by Shane Henson — April 5, 2013—Many facilities managers have been involved in bringing wireless Internet to their facilities. Now it looks as if the use of wireless technology for commercial buildings controls could be the next big thing. According to a new report from Navigant Research, a market research and consulting business, worldwide shipments of wireless controls for building automation systems will exceed 36 million units by 2020.
Navigant Research notes that while building automation and controls have been used for decades, wireless networks are enabling more granular control over building systems without many of the design and labor challenges involved with running traditional cabling to support communications and/or power.
The company’s Wireless Control Systems for Smart Buildings report indicates that following years of niche, proprietary solutions and slow standards development, open standards such as ZigBee and EnOcean are replacing proprietary, vendor-specific wireless RF (radio-frequency) technology, ensuring device interoperability and ease of installation and operation. Shipments of ZigBee and EnOcean products will account for nearly half of all wireless building control node shipments by 2020, the report concludes.
The report examines the state of the global wireless commercial building controls market today and provides forecasts through 2020. Including market analysis and forecasts for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, lighting, fire and safety, and security and access controls, the report covers the development of both proprietary and standards-based wireless technologies and details the market drivers and barriers for each. The forecasts are segmented by region and by technology, and the report includes profiles of more than 20 key industry players, including building controls manufacturers and integrators, says Navigant Research.
