Project Developers and the Smart Building of the Future
There are many technologies, but which is best suited for the smart building of the future? In discussions with major German and European manufacturers, we often encounter the situation where they themselves are still asking: which wireless technology will we rely on in the future?
In order to answer this question, hardware manufacturers are increasingly designating a product manager or developer who carries out a market survey and compares different technologies. The decision on which technology to use to develop new products and product lines is a very important one.
Technologies Are Many
The narrow selection usually includes Bluetooth, ZigBee, Thread or Matter. If you talk to luminaire manufacturers, you will occasionally hear the term DALI Plus – other companies in the building control sector also work with LoRaWAN. For project developers, on the other hand, the standards ZigBee, Thread and Matter are not even considered.
However, there is no right or wrong per se. Depending on the viewpoints and purpose, a different technology will win out based on benchmark comparisons. Manufacturers also look for unique selling points, so that even if companies rely on the same technology, they ultimately create closed and proprietary systems that are not compatible with each other.
The Search for the Technology of the Smart Building
Leading German project developers are encountering a multitude of manufacturers, which in turn all rely on different and sometimes proprietary technologies. A clear future technology for the “smart building of the future” has not yet emerged at the end of 2021.
In addition to MESHLE GmbH, over thirty other luminaire manufacturers, network & IoT companies, manufacturers of components, building control systems and sensors, and three software start-ups participated in a market survey.
It became apparent that hardware manufacturers rely on different technologies and focus their technical competence exclusively on their product. On the manufacturer side, proprietary technologies are too often used, which put a spoke in the wheel of project developers' desire for standardization.
“An intelligent and networked building is more than just light.”
Looking Outside Your Own Industry
Luminaire manufacturers still focus too much on their own sector: lighting. Here, DALI 2.0 still predominates as an important standard and Casambi as a widespread but proprietary Bluetooth Mesh radio solution.
For project developers, this approach falls short. Creating a smart building for the future – whether new construction or retrofitting – requires standardization across manufacturers and product categories. It is insufficient when lighting and certain sensors communicate with each other but lack compatibility with blinds controls, irrigation systems, charging stations, elevators, or indoor navigation.
A Smart Building Is More Than Hardware
A smart building is not only about a multitude of networked IoT devices, but also about numerous interconnected services. The owner is interested in occupancy rates and energy consumption. For facility management, predictive maintenance or monitoring of irrigation and leak detection are relevant. Tenants want insight into room occupancy or air quality. Employees may want to book quiet workplaces or meeting rooms. Guests are interested in indoor navigation or reserving a guest parking space including an e-charging station.
“The project developer wants to develop an IoT-ready building.”
The hardware of various product categories is supplied by different manufacturers. These must rely on a common open standard in the long term, so that interoperability between the products, as well as the software, is made possible.
Qualified Bluetooth Mesh
We, MESHLE GmbH, recognize Bluetooth Mesh as certainly one of the most important technologies meeting these requirements. Bluetooth Mesh suits networking and controlling lighting, blinds, HVAC systems, and energy-optimized sensor integration. It excels for indoor navigation and leads globally in wireless access authorization. Crucially, the Bluetooth SIG has established “Qualified Bluetooth Mesh,” an international standard already deployed in billions of devices globally.
We are convinced that the building of the future is wireless and we are working every day to make Bluetooth Mesh the leading technology for every building in the world.