Site Loader

The issue of vendor lock-in, or dependency on a single supplier and a single technology, is a common challenge for cities and municipalities in managing public lighting. Many surprisingly large providers of controlled lighting design their systems as closed, without the possibility of integrating third-party or competing products. This approach essentially dictates the technology, products, and even prices to municipalities for many years ahead.

A typical example is the requirement to purchase public lighting fixtures from a single manufacturer, even though this may not make sense in terms of price, functionality, or aesthetics. Imagine if you had to buy lightbulbs of only one brand for your home for several years. For cities, it is essential to act as responsible managers by seeking functional, aesthetically pleasing, and cost-effective solutions.

In designing our public lighting control system, ACADA Light, we decided to address the vendor lock-in issue. Our approach is based on two pillars: support for a broader range of hardware units from different manufacturers and support for open hardware products. This transparent approach allows cities, as well as integrators and solution providers, to freely choose and combine not only end lighting fixtures but also control technologies, with the assurance that open hardware—hardware with accessible SDKs or APIs—can be integrated by any lighting control provider. Examples include radio communicators using LoRaWAN, IQRF, or Bluetooth technologies, which can be integrated with any cloud solution due to the standardized descriptions that enable such integration. This freedom gives municipalities control not only over the choice of lighting fixtures but also over the choice of the lighting control provider.

Currently, ACADA Light supports manufacturers of radio units using Zhaga/NEMA radio technology, such as Oliptec, Fonda, and Weecloud, as well as Microrisc with IQRF technology, with more integrations planned. Thanks to standardized Zhaga/NEMA sockets, the choice of fixture is practically limited only by the availability of this socket type; however, even for historic fixtures where the socket may be an unwanted visual element, we can integrate the units within the fixture.

With ACADA Light, cities gain freedom not only in selecting lighting fixtures but also in choosing the provider of controlled lighting, ensuring openness and long-term sustainability for their public lighting system while effectively managing costs.

Learn more about the ACADA Light system…

Post Author: logimic