26 I ICT TODAY
FIGURE 2: Digital Ceilings are one way to bring a converged network into smart buildings. (Image courtesy of Microsens).
Functions and services which have been separated
can be united in one network. This results in opportuni-
ties for automating office and building operations. One
example of a device already available on the market is
LED ceiling lights that feature sensors and a data network
connection. The data network supplies electricity to the
LED lighting on the ceiling and, at the same time, every
LED light is assigned an IP address and a connection with
building services engineering (Figure 2).
Smart buildings have been promised for many
years, but with the advent of SPE, it is now possible
to close the Ethernet gap and enable the type of
converged OT and IT environment that will enable
the promise to become reality.
This article was written on behalf of the Single Pair
Ethernet Consortium.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES: Adnan Ahmed, RCDD, DCDC,
RTPM, WD is director of the technical advisory and solutions
group at R&M Americas. He participates in the Single Pair
Ethernet System Alliance and the Single Pair Ethernet
Consortium. He can be reached at adnan.ahmed@rdm.com.
Ronna Davis is the director of market development for
CommScope and chairs the Single Pair Ethernet Consortium.
She can be reached at ronnadavis@commscope.com.
Bob Voss is the senior principal engineer for Panduit
Corporate Research and Development. His practice areas are
industrial automation, building automation, and the Internet
of Things, as well as domain expertise including four decades
of control engineering and industrial network architectures.
He chairs the Ethernet Alliance's Single Pair Ethernet (SPE)
subcommittee and is an active member of the Single Pair
Ethernet Consortium. He can be reached at
bob.voss@panduit.com.
REFERENCES:
1. Antunes, Miguel E., Barroca Jean G., Guerreiro de
Oliveira, Daniela. "Urban Future with a Purpose 12 trends
shaping the future of cities by 2030," Deloitte, 2021.
