Truly smart buildings don’t rely on
OVERVIEW
Creating smart buildings
Why
Implementing your own in-building coverage
THE OPPORTUNITY
Creating smart buildings.
As the Internet of Things (IoT) and high-speed, broadband networks converge, smart buildings that do everything from automatically controlling temperature and lighting to alerting security if there is something amiss are quickly becoming more than just a good idea. Enabled by the digital revolution, smart buildings promise a host of benefits for communities, enterprises, and individuals.
However, making them smart requires a working knowledge of the technologies that make “smart” possible.
By all indications, the move to smart facilities is on the rise and will likely accelerate over the coming months and years.
“I’ve seen firsthand the growing need for smart buildings, and the way that building occupants are driving the need for connectivity, productivity, and last but not least, public safety.”
-Luke Lucas, Senior Manager of Engineering Business Development at
Creating smart buildings, venues, campuses, and other properties is the first step toward creating future smart cities, Lucas says, and the infrastructure that’s required will make life easier for all concerned—business and residential stakeholders alike.
In order to get there, however, real estate operators, building owners and managers, government officials, and executives responsible for creating smart entities need to take a good look at the existing infrastructure of their facilities to determine what they need to make sure their facilities will be truly smart. To realize today’s conservation, efficiency, and connectivity potential,
“All of these objectives require high bandwidth and low latency. Cellular is the technology that’s going to be able to provide that,” says Lucas.
A CELLULAR SOLUTION
Why Wi-Fi isn't always enough.
While many commercial building owners and operators today deploy wireless
One challenge is that
Perhaps the biggest concern about depending too much on
For the development of smart buildings, when cellular and
“Unfortunately, new energy-efficient buildings that are great in conserving resources like power and water are absolutely terrible for general connectivity….in some ways, buildings are almost too good at keeping the outside signal outside,” says Lucas. Green buildings that are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified are usually bad at bringing signals in, he says.
The Next Steps
Implementing your own in-building cellular coverage.
Implementing in-building cellular may seem like a huge undertaking, but it doesn’t have to be.
The program is designed to facilitate partnerships between real estate developers, landlords, tenants, property managers or any one who helps manage properties, so they can influence the inclusion of wireless technology into a master plan for their properties. A crucial component of those plans that should be considered in all connected buildings is cellular.
“Today, onsite cellular is a mandatory requirement, not just a nice to have.”
-Luke Lucas, Senior Manager of Engineering Business Development at
Typically, building owners choose a strategic partner to help build the infrastructure and the partner engages with the wireless carrier to provide the signal source for the cellular coverage. In this way, the building owners build their own coverage with help from experts in the field.
Driven by a need for energy efficiency, lower costs, and the constant connectivity that’s required in the digital age, smart buildings, venues, and campuses are rapidly becoming a fact of life all over the world. Real-estate developers and building operators are charged with making these smart facilities a reality—and cellular is the technology that makes it possible.
To learn more about implementing your own in-building coverage, watch Connected Real Estate Magazine’s “A Truly Smart Building Doesn’t Rely on
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