Welcome to the LEDs Magazine Connected SSL & Controls Newsletter for Jan. 24, 2022. We’re three weeks into a new year and have some pretty interesting stories to share with you in today’s newsletter.

You’ll see a concentration on Li-Fi in this edition, and you may ask, “Why is light-based communications technology appearing in a newsletter that is described as ‘news and resources on connected lighting, controls, and IoT implementation for smart buildings and cities’?” I have been asked that question once or twice, and I thought it might make sense to address it. Let me ask you this: How would you categorize the content about technology that not only provides a connectivity option for various devices to receive data transmissions but also can support applications such as indoor positioning, asset tracking, mass public messaging, and more? It tracks in my book.

Having justified that topic focus, let’s dive in. I blogged this past week about the developments and Li-Fi trials our Mark Halper has recently covered. In that post, I questioned whether laser Li-Fi has the potential to push past LEDs, as one of the latest post-CES stories features a 100-Gbps transmission demonstration by Kyocera SLD Laser. And if that should happen, do we at LEDs Magazine stop covering it because it utilizes laser technology? I think it’s a topic worth considering, and I am sure it will come down to both internal debate and discussion with trusted advisors and industry colleagues about where we draw the line on solid-state lighting (SSL)-based technologies and applications in our coverage. It might even be a fun dialogue. And yes, you just read that “F word” correctly.

Circling back slightly to the topic of asset tracking, Mark also wrote a story on a mesh network installation in a London healthcare system that brings connectivity specialist Wirepas together with an IT services company rather than a lighting partner to assist in tracking hospital equipment. As he noted, it’s a reminder that “luminaires are not always necessary” for smart systems projects where the lighting itself isn’t being replaced. That was also the case in the educational setting where a New York-based academy set out to supplement its Wi-Fi connectivity with a network of infrared-transmitting Signify Li-Fi devices added to its existing luminaires by integrator June Lite.

It’s not always about outputting and controlling the visible properties of light for illuminating darkness, visual acuity during tasks, creating an aesthetic experience, improving outdoor safety, and so on. The applications enabled by LEDs and associated controls devices just extend far beyond what we can see to a whole different experience level.

You’ll find more of interest in the body of today’s newsletter. Please keep in touch about content we post or to pitch a contributed article.

- Carrie Meadows, (603) 891-9382, [email protected]