Colombia. Video surveillance, security systems, intelligent lighting, management of air conditioners, automation of electrical and hydraulic backup systems, wireless signal for computers, telephones, projectors and printers, are systems that today are part of many constructions that are built in Colombia and around the world.
Jhon Wastuza, speaker of Expo DataNet Andino and representative for the Andean region of the company RM, manufacturer of structured cabling solutions, assures that this new culture of connected things (IoT), has driven the trend of smart buildings, "attracting the attention of builders and organizations that plan to build their new headquarters, thanks to the evident savings in the cost of construction and in the prompt return on their investments due to the decrease in operating costs."
Thanks to its multiple applications, the corporate sector is the one that is at the forefront of this trend. It is a fact that technology has changed the dynamics of work and the way employees use these buildings, even demonstrating that intelligent systems improve worker productivity and increase the value of property.
Wastuza argues that smart technologies such as occupancy sensors, smart thermostats, and lighting and HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) controls reduce energy consumption by a high percentage, in unoccupied offices, meeting and conference rooms, and even in busy hallways. Such approaches will be addressed by the expert in his DataNet talk: "Connecting buildings to an intelligent world with IoT".
Likewise, the implementation of systems such as intelligent lighting with their LED luminaires, have proven to reduce energy consumption by 30%, compared to fluorescent lamps and by 90% compared to incandescent lamps. The work of these luminaires, managed with sensors connected to the Internet, provide the possibility of activating or deactivating the necessary lights according to the activity, using automatic shutdown functions, or illuminating pre-selected sectors in the event of a blackout, among other functions.
The great advantage of building automation is that it saves on specialist professionals dedicated to air, lighting, and even safety, because from intelligent implementation, the information will be centralized in a single control room from which a specialized operator works hand in hand with a maintenance manager and the two of them will have the ability to make decisions with criteria to verify and correct the failures. Detected.
In the case of automation taken to another level, control strategies are created so that the systems interact with each other and the control teams make decisions automatically, without the direct intervention of the human being.
PoE, the bridge of automation
But all this technological avalanche, and the very concept of the Internet of things, applied to buildings would not be possible, according to the specialist, without Power over Ethernet or PoE technology, which has the ability to provide power to "new connected things", through the local area network (LAN), the same that previously only transmitted data.
Thanks to its advantages, Power over Ethernet technology, for example, has completely changed the video surveillance infrastructure of buildings, allowing more organized and simple CCTV installations that reduce wiring and piping costs by using a single cable for the connection of each IP camera.
Another advantage of PoE is to simplify the structure of the power supply and use a central uninterruptible power supply (UPS), which, in the event of a power outage, can continue to operate without problems.
Likewise, wireless access points in offices, corridors and terraces, wireless printers, smart TVs -with their streaming signals-, interactive screens and projectors in corporate meeting rooms, among many other devices and gadgets, benefit from the signal carried by the PoE.
All this technology, which has great positive impacts on the return on investment of new builders and organizations that do not want to stagnate, are the open door to the massification of smart buildings and a decisive step towards the structuring of the so-called smart cities.
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