Illuminating buildings and more: the roadmap for Bluetooth Mesh Networking
Building automation is the automatic, centralized control of a building’s essential systems, including HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), lighting, and security. Bluetooth technology enables smart building automation solutions that harness energy savings, lower operating costs, and improve the life cycle of a building’s core systems. According to ABI Research, we expect to see a 350 percent growth in the annual volume of Bluetooth® automation and control devices by 2022.
Thanks to the recent development of Bluetooth Mesh Networking, connected lighting has emerged as a key Bluetooth enabled building automation and control use case. Bluetooth Mesh Networking was created for and is inherently designed to suit large-scale commercial applications, making it ideally suited to meet the requirements of large-scale connected lighting systems.
Silvair office deployment
Recently, Silvair upgraded their office with a Bluetooth enabled lighting platform consisting of hundreds of lights supported by various sensors and switches. Their ambient light sensors support daylight harvesting and automatically ensure a consistent level of light all day. Plus, occupancy sensors identify when rooms are occupied, helping to cut costs and optimize the working environment for employees.
Billingsley company case study
In a joint effort with Murata, Silvair also deployed a wireless control system in the Billingsley Company office building in Dallas, Texas. For this deployment, the rooms were divided into different zones for daylight use, and detailed data was collected on the presence of people and the energy consumption of individual rooms. In rooms with windows, ambient light sensors communicate with Bluetooth® Mesh Networking luminaires so that daylight is used and a constant brightness level is ensured throughout the day.
All rooms are also equipped with presence detectors to help reduce costs and optimize the working environment. The occupancy data can be displayed in heating cards. This not only saves energy but also optimizes space utilization.
For more data on how Bluetooth technology is powering the smart building, check out the Bluetooth smart building infographic.
