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Cloud-based lighting control: mastering the challenges of modern building automation

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IoT Use Case - grandcentrix + B.E.G.
8 minutes Reading time
8 minutes Reading time

Intelligent lighting control for comfort and energy savings

Intelligent and digital lighting control is playing an increasingly important role in buildings of all kinds. Users benefit from greater comfort, energy savings and an optimised working environment. Until now, planning a lighting system with light management was considered a complex and labour-intensive process. The primary goal in developing the LUXONET® building automation system was therefore to enable planners and installers to quickly and efficiently implement individual lighting scenarios with the help of a well-thought-out user guide. The intuitive operation and flexible configuration are carried out in the cloud based on the floor plan.

Traditional family business on its way to a high-tech company

The mid-sized electrical engineering company B.E.G. (Brück Electronic GmbH), based in Lindlar in the Oberberg district, has been family-owned since 1975. Its nearly 50-year company history began with the production of simple emergency lights. In 1986, motion and presence detectors were added, followed by various sensors and actuators, which remain a significant part of the product portfolio today. B.E.G. is now on the path to becoming one of the leading providers of building automation. With 14 foreign subsidiaries and over 260 employees worldwide, B.E.G. offers close customer proximity globally and is known for its broad product and accessory range, flexible, customer-specific product development, and application-oriented expert advice for connected products.

The Development of LUXONET® – From vision to reality

Based on the vision of founder and CEO Friedrich Brück, the collaboration between B.E.G. and grandcentrix aimed to create the most user-friendly building automation system on the market. The partnership with grandcentrix focused on the joint development of a modular product, which was almost market-ready at the time of handover and serves as a basis for further expansion stages. To tackle this demanding task, grandcentrix brought together an experienced team of developers and experts who worked in close, agile collaboration with B.E.G.’s product management for nearly three years. Based on the latest web standards, the holistic approach covered all technical aspects of the user experience, from embedded hardware, cloud backend to web frontend. The result of this collaboration is the innovative LUXONET® building automation system, which was first presented at Light & Building 2024 and has already been well received by industry professionals.

The biggest advantage for us is the enormous amount of time we save by outsourcing the software to the cloud. This allows us to implement our customers' requirements quickly and also fulfil special requests directly.

Grandcentrix impressed us not only with its expertise in cloud, hardware, backend, frontend and app development, but above all with the close integration of all these disciplines. The process from conception to UX to final implementation was agile and transparent throughout, which helped us to create a highly integrated and future-proof system.

Flexible and intuitive: Lighting planning in the cloud

Cloud technology enables remote planning in the LUXONET® portal, which is designed to be user-friendly and allows intuitive grouping of luminaires, creation of lighting scenes and development of scripts. The design was continuously optimized in workshops with grandcentrix. Virtual lighting design maximizes efficiency, allowing planners to carry out their work in the office or home office before visiting the construction site. The proven industry standard DALI-2 is used for device communication, with the option of later integration of KNX and other interfaces. Regular updates guarantee access to the latest technologies.

Seamless integration with the LUXONET® controller

Planning configuration data is securely transmitted over the internet to the LUXONET® field bus controller installed on-site, which is identified via serial number or QR code. Depending on project size, the necessary DALI gateways are connected. The DALI gateway performs a line scan and automatically integrates existing DALI devices into the LUXONET® system. The system integrator can check remotely if all sensors, switches, and lights are correctly installed, minimizing costly site visits. On-site, only the binding is required, where the planner uses a smartphone or tablet to make lights blink for identification and confirm proper addressing, making the process more efficient.

Comfort and energy efficiency combined: Smart Lighting

Building automation enables much more than just presence-based switching of lights. Different scenarios can be controlled with the push of a button, allowing rooms to be atmospherically designed and individually lit. Sensors automatically adjust room brightness to the current light conditions, so indoor lighting dynamically responds to environmental changes. A significant advantage is energy savings, which leads to cost benefits. Programming logical sequences is greatly simplified through templates for typical scenarios, while B.E.G. also offers the creation of more complex scripts as a custom service.

Increased productivity through biodynamic lighting

A further advancement in the LUXONET® controller is biodynamic lighting, also known as Human Centric Lighting (HCL). This technology mimics natural sunlight by continuously adjusting color temperature and light intensity throughout the day. Studies show that biodynamic lighting can increase employee productivity and well-being.

Visual planning with Digital Twin

To simplify configuration, floor plans of the building can be uploaded into the LUXONET® portal. Symbols for lights, switches, and sensors can be placed in a visual room representation using drag-and-drop and configured with a click. If requirements change or spaces are repurposed, the lighting control can be easily adapted. This creates a Digital Twin in the cloud, enabling presentations to clients and providing integrated project documentation.

Data protection and security: LUXONET® meets the highest standards

During the development phase, a particular focus was placed on data security, as this is critical for public building tenders. Synchronization with the controller is encrypted via MQTTS. Internet connectivity can be achieved through the local network or a standalone LTE gateway. Additionally, it is crucial that the lighting system functions offline after installation, ensuring functionality in emergencies. Configuration parameters are always available in the cloud, allowing for easy restoration of the controller after a hardware failure.

Embedded Hardware Development

Optimal efficiency through synergies between hardware and software

Cloud Backend Development

as the technical basis for efficiency, security and scalability: grandcentrix has extensive expertise in server architecture, database management and network technology

Frontend Development

Separate development teams for optimal utilization of the respective technical possibilities and the best possible adaptation to the needs and expectations of the users

Text taken over from original – grandcentrix

In application

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