Siemens Building Technologies, Inc. unveiled the industry’s first wireless commercial building automation system, based on ZigBee™-ready wireless networking technology from Ember Corporation.
Siemens teamed with Ember to develop its new APOGEE ® Wireless Field Level Network solution. Through its inherent efficiencies, a building automation system deployed using an APOGEE Wireless Field Level Network can provide facility builders, owners and managers increased occupant comfort, greater flexibility, and more efficient control of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
APOGEE Wireless includes easy-to-install radio transceivers embedded with Ember’s IEEE 802.15.4 standards-based wireless semiconductors and software to create self-forming mesh networks. The mesh configuration ensures network reliability and integrity by creating multiple redundant paths of communication. Because it is inherently self-healing, owners and builders won’t have to worry about losing communication with control devices across the building automation system.
“Simply put, the network can’t be compromised because the signal is automatically able to circumvent obstructions and find its target.” said Jay Hendrix, manager of wireless solutions at Siemens. “While the potential of wireless should be obvious, the technology only has value to our customers if proven and ready for the rigors of real-world applications. That’s why we teamed up Ember; a market leader that offered us the most mature and reliable wireless platform, already proven in numerous real-world customer applications.”
Siemens’ APOGEE Wireless Field Level Network benefits building owners and managers by presenting new ways to improve control efficiencies and cut facility operation costs; all without the expense and inconvenience of rewiring their building automation network. Building owners and managers can easily upgrade their system in stages, if they prefer, minimizing disruption to the building and its occupants.
Ember-enabled wireless networks underwent thorough testing at various types of facilities to ensure their robustness—regardless of operating environment—including a large deployment in one of Siemens’ own buildings at its headquarters campus in Buffalo Grove , Ill.
“Wireless building automation makes facilities comfortable, safe, as well as highly cost and energy efficient,” said Ravi Sharma , director of marketing at Ember. “Siemens Building Technologies’ lead in bringing wireless solutions to the commercial building world is the strongest validation yet that the technology is ready for prime time.”
About ZigBee: Wireless Control That Simply Works
The ZigBee Alliance is an association of companies working together to enable reliable, cost-effective, low-power, wirelessly networked, monitoring and control products based on an open global standard. The ZigBee Alliance is a rapidly growing, non-profit industry consortium of leading semiconductor manufacturers, technology providers, OEMs, and end-users worldwide. Membership is open to all. Additional information can be found at www.zigbee.org.
About Siemens Building Technologies, Inc.
Headquartered in Buffalo Grove , Ill. , Siemens Building Technologies, Inc. makes buildings comfortable, safe, productive and less costly to operate. The company focuses on improving the performance of its customers’ buildings, so that its customers can focus on improving their business performance. In the U.S. , Siemens Building Technologies employs 7,500 people and provides its full range of services and solutions from more than 100 locations coast-to-coast. Worldwide, the company has 29,000 employees and operates in more than 42 countries.
About Ember Corporation
Ember enables communication among embedded microcontrollers with standards-based wireless mesh networking semiconductors and software. Ember helps its customers to automate home appliances, lower energy consumption in buildings, keep borders and infrastructure secure, and control industrial processes, just to name four of the many diverse applications being developed by Ember’s more than 100 customers. Spun out of MIT in 2001, Ember is headquartered in Boston and has its radio development center in Cambridge , England and distributors worldwide. Ember is a lead member of the ZigBee Alliance, and its platform is the National Technical Systems’ (NTS) “Golden Suite” for 802.15.4/ZigBee interoperability testing. For more information, please visit www.ember.com.
