Zhaga/Nema

ZHAGA sockets

Founded in 2010, Zhaga Consortium is an international organisation that develops industry standards for lighting. Zhaga has its origins in Europe and is a member of IEEE Industry Standards and Technology Organization (IEEE-ISTO).

The purpose of having sockets is to allow the customer to utilise flexibility and interchangeability in a sustainable manner, both in terms of make and model as well as luminaire accessories. Sockets are currently available for outdoor luminaires, but work is underway to develop similar systems for indoor luminaires as well.

NEMA socket

The NEMA socket is a US-standard connector in the lighting industry, which enables an electrical and mechanical connection between the node and the luminaire. NEMA sockets are frequently used in outdoor luminaires, particularly for street lighting, but, in Europe, the Zhaga socket will likely be favoured in the future.

Part of a future-proofed world

Our goal is to create better lighting in commercial, public and private lighting environments. With standardised solutions, we can further expand the opportunities we have for the benefit of our customers.

Today, both Zhaga and NEMA sockets are in use with IoT technology. Both of these sockets provide the opportunity to adapt existing luminaires to future technologies. When new technology is developed, this standardisation makes to possible to modify a control unit specifically, instead of having to modify the entire luminaire.

As the technology has evolved, other operators have also developed proprietary standards. The Digital Illumination Interface Alliance (DiiA), which brings together the major operators in digital lighting control, has developed an addition to the DALI-2 standard: D4i. D4i focuses on communication between the different components in a luminaire.

In addition to powering nodes, a D4i-certified driver can also store and communicate data about operational status, error messages, energy consumption, luminaire type, etc. As an extension, there is now also Zhaga-D4i certification of complete luminaires with sockets.

Zhaga-D4i also specifies the power and communication aspects, in addition to the mechanical and electrical design, and enables all D4i certified nodes to work with all Zhaga-D4i certified luminaires. Certified Zhaga-D4i products can carry the dual logos of Zhaga and D4i, which together indicate plug-and-play interoperability of sensors, communication nodes and luminaires. The Zhaga-D4i ecosystem of lighting products enables smart, future-proof LED luminaires with IoT connectivity.

More about Zhaga

Zhaga is an international industrial consortium that develops technical documentation that is compiled in so-called ‘Books’. The content forms the basis for international standards in the area of lighting. At present, approximately 300 companies are connected to Zhaga, and Fagerhults Belysning is one of them. The book that specifies sockets for outdoor luminaires is called ‘Book 18’. Visit their website for more information https://www.zhagastandard.org/