POE Lighting Warehouse Upgrade

The Challenge

A distribution warehouse in Sand Springs, Oklahoma was operating with aging high-pressure sodium and metal halide fixtures across 50,000 square feet of floor space. The lighting was expensive to run — the facility’s monthly electricity bill averaged over $4,800, with lighting accounting for roughly 40% of that. Several fixtures had failed and never been replaced, leaving dark spots in the racking aisles that created safety hazards for forklift operators. Replacing individual bulbs was a constant maintenance headache, requiring a scissor lift and two workers for every fixture swap.

The warehouse manager wanted a full lighting overhaul, but traditional LED retrofit would still leave them with dumb fixtures and manual switches. They had heard about Power-over-Ethernet lighting and wanted to explore whether it made sense for their operation — especially the potential to integrate lighting controls with their existing camera system.

Our Solution

Witness Security designed and installed a full POE lighting conversion for the entire 50,000 square foot facility. Unlike traditional lighting, POE fixtures receive both power and data through a single Ethernet cable, making every fixture individually addressable and controllable from a central platform.

• 128 POE LED high-bay fixtures — replacing all legacy sodium and metal halide units with 200W LED equivalents producing 30,000 lumens each at 5000K daylight color temperature
• 8 POE network switches — industrial-grade switches providing power and data to every fixture, organized by zone across the warehouse
• Occupancy-based zoning — the warehouse floor was divided into 12 zones; fixtures in unoccupied zones automatically dim to 20% and return to full brightness when motion is detected
• Daylight harvesting — sensors near the loading dock skylights automatically adjust fixture output based on natural light levels, reducing energy use during daytime hours
• Scheduled automation — lights follow the facility’s shift schedule, powering down to security-only levels during off-hours and ramping up before the first shift arrives
• Camera integration — the lighting system was linked to the existing Witness Security camera network; when cameras detect motion in an off-hours zone, lights in that area activate to full brightness and an alert is generated

Installation was completed over two weekends, with the warehouse operating normally on weekdays throughout the project. We ran all new Cat6 cabling through existing cable trays and J-hooks, keeping the install clean and code-compliant.

The Results

The impact on the facility’s bottom line was immediate and measurable. The first full month after installation showed a dramatic reduction in energy consumption, and the maintenance burden dropped to nearly zero.

• 42% reduction in total electricity costs — monthly bill dropped from $4,800 to $2,780, saving over $24,000 annually
• Projected ROI in 2.8 years — the system will have paid for itself entirely through energy savings alone
• Zero maintenance calls in the first six months — LED fixtures are rated for 100,000+ hours, eliminating the constant bulb-replacement cycle
• Uniform lighting across all aisles — forklift operators reported significantly improved visibility, and the safety team documented zero lighting-related incidents since the upgrade
• Full remote control — the warehouse manager adjusts zones, schedules, and brightness levels from a tablet or phone without walking the floor

The warehouse manager said: “I didn’t realize how bad our old lighting was until I saw what this system can do. The energy savings are real, but honestly, the fact that every light in this building is smart and tied into our cameras — that’s what changed the game for us.”