Wireless LAN: The Missing Piece for Building Automation
"Building automation uses a control system to monitor and command the mechanical, lighting, security control, or fire alarm systems in a commercial building. The intelligent network functions to keep building temperature within a specified range, control lighting and monitor performance of all systems. For years, building automation systems have required a network of wires to link components such as switches and sensors to an automation system. The expense of laying cable, particularly in a retrofit scenario, has meant existing buildings don’t always get the benefits associated with optimal automation.
Magnum Energy Solutions of Hudson, Ohio has successfully merged the technologies of wireless and LAN into a full building automation program. Using energy harvesting modules from EnOcean, Magnum has put together an extensive portfolio of products capable of automating virtually any type of building. Having teamed up with German based BSC Gmbh,they havereleased an innovative and scalable access point, enabling integration with a building’s existing TCP/IP infrastructure to create a building-wide EnOcean to LAN ecosystem[...]
The wireless LAN solution provides for a variety of benefits to the building owner or facility manager, including monitoring of actual power consumption and pricing information. These advantages are part of the reason why this already proven solution is being deployed at a major university, covering 4,200 dorm rooms that will achieve full automation. The customer is requiring occupied/unoccupied control, central access, HVAC controls, easy maintenance and full monitoring capability.
To achieve ease of installation and fulfill the customer’s desire to have limited to no maintenance, building owners canutilize EnOcean’s self-powered (batteryless) wireless radio technology, a building automation standard deployed in over 200,000 buildings worldwide, and integrate these devices with an access point, for a full scale solution. This university install will realize cost savings during installation, renovation, daily operations and cost savings due to energy efficiency. Students will even be able to monitor and control the operational functions of their dorm rooms using their smart phone[...]"
(Source www.ecnmag.com, 30.06.2011)