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Impera and Lighting Control

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For classrooms and meeting rooms it makes great sense to be able to control the AV system as well as the surroundings that the AV is mounted in. When doing a presentation you might be bothered by the sunlight during the day or you need additional lighting in some parts of the day.

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If a room has windows, the lighting can be controlled in two ways. Either using motorized shades or lighting fixtures. If there are no windows, then the only option is to manage room lighting using the lighting fixtures in the room.

Biamp

Biamp supports a variety of ways to control the lighting in the room.

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Impera Alfa II, Switching Relay (2, 4, 8) - Using these devices for lighting control via the high-voltage relays enables turning on and off the lights. Dimming is not an option using this solution, only on / off.

KNX

 

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KNX - Using our KNX integration enables full 2-way integration with keypads, dimmers, shading and HVAC with the more than 8000+ devices made for KNX. All you need to get started is a compatible Impera controller as well as a KNX license. 

For more information on how to integrate with KNX, check out these articles.

Supported KNX interfaces
Where do I find the KNX group addresses that i want to control?
How do I create KNX sequences?
How can I debug KNX?

 

DALI

 

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DALI lighting is used mainly in commercial environments and is typically used in public spaces such as retail outlets, receptions, lobbies, etc. The advantage is that the dimming is built directly into the lighting fixture or LED driver, so there is no need for a big backend system to drive the lighting fixtures. The disadvantage is that typically you are limited to 64 or 128 DALI fixtures on a single system, which could sound like a lot, but in reality you will hit that limitation sooner than one might expect. 

For DALI lighting there are more ways of integrating and non-of them are more correct than the other. It really depends on what components are needed in the room, or if it is a new build or some equipment is existing. 

Existing system (Through another system)

If there are existing systems from KNX or Lutron, it might make sense to add in a DALI interface from there end and then control it through their system. Then you will gather all control in one system.  

New system (Directly from Biamp Impera to DALI)

If starting from scratch on the lighting control system and you need to control DALI lights, then we have made drivers for the Foxtron DALInet interface or the Helvar Digidim 9xx series, which can control devices on the DALI bus. The Impera devices communicates over IP to the DALI interface.

 

DMX

 

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DMX lighting is a technology that started out being used mainly in professional AV. Here, it was used to control stage lighting and effects during concerts, TV shows etc. Nowadays it is also used quite a lot for RGB lighting in commercial spaces. It also goes by the name of DMX512 because it has 512 channels on a single controller. A typical LED controller will typically take up 3 channels (Red, Green, Blue) or 4 channels (Red, Green, Blue, White).

Existing system (Through another system)

Similar to DALI, if there are existing systems from KNX or Lutron, it might make sense to add in a DMX interface from there end and then control it through their system. Then you will gather all control in one system.  

New system (Directly from Biamp Impera to DMX)

If starting from scratch on the lighting control system and you need to control DMX lights, then we have made drivers for the Engineering Solutions DMX Engine which can control devices on the DMX bus. The Impera devices communicates using RS232 to the DMX interface.

 

 

LUTRON

 

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Lutron - Drivers are available for a Lutron system utilizing the Lutron Integration Protocol via an IP/RS232 interface such as Lutron QSE-CI-NWK-E or a Lutron RadioRa 2 Main Repeater.

 

RAKO

 

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RAKO Wireless Lighting - Drivers are available for the RAV232 interface, which enables a Impera controller to communicate with a RAKO Wireless Lighting system.

 

PHILIPS

 

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Philips Dynalite - Drivers are available for the DCM-DyNet interface, which makes integration with a Philips Dynalite system possible using a RS485 interface.

 

P5 FUTURE NOW

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P5 Future Now - Direct IP Dimming / Switching - When needing a simple lighting system that integrates directly with Biamp Impera, we have made drivers for the devices from P5 Future Now who made direct IP controlled dimmers, thermostats and relays. Have a look at their devices here, and drivers are available for the following devices:

  • FNIP-6x2AD
  • FNIP-12xPWM
  • FNIP-12xIO
  • FNIP-RGB/010
  • FNIP-12xMZT
  • FNIP-8x16A