from one part of the physical network to another, eliminating the need for direct line-of-sight communication. This allows for reliable communication at great distances and around physical barriers because there are several paths that messages can take to get to their destinations.
Mesh networking has allowed us to install our networks in environments as radio-hostile as large concrete and steel parking garages, where we must communicate around barriers such as cars, structural beams and columns, and elevator shafts.
Compatibility
What kind of lighting loads does it handle?
The Adura system is UL listed to control any ballasted or incandescent lighting load. The Adura Light Controller can switch magnetic or electronic fluorescent, HID, and CFL ballasts at 120 - 277VAC. The controller relays are ballast and tungsten rated to 5A. Adura also has a Light Controller model which can control any 0-10VDC dimming ballast.
Will this system be compatible with my existing building automation system?
The Adura system is not currently compatible with any existing building
automation systems. Integration with building automation systems is
planned for a future release of the Adura LightPointSystem™ .
Ease of Use
Are the light controllers individually addressable? How many fixtures can it support?
Each Adura device - light controller, sensor interface, wall control interface - has a unique network address that is factory assigned. This means that each light fixture can have its own unique control settings. Adura's system can support over 4 million addresses per site, so no facility will be too large!
Do I have to install a device in every fixture or can I control an entire branch with it?
Because the relays in the light controllers can control up to 5A of load (at 120VAC or 277VAC), the controllers can be used to control a small circuit of lighting. However, using the device to control multiple fixtures limits the control strategies that could be employed because individual fixtures cannot be switched or dimmed. The most optimal installation will depend on how the fixtures are arranged in a space and what kind of space it is.
How easy will it be to reconfigure the fixtures once the Adura device is installed?
Adura light controllers can be reconfigured at anytime from anywhere through Adura's advanced web interface. Changing an individual or group of fixtures' schedule settings, sensor bindings, and switch bindings is simply a matter of logging into a web interface and selecting the new settings with the click of a mouse.