Silvair Firmware 2.31 NLC is the latest version of our Bluetooth® NLC wireless control firmware for lighting components. It introduces multiple new features and enhancements, opening new business opportunities for Silvair partners and improving wireless control experience for end users and installers. New features include:

1. Emergency Lighting Testing for single-chip DALI firmware

Having received positive feedback about our Emergency Lighting Testing (ELT) service, we keep working to make it available to a wider group of vendors and customers. Today’s release enables the feature also for devices based on single-chip DALI firmware, driving ELT integration cost down and enabling quick launch of new exciting products. From the end user’s perspective, the service works in the same way as it does for UART devices.

Following today’s release, every DALI component based on Nordic nRF52840 can be immediately transformed into an ELT device. Integration is simplified also for non-wireless components as they can be easily upgraded with both wireless and ELT capabilities simultaneously. To learn about delivery schedules of DALI components supporting our ELT service, contact your manufacturer and/or distributor.

We will continue to work on our Emergency Lighting Testing service, with the ultimate goal of delivering the best ELT experience in the industry. We’re now aiming to provide users with access to historic reports and enable remote collection of test results. This will automate the process even further, reducing emergency lighting maintenance to a minimum. We will also be upgrading to a new architecture (one Time Authority per area) that will allow the ELT service to be used in projects with disconnected areas.
 

2. Adjustable motion sensor sensitivity

We are introducing adjustable motion sensor sensitivity to address the issue of false sensor triggers that can be caused e.g. by the airflow from air conditioning units or open windows. The bottom line is better accuracy of sensor-based control strategies.
 

Motion sensors that support sensitivity adjustments can now be managed using a convenient sensitivity slider in the mobile app. The slider allows for setting desired sensitivity steps to adjust sensitivity in line with the sensor's technical capabilities. Initial sensor sensitivity and sensitivity steps are the new configuration parameters that enable further sensor customization during the manufacturing process. The feature is available for UART devices and - after slight pinout adjustment - also for single-chip devices (nRF52840 only). On the end user side, it is currently available in the iOS app and will also be coming to the Android app shortly.
 

3. Unprovisioned behavior

FW 2.31 NLC introduces the unprovisioned behavior feature, giving solution providers more flexibility with regard to the default behavior of their luminaires. Previously, after the power-up blinking sequence, luminaires used to stay at 100% lightness level until the commissioning process was carried out. This is not desired in many cases, especially when provisioning of installed luminaires doesn’t happen immediately after installation. To address this issue, we are adding new firmware configuration parameters that can be adjusted during the manufacturing process. This allows manufacturers to choose what happens after the luminaires are powered up. The available options include:

• stay always on (as previously)
• enable occupancy control (luminaires turning on automatically in response to occupancy detection)
• enable photocell control (luminaires turning on automatically in response to ambient light level readings)

By default, luminaires are set to always on at 100% lightness. Light levels and duration of individual controller phases can be adjusted during the manufacturing process, as new configuration parameters allow for precise customization of the unprovisioned behavior.
 

Please note that the Unprovisioned behavior feature must be requested and enabled during the manufacturing stage or else it cannot be used on site. Also note that new unprovisioned behavior modes (occupancy control and photocell control) are based on sensor readings, so they can only be used in sensor-controllers. A luminaire without motion or ambient light sensing capabilities will not be able to use any of these modes.

4. Solicitation in unprovisioned state

We are introducing certain improvements in the way devices broadcast messages in the unprovisioned state. The goal of solicitation is to further reduce noise in Bluetooth control networks, which contributes to improved reliability and reduced interference in environments that are particularly challenging for wireless technologies.

5. Adjustment of default CCT value

Based on the feedback from our customers, we will be reducing the luminaires’ default CCT value from 4,600K to 4,000K. This slight adjustment in color temperature is in line with market expectations and we will continue to listen to partners’ and users’ opinions in this regard.

6. Bugfixes and minor improvements

As always, today’s release also introduces various bugfixes and multiple minor performance improvements. With each update, we make numerous small adjustments that collectively enhance the overall functionality. The bottom line is better performance and reliability.