The smart home standard Matter will not be an end-consumer-only affair, although it sometimes seems that way in light of popular names like Amazon, Apple and Google. Tridonic (link), a supplier of professional lighting solutions from Dornbirn in Austria, shows that installers and specialist companies can also use the technology. The company is part of the Zumtobel-Group and manufactures products like LED modules, LED drivers and devices for the professional lighting control protocol DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface).
Tridonic announces several innovations aimed at both electricians and luminaire manufacturers who want to make their products fit for the Matter standard. All of them work with the Thread radio protocol. This means that they can be integrated into an existing Thread network without a bridge – a border router will do. Read more about the radio technology in the article about Thread and its advantages.
Switching and dimming with Thread
The first set covers the basic functions of networked lighting control: An LED driver dims and switches LED strips supplied with 24-volt constant voltage. It is available in three power levels: 35, 60, 100 and 150 watts. The manufacturer’s matching light strip – called Flextape – is suitable for indoor and outdoor use (IP 67) and rated to have a life expectancy of up to 72,000 hours. A push button coupler converts existing pushbuttons into Matter-capable light switches and is installed directly in a flush-mounted box.
Upgrading DALI luminaires
The second product family from Tridonic is designed to control new or existing luminaires that use the digital DALI standard. Offices, meeting rooms and even hotel rooms, for example, can be made Matter-enabled – including voice control with Alexa, Siri or another assistant. Depending on the application, there is a choice of an active Matter-to-DALI module with its own power supply, a passive version for connection to an external power supply, and a group controller that can manage up to 25 DALI luminaires.
Since the product development – as with all Matter pioneers – ran parallel to the development of the standard, all three products will only support white light control at the start, i.e. dimming and switching. In the DALI standard, the corresponding commands are summarized under the designation DT6. Version DT8, which is required for colored light or a change in color temperature, is to be added to the devices later as an update. The thread protocol explicitly provides for the possibility of a software update during operation.
All products are scheduled for market launch in early 2023. They will already be on display at the official Matter launch event on November 3 in Amsterdam.
Share this information:
