What is the field layer?

The field layer is the last cabling run, locally in the field. It connects directly to the devices that people touch and the loads that deliver the result: lights dim, scenes change, fans run, relays switch, emergency fittings test.

In a zencontrol system, the field layer is intentionally simple and standards-based. That means you can build a robust foundation at the lowest level, then scale up through the controller layer by adding more field buses across floors, wings, tenancies and entire sites.

Key idea: the field layer is local by nature, but it is not isolated — multiple field buses are “stitched together” through the controller layer so inputs on one bus can be mapped to outputs anywhere the design requires.

Why it matters
Great lighting control is won or lost at the edge. A clean, scalable field layer means faster installs, easier commissioning, reliable day-to-day operation, and freedom to integrate new device types over time.

Field layer cabling: wired DALI or wireless DALI+ over Thread

Wired and wireless share the same intent: dependable field connectivity using IEC 62386-based lighting control standards, with a clean path to higher-level management and integration.

Wired DALI
A simple two-wire bus (DALI pair) running locally to fittings, relays, drivers, switches and sensors. It’s direct, predictable, and ideal where cabling is easy or already available.

One system, mixed deployment
Use wired and wireless where each makes sense. The controller layer brings it together so your operational model (tenancies, floors, zones) remains consistent across the whole asset.

Up to 63 devices, up to 32 channels each

Inputs (control devices)

Input devices include switches and sensors. A single device can expose multiple “channels” (instances), so one physical plate can behave like many independent inputs. For example, each switch on a multi-gang plate is its own input channel.

Capacity model: up to 63 input devices on the bus, with up to 32 input channels (instances) per device.

Expandability: many field buses, one cohesive system

Buildings are modular — and so is zencontrol. You can deploy multiple field buses across a building (or campus), typically aligned with practical boundaries like tenancies, floors, risers, wings, plant areas and emergency circuits.

Each field bus connects upward through the controller layer. That “stitching” allows common behaviours across multiple buses: scenes spanning floors, occupancy logic across zones, consistent switch indicator states, and smooth handover from local to global control.

Result: you get the install simplicity of local field buses, with the user experience of a single, unified building-wide system.

Practical example
Use a wired DALI bus for a tenancy fit-out where cabling is easy, then add wireless DALI+ over Thread in a heritage area where infrastructure is constrained — both appear as part of the same building operational model.

Standards-based field communications (IEC 62386)

Communications and wiring on the field layer use IEC standard lighting control protocols, enabling broad manufacturer compatibility. Wired field buses use DALI (Digitally Addressable Lighting Interface) and modern devices commonly align to DALI-2, which defines consistent behaviour for both control gear (outputs) and control devices (inputs).

Wireless field buses use DALI+ over Thread, which applies the IEC 62386-104 approach over a Thread mesh. This delivers standards-based wireless control designed for commercial buildings, while keeping the model consistent for commissioning and operation.

This is the point of standards: you can specify, expand, and upgrade devices over time without rebuilding the foundation.

DALI “instances” explained
Many modern input devices can expose multiple instances (channels) on the bus — for example, multiple pushbuttons, sensor values, or general-purpose measurements. This is how a single device can represent many distinct inputs without extra wiring.

Supported output types

Field layer products and resources

Start with the edge devices: switches, sensors and wireless field control. Build up from there.