Connectivity is the heartbeat of smart technology. Connectivity between devices improves the quality of decision making from each device, the level of service that each device can provide, and magnifies the value of the overall system. A truly smart device can make relevant decisions, whether that decision is a recommendation on Netflix or Spotify, automatic windscreen wipers that operate when rain is detected or smart heating that turns on 30 minutes before we arrive home from work. To be smart a device has to be connected to other sensors, whether in-built or external, and make connection to them quick and easy. Consider a modern car, it is packed with internal sensors that monitor speed, tyre pressure, temperature, rainfall, lane departure, parking distances, seat-belt sensors, and also integrates with external devices such as GPS and modern smart phones that allow hands free calling, email and SMS message reading. But how does this trend for connectivity affect the professional security systems and surveillance lighting, and what new trends are being seen. Whenever smarter devices are demanded, they are expected to be able to communicate with one another, with easy central management in one place. What does connectivity mean for surveillance lighting Most modern surveillance systems are now IP based. It’s not only been a definite trend in the security industry for a number of years, but it’s become an expectation that our surveillance systems will connect one to the site at any given time, and allow to respond quickly to alarms or events. This need for connectivity within video surveillance systems, and the need for good night-time pictures have fuelled the development of IP lighting and the latest Network Illuminators such as Raytec’s VARIO2 IP that allows security professionals to provide lighting on-demand, delivering the appropriate lighting response to any event. With full IP addressability security professionals are always connected to their network illuminators, and with a simple click can instantly provide real-time responses to security events, even before personnel can be alerted or arrive on site. Within larger systems and unmanned sites automated network lighting provides a dynamic response to on-site activity. Smart and programmable, IP lighting can be configured to meet the exact needs of any security system. It can be fully integrated with and triggered via your VMS/ BMS systems, IP cameras, detection systems, and all other network devices via simple HTTP commands, API or even externally via telemetry input. Network lighting can also trigger and control other devices on the network, for example switching the camera into night mode when darkness is detected. The possibilities for configuring IP lighting are endless. IP lighting not only allows one to stay completely connected to our illuminators, but also enables a deeper integration with other devices, connects him to all activity on site, and increases safety and security all round. Easy set-up and commissioning Installation, setup and commissioning are made significantly easier for security professionals through the use of IP addressable network lighting. Gone are the days illuminator settings were adjusted in situ, often up a ladder or lift. With network lighting, installers now have quick access to configure all lighting settings via an integrated web interface from any remote network location. Adjusting the illumination had often been a time consuming part of any security installation and often involved a 2 person trip to site at night to achieve the best results. But with network lighting, set-up becomes a 1 person job done safely from ground level anywhere on the network. One can remotely adjust the lighting levels and fine-tune the CCTV images in real time, side by side with the camera viewer. This significantly reduces visits to site and minimises labour time and costs. One can also setup illuminators individually or in groups for quick and easy operation of large sites. Network lighting raises the bar for night time performance. We no longer have to settle for images that could be improved, or wait for an engineer to go to site to make operational changes. For example one can remotely alter the photocell sensitivity to change the time that the lighting turns on and off. He can also change the grouping of illuminators at any time, alter the way in which the lighting is triggered, and use timer settings to configure the duration that lighting may be activated on alarm – all done remotely via the illuminator’s web interface. In the rare occasion that an issue occurs with an illuminator, remote diagnostics can be proactively carried out over the network to instantly troubleshoot the problem – again significantly reducing time on site. The development of Network Lighting completely changes the way one thinks about lighting and how he plans the installations. It gives him the platform to achieve a much higher performing system with improved images, and increased security and safety 24/7. Take live control All cameras need light to see during the hours of darkness. But with IP based security systems on the rise, it’s Network Lighting which not only helps generate good night time images, but which works with the entire IP system to help stay connected to the site at all times. Being IP addressable, Network Lighting is designed to deliver the right amount of lighting exactly when and where needed. Whether controlling it via its web interface, the VMS/ BMS, or other platform integration, one has the ability to take control over the lighting at any time to respond to live events there and then. For example, the detection system may identify movement out of hours and raise an alarm. Before taking action, such as deploying a guard or even a police response, it is critical to investigate who or what is there. This is where high quality, dynamic lighting is essential. Knowing the camera location, one can take control over the adjacent Infra-Red lighting to review the situation. He can increase lighting levels to generate more detailed picture information and support cameras zooming into the scene, or decrease the lighting levels to avoid overexposure…

To date, most discussions about the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) have been about connecting new devices and rapidly bringing them online. In this white paper we look at the implications of bringing such a large number of devices online, namely, the need for efficient methods to collect information from these devices, and discuss how to handle the large amount of data collected from these devices. Industrial IoT solutions are judged on their ability to adapt to various data acquisition needs and how they can transform the data collected from devices into useful business insights that can help decision makers. What makes an Industrial IoT solution truly stand out is the flexible data handling possibilities that it can provide. However, providing efficient, reliable and maintainable data handling as part of an Industrial IoT solution presents significant challenges because of the very nature of data-management solutions that exist today, which are designed mainly for information technology (IT) applications. System integrators looking to deploy IT solutions in the Industrial IoT world are faced with complicated requirement specifications and have to spend a lot of time and money customizing these applications to suit specific industrial automation (IA) requirements. Key challenges In the following sections we discuss some of the key challenges of converging IT solutions with the Industrial IoT. Customizing applications for the Industrial IoT Most solution integrators are not familiar with the various fieldbus protocols used by field devices in industrial automation. They typically end up deploying standard data management solutions that can cater well to IT applications but cannot support the data-acquisition, storage, processing, transmission, and data-analytic needs of industrial automation solutions. Furthermore, the solution integrators might not have the necessary skills to customize these data management solutions for the needs of the Industrial IoT. A customized solution that can fill the gap between the IT and IA applications is required. IT experts, who are oriented more towards the needs of business applications, need to be trained on the critical requirements of industrial applications so that they can build data solutions that are a good fit for Industrial IoT solutions. Customized Industrial IoT solutions It is common knowledge that any customization of controllers, data loggers, and routers requires huge investments of time and money. Embedded computers are highly customizable, but you have to build what you need from scratch. An intermediate solution that combines the capabilities of a controller, data logger, router, and customized software will significantly shorten the time-to-market. Such a ready-made solution will allow you to focus on your core competencies rather than build a customized solution. Easy-to-Use GUI for data acquisition A configurable easy-to-use GUI (graphical user interface) for data acquisition, which allows an IT expert to handle the popular Modbus protocols in industrial automation applications without the need for any additional programming will take the pressure off the field engineers who can focus on the tasks that they are good at. Achieving seamless integration of data Edge devices are deployed and used every day to fill the information gap in the field. These devices operate based on different Modbus protocols or may sometimes use proprietary protocols. The deployment of these edge devices is widening the boundaries of a traditional enterprise into spaces that were never before imagined. Centralized data management systems must be able to integrate disparate data types from these devices and add the relevant contextual dimension to the data to create a unified view of the operations for effective system management. The volume of data that is generated by the edge devices is growing exponentially. Industrial IoT solutions must include a strategy to handle such large volumes of data. Industrial IoT applications should have the built-in ability to respond locally to a field alert and take corrective action at the device end to enable faster response time instead of transmitting data to a centralized data management system. The process of transmitting data to a centralized system for processing could take up to a few minutes, which could be too late if it involves data relating to critical industrial processes. Local intelligence and edge-computing One strategy to achieve faster response time is to deploy Big Data solutions, which are expensive and require skilled personnel. Alternatively, you can process data locally either in the IoT gateway or at the device-end and make decisions locally, which is much faster. Then, only critical data needs to be sent to the central system after data is processed locally. Solutions that support such local intelligence will also help in reducing the data load on an industrial network. On-demand communication An Industrial IoT Gateway is a critical component of an effective Industrial IoT solution. The gateway is used to mass-deploy devices at the field site, acquire data from these devices, and route this data on demand to the central system, to other devices, or to a remote site. However, the complexity of routing heterogeneous data in a network and the stability of the network link might hinder the progress of your solution deployment, and create bottlenecks for remote data transmission. An IoT solution that can simplify data acquisition from devices that use the most popular Modbus protocols and route this data using built-in 4G LTE communication capability will enable efficient, on-demand transmission of data, and faster response times. Developing a future-proof solution Keeping in mind how rapidly the Industrial IoT field is changing, a scalable solution that can adopt and implement a new technology will give you good returns on your investment. For example, if your service provider decides to upgrade to a newer technology like 4G LTE, substantial changes in your network infrastructure might be required to maintain basic connectivity. Older communication standards such as 3G may no longer be supported and you will have to upgrade to the new technology. As more and more service providers jump on the 4G LTE bandwagon, the sooner you adopt this new technology the better off your business will be. Rather than wait for the change to swing into action, a better solution…