Frequently Asked Questions

Learn More Details about LumaZones


Q & A- General

Applications

1. What are the target applications of LumaZones?

A : Key Applications: Offices, Schools, 24 x 7 Chain Stores and any common spaces such as Hospitals, Supermarkets, Business Lounge, Car Parks, Hotels, Service Apartments etc. 

 

2. What else can LumaZones manage in addition to Light & HVAC?

A : LumaZones is an open platform with complete infrastructures for IoT applications. It is scalable, powerful, and easy to integrate with new devices. We have done OEM application for security access. Customization are subjected to evaluation and charges applies. 

 

3. Key Adoption Drivers of Target Users?

A : Organizations who value the following: 

Smart & Green Building

Eco-Friendly

Green Building

Increase Building Value

Super Low Energy Building

Healthier Workplace

Employee Wellness

Increase Workers Productivity

3-30-300 Rule

$3/ft2 spent on Utility vs $300/ft2 spent on Payroll

Efficiency & Comfort

Energy Consumption

Space Management 

Indoor Ambient Management

 

USP

1. What is the USP of LumaZones?

A : LumaZones is a Total Indoor Ambient Management System that focus beyond energy savings; user comfort, health and productivity are ensured. It is a fully autonomous system which does not require any of the following actions: 

No need to turn on/off wall switches or HVAC remote control

No need to use mobile apps to control or make adjustments

No need to worry about forgetting to turn of light or HVAC when leaving your premises

No need to perform energy analytics or prediction to save energy; just leave it to LASM (LumaZones Automatic Switch Mode) to do the job

We use activity data to perform real-time analytics and provide every zone the required amount of light output and air-con set point. 

We are not just a On/Off system, dynamic energy management comes with a “low activity” mode known as sensor mode where you can save energy by increasing air-con set point by 1 or 2 degrees and stealth mode light dimming where you get light energy savings without affect user comfort.   

Every zone in your premises not only has its energy requirement optimized but also means savings round the clock.

Positioning: Total Indoor Ambient Management Made Easy.


Light

1. What should be the specification of light fixtures?

A : LED with good quality 0-10V or 1-10V dimming Drivers. 

Good linearity of 0-10V dimming such that at 5V, light output is better within the range of 40-60%

Dimming Resolution >100 (recommended for smooth operation)

PF factor of >0.90

Low In-Rush Current

 

2. What should be the specification of circadian lights?

A : 2 X LEDs (warm color 2800~3000K & white color 5000~6000K) with 2 X good quality 0-10V or 1-10V dimming Drivers. 

Good linearity of 0-10V dimming such that at 5V, light output is better within the range of 40-60%

Dimming Resolution >100 (recommended for smooth operation)

PF factor of >0.90

Low In-Rush Current

 

3. How does the light work?

A : Light will be at 500 lux (Example) as long as there are activities

Simple head movement; Seat Adjustment; Stretch etc. in addition to walking, standing up and other movement

When activity level is low

System will dim to 300 – 400 lux. Any movement will result in light going back to 500 lux

Very slow dimming speed: 50s to dim up/down to ensure human comfort

System dynamically tracks activity every 10 mins 

For health reason, system is set to shut off if there is no activity in 30 - 45 mins

A simple stretch, standing up or any movement will activate the lights back to normal

All of the above parameters are examples only. You may configure the proper numbers for different scenarios

 

 HVAC

1. What type of HVAC are supported?

A : Daikin VRV, Split Unit 

Other Brands generally OK except: Hitachi, Panasonic & Carrier

Please note that we will be supporting more brands. New product release information is available on our website 

Thermostat

Supporting 80-240V international types

Supporting 24V US types

Central HVAC

Zigbee ModBus Converter with Lumani AHU controller for applications without BMS

API Integration of activity/temperature/humidity data for applications with BMS


Q & A- Technical
PIR Motion Sensor
1. Can we use PIR sensors purchased elsewhere?
A : No, we can’t. If you buy the PIR sensors from other suppliers, they will not fit in our lighting system. The reason is that we have our special specifications of the sensors.


2. How to determine the PIR sensor’s mounting position and spatial coverage?
A : The best installation location should be at the common path of people to move around

3. What is the maximum height of the PIR sensor installed?
A : Typically, maximum height is about 5 meters , for higher installation, we offer premium sensor with coverage of up to 12 meters.


4. How does the PIR sensor work in the environment with heat source?

A : PIR sensor detects the variance of the IR. If the environment has heat source nearby the sensor, it can confuse the sensor and cause false detections. Using air conditioner may reduce ambient temperature and improve the situation. If the environment does not allow the air conditioner, please disable the sensor and use schedule if you need to turn the light on and off at some times.

As such, applications where there is equipment such as baking oven; Boiler etc. are not suitable applications.  

 

5. What is the USP of your PIR sensor?

A : We do not use the PIR sensor as a switch as in conventional applications. We have a patent to use the PIR sensor for activity level sensing. LumaZones Automatic Switch Mode (LASM) works base on our belief that as long as there are activities, light and HVAC should be at a comfortable level for users. In the same notion, LASM is able to identify pockets of savings at all times while ensuring user comfort. 


6. How does your PIR sensor manage air side set point to ensure user comfort compared to people counting method?

A : If we have 100 people sitting in a room versus 100 people walking around in another room of same size with set point at 22oC, the people sitting will feel cold as their activity level is low. The somatosensory temperature of the walking people must be higher than that of the sitting people, as exercise generates heat.

Likewise, when activity level is higher, the carbon dioxide level in the space will rise. Using PIR sensor as activity sensor will be a more proactive method to manage fresh air intake than carbon dioxide sensor which tends to have a delay effect.

 

7. Compared to system with more sensors data to make decision, what is your differentiation? 

A : As another means of energy saving, LASM utilized advance AI that make use minimum sensor inputs to create the best energy savings algorithm. This will require less data storage at the Cloud which is another form of energy saving. We believe that less is green. 


SG200 Lighting Control Box

1. How many lights can one control box connect with?

A : You can connect as many as the relay of the control box can handle, that is, 800VA from the load of LED lights. There are four dimming channels which can individually dim lights for the four areas. But with the same control box, if the relay is turned off, the four-channels of lamps are also all off together.

 

2. How do I know the Zigbee signal strength of the control box?

A : Tap the Reset button on the control box, Zigbee indicator flashes. If a flashing cycle has 4 flashes, it has the best signal. The less flashes; the worse signal coverage. You may use the PC to connect to the S600R2 (SG6200) to check the signal strength on the webpage. Go to “Advanced”=>”Status”=>”Power Status”

 

3. Whether can the control box control outdoor lights?

A : There are AC power and DC dimming signal source from the Control box to the LED driver. AC power can be sent very far, but the 10VDC dimming signal has its limits of around 50m. The range of Zigbee signal in open space is up to 100 meters, and each control box also works as a repeater. The control box is not waterproof, so it doesn’t work in the outdoor environment unless you resolve the waterproof issue. Outdoor application is not recommended. 

 

4. The control box is not working properly—I can’t switch off the lights or it is intermittent to be able to control. What should I do?

A : If the relay of the control box is broken, you cannot switch the lamp off. However, if the relay is intermittent for you to control, it is on the verge of breaking down. Please contact us to fix or replace the control box as soon as possible.

 

5. If you change the brightness of the light directly from your phone, will it affect the on-level and standby-level in the automatic operation?

A : Yes, it will. It changes the standby level. You may recover it by re-starting the automatic sensor operation.

 

6. Typically 1 SG200 covers 1 zone, how big is a zone?

A : 25m2 – 30m2 (6 – 10 fixtures) forms a zone. A small single room can also be spec into a zone or join another area to form a zone if there are budget issue. 


S600R2/SG6200 Gateway

1. How to install the gateway, and where to install?

A : SG6200 can be directly connected to the LAN port of the router or other network switches. The gateway can be placed where Ethernet can be easily accessed. You only have to plug in the Ethernet cable directly to the WAN port of gateway. It will work by itself to connect to our server. If the router needs the MAC table setting for internet access, Please use your PC to open the web page of the gateway, you may see it on the front page.

 

2. If there is no internet, how to use gateway?

 A : When there is no internet to be used, connect your phone and gateway through WiFi. Turn on the WiFi of your phone, and search for the gateway to connect. Go to the APP, go to setting=> “parameter”, change “Through cloud ” to “direct connect”, and then go to “Adv”, to select the lighting control boxes, but some functions are not available in this local mode.


3. Why does “schedule” not work?

A : We recommend that the users connect the gateway to the Internet by using EWAN (Ethernet cable), instead of using WiFi, as WiFi is relatively unstable. If the connection fails at the time when the schedule operation is underway, the system will miss the command and will not repeat again. In this case you may change the APP setting to “direct connect” and then go to schedule page again. You can make the gateway schedule there. It is not through the cloud and use the clock on the gateway to schedule your lights. However, you have to do it box by box if you have more than one control box to schedule. The 2 scheduling systems work simultaneously. The later action decides the control. The clock on the gateway will be reset if you reboot it. But if your gateway is connected to internet, the time will be fed from the network.

 

4. Do I need to set up the time zone of SG6200?

A : No, you don’t. Our cloud server gets the time on your phone to know where you are. As long as your phone has the Internet connection, the system knows your local time. Wherever you are, you can always set your schedule and it will work properly for you. For the case you have other gateways in other time zones, please don’t just set the time without time adjustment. All the scheduling activities work according to your time on your phone. The system assumes when you set your schedule, your phone and your gateway are in the same time zone. Do not set or change the time zone rather than GMT on the gateway. Our system will automatically calibrate to local time. If you change the time zone, it will confuse the system and cause scheduling errors.


Lumaware App

1. How to download Lumani App?

A : Currently we only support Android smartphones. Go to Google Play, key in “Lumaware”, search for "Lumaware" App, and download it. The APP will be updated automatically if you set your APP to automatic update.

 

2. When I have a new phone, what should I do to keep using LumaZones without losing the old settings?

A : Just use your original "Username" and "Password" in “parameter”, and connect the phone to the system “through cloud”. It will get all the old settings from the cloud server.

 

3, I have a lot of smartphones, can I install Lumani App on all of them to use it?

A : Yes, you can. You may use the same account for multiple phones. The system has the limitation of 5 accounts. You can simply enter your "Username" and "Password" for all phones. Please make sure you don’t lose or disclose your account name and password to other people.


Internet Access Requirement 

1. What type of connectivity and bandwidth needed?

A : Connectivity by LAN cable preferred. ZigBee is low bandwidth and typically a site with 4 zones use < 1GB per month.

 

2. Can the gateway be connected as a wireless cient via WiFi?

A : Yes. But if the WiFi is congested with video and high usage, it may affect the system performance. 

 

3. What is the typical connection method to a network?  

A : Generally, it can be connected at the Guest Network as long as there are internet access. No IP address is needed. We prefer to stay outside the company network that typically has a firewall. If there is the firewall, our client needs to open the following ports: 3749, 3750, 3751, 3752, 3753

 

LumaCloud 

1. Where is LumaCloud hosted?

A : Customer can choose to host it at Lumani Server (Microsoft Azure) or purchase a private server if they have concern over their information. 

 

2. How is LumaZones different from Building Automation System (BAS)

A : LumaZones is an open platform with complete infrastructures for IoT applications. It is scalable, powerful, and easy to integrate with new devices. We make the development of your future IoT products simple and easy. It will coexist with BAS just like other IoT devices or applications. We can integrate with BAS via API (Application Programming Interface).

 

3. Why is LumaCloud Control Subscription needed for every Gateway?

A : LumaCloud Control Subscription is needed to provide LASM. Without this subscription, the system only offers sensor mode operation; without the busy & silent mode. This can only be used in application like 24 x 7 car parks or common spaces where busy/silent mode is not applicable.

 

4. Can client not subscribed to LumaCloud Control? 

A : Yes, as long as they do not require LASM.

 

5. Can client write their own App to implement their own algorithm using LumaZones platform? 

A : Yes, they can by purchasing LumaCloud Control API. By doing so, LASM will not be in full operation as the system is unable to be controlled by 2 different algorithms. However, for clients with advanced App development competencies, they can perform hybrid operation accordingly.  

 

6. What is LumaCloud Data Subscription consist of and for what applications? 

A : It consist of an LumaCloud Energy Web where data such as activity, power, temperature, humidity can be monitored or feed into other analytics Apps (via API) for more advanced data analytics such as space management, retail management, cleaning management etc. 

Note that separate API charges applies for integration data to other Apps.

 

7. Can client not subscribed to LumaCloud Data? 

A : Yes, as long as they do not require data.

 

8. How to integrate LumaZones with third party Apps such as meeting room booking, BMS, IBMS etc? 

A : Via LumaCloud Data API (for data) and LumaCloud Control API (for control) or Both.

 

9. What are the security policy for implemented? 

A : The data transmitted are in proprietary format and hosted at Microsoft Azure which provide the security at the Cloud level.