A Day in the Light of a PoE Powered Office
March 5, 2018
Imagine an automated office where you no longer have to boot up your computer in the morning or adjust the temperature throughout the day, because your office technology takes care of it for you. Even today, some might say this sounds futuristic, but with Power over Ethernet (PoE) as your Internet of Things (IoT) office solution, all of this and more is possible.
Smart lighting, security cameras, and door locks typically come to mind first when thinking of current IoT uses. While these applications all play a role in today’s modern office building, Igor is revolutionizing the implementation of IoT in the workplace. Let Igor take you on a walk through the possibilities of a modern, PoE-enabled office.
How Can PoE Serve as an IoT Solution in Your Office?
Tracking the movement of people and materials can be challenging for any business, even for small and medium-sized businesses. Let’s imagine you work at a thriving business with 50 employees. Even at that size, keeping track of who’s coming and going can be difficult, until you install a PoE access control systems in your office. Now, not only can you tell when people come and go, but codes tied to each person's access control can tell you exactly who has arrived or departed. This becomes even more critical as your business grows.
Because you’re using Power over Ethernet through Igor’s platform, every PoE application is unified and communicating. Previously, someone would manually turn the lights on in the morning, but now the lights are triggered by the access control system. Once the system has detected an arrival, it can power on that specific person's computer, so it’s ready to go before they’re even at their desk. When your clients come in for a presentation, the conference room blinds lower, the projector turns on, and when the door closes, the lights know to dim.
What Role Does PoE Lighting Really Play in an Office?
At first mention, we’d all assume IoT lighting solutions allow us to control lights remotely, and maybe even automate them via motion sensors or schedules. But PoE lighting can take this reality to the next level as a comprehensive IoT office solution.
How does this play out in the office? PoE takes smart lighting to a whole new level. Igor automates lighting and optimizes it for productivity throughout the day. Tune your morning lighting to ease employees into the workday, have afternoon lights adjust to keep people awake post lunch, and create special lighting for evening office events.
This is just the basic overview of what can be done with PoE lighting. Whether you realize it or not, lighting plays a big role in your office environment. At Igor, we see light as a tool and want to transform your mindset from thinking of lighting as a necessity to a means for creating experiences within a space.
Have you ever given an internal presentation or announced groundbreaking news and felt it fall short because you’re still in the company conference room or cafeteria? PoE can change this. PoE lighting can be animated and colored to convey a message.
With PoE lighting, you can extend your company culture and represent your brand through experiences in a much more effective way. Next time you have an exciting announcement, you can have your own Apple-esque moment with lights pulsating in your brand colors to music coming from PoE surround sound speakers. How’s that for nailing a presentation?
How Does PoE Work With Security in an Office Environment?
Some finance and tech industry offices require additional security precautions. PoE can be integrated with security systems to keep the office safe and ensure individuals stay only within permitted areas. Asset tracking, in combination with access control systems, allows employers to keep track of devices, technology and the individuals interacting with them. With Igor’s data analytics platforms, you can easily locate disruptions in the system and fix them before they turn into cybersecurity problems.
How Is PoE Different Than Other IoT Platforms?
IoT is growing in popularity, and there are countless platforms and protocols that can be used. On the surface, they may all seem to have the same basic capabilities, but PoE allows you to do more. The downfall of other IoT protocols, like Zigbee and Bluetooth, is that they are a good fit for their specific application, but not always for multiple purposes. While they may work well with one device, oftentimes devices of the same protocol aren’t even compatible. When you run into problems with these protocols, it can be difficult to diagnose and fix because the protocols are proprietary. Work hours should be spent innovating, not diagnosing problems with your IoT system.
The goal of Igor is to keep IoT simple. We want Igor’s platform to be used as an IoT hub that can grow and expand to include new devices over time. With PoE, you can do this without the constraints of compatibility issues. Plus, if problems do occur, PoE is easier to fix than other IoT platforms because any IT team will have experience with PoE. One of the best parts of PoE is that it eliminates the expensive wiring costs of traditional lighting, plus your local IT team can install it.
How Will IoT Really Work in my Office
The great thing about PoE is that it is flexible. You can have an entirely connected office, or use it for just a few purposes. If your business grows, PoE can scale with you. PoE isn’t all about fancy tricks - the data reporting capabilities of Igor’s software means you can monitor energy usage and discover ways to save on your energy consumption. Power over Ethernet has practical uses in just about any office setting, and our open API means that you can continue to develop applications to fit your business needs.
Want to Learn More About Incorporating PoE Into Your Office?
With Igor’s platform, you can connect your office, improve productivity, increase morale and save money. If you’re interested in learning more about PoE in an office environment contact us or sign up for our newsletter. We’re always excited to see how PoE can meet your needs.