Where Commercial And Consumer Markets Meet:
Thread in Apartment Buildings
By Jorg Kennis, OSRAM Standardization Office
[Note: Project CHIP is now known as Matter]
For quite some time, commercial apartment buildings have been equipped with networked technology. Everything from elevators and security systems, to the lighting and climate control systems, consists of connected devices that communicate with one another to perform efficiently and reliably. For decades, this has been common practice in commercial buildings.
However, in today’s buildings, most of these systems are separate, siloed installations that are limited to their own operating domains. And they primarily run on their own network infrastructure. For instance, lighting systems do not interact with the HVAC system and both systems require independent cabling, security and maintenance.
Additionally, the building’s “smarts” are not connected to each other, making it difficult to integrate applications such as security systems, lighting or door access in order to offer a more integrated and streamlined experience to the building’s tenants. Let alone allowing them to customize their setups or extend them with additional devices and functionality.
Thread, as a low-power secure wireless networking technology, and Project Connected Home over IP (CHIP), as an integrated application framework that supports many types of devices across major industry ecosystems, offer an ideal solution to this constrained situation. Buildings outfitted with Thread and CHIP networks from the start offer a great number of benefits for the building owner/rental company in terms of installation and operational costs while increasing value to the tenants. Buildings equipped with Thread and CHIP technology offer a great starting point for consumers to invest in their apartment’s smart capabilities, making them an appealing target for after-market consumer IoT devices.
Thread Benefits for Building Owners
Apartment building owners have to manage a building consisting of many homes, making all the systems and infrastructure needed for things like lighting, security, heating and access control the responsibility of the building’s owner. Bringing Thread technology and the same basic technologies used in smart home devices to these buildings offers a number of benefits.
Integration of building network infrastructure systems
The silos found in current buildings, as explained above, mean that building technology domains are limited to one or a small number of applications. For example, there is minimal overlap between the networks that operate the building’s climate controllers and the networks operating its lighting systems. Both systems require their own physical wiring with complicated planning and expenses as well as limitations when it comes to integrating services.
To solve these issues, the world of building automation is making a shift to IP-based networks. New buildings are equipped with IP based network infrastructure and retrofits are happening to existing buildings, sometimes also driven by local or governmental regulations related to security or energy usage.
Since Thread is based on the IP protocol, devices built on Thread can easily connect to a building’s IP-backbone. Only a single networking infrastructure needs to be installed and maintained which can carry all applications, ranging from security and HVAC to lighting and access control. The wired IP infrastructure can handle all the centralized needs of the building and the communication to the Internet and the outside world. Thread, in contrast, wirelessly connects devices such as lights, sensors, buttons and control panels within the tenant’s apartment.
This means that a building owner and staff have to maintain just one network infrastructure and can use that network infrastructure to aggregate valuable information about all the systems needed to operate a building.
Future-proofed infrastructure
Traditionally, every single button or sensor in a tenant’s apartment needs to be wired to a specific function, i.e., turning on a particular light. This not only requires extensive planning when it comes to the placement of buttons, lights and devices, but it also severely limits the flexibility to change the behavior of buttons or to add an additional light or two in the future.
With Thread, the communication between buttons, sensors and control panels and specific groups of devices is fully wireless and can be set up to any desired configuration, which can be changed as needed, either by the building owner or tenant.
Flexibility for reconfiguration gives building owners the ability to easily adapt their buildings to meet future requirements.
Safety and stability of an independent IoT network
If an apartment is equipped with a Thread network through the installation of devices that function as Thread Border Routers, there is an opportunity for the building owner to secure the IoT or home automation operations in the tenant’s unit.
Since a Thread network is specifically designed for IoT purposes, there’s no need for frequent replacement or updates of the internet network infrastructure.
Compare this to IoT devices that are connected to a Wi-Fi network. Wi-Fi technology and the requirements of wireless internet are rapidly changing, with tenants wanting more control to choose their own routers or access points. This increases the probability of connected devices to malfunction. Thread is more suitable for IoT applications due to its low-power and reliable mesh functionality. Separating the wireless IoT network from the generic wireless internet network also greatly reduces chances of conflicts and malfunctioning, due to a potential spike in network load caused by multiple users of intensive data applications.
Ease of updates, maintenance and direct access
Thread is based on the widely deployed and familiar IP protocol and does not require a hub or gateway to translate communication that comes from the internet into a proprietary IoT networking protocol.
Since the devices are IP addressable, the IoT network can directly update firmware or perform software maintenance making it much easier for the building owner to deploy firmware updates that enhance security or add new functionality to devices.
Personalizing control apps, branding and partnerships
A Thread network that contains devices based on the CHIP application platform offers tremendous flexibility in terms of how to operate and control the devices. This ranges from simple and familiar buttons and dials, via smart displays, to interactive voice assistants. Since CHIP is backed by major IoT vendors across multiple ecosystems, users can choose their preferred methods of operating the devices in their apartment.
And, since CHIP is a fully open application framework, a building owner isn’t limited to these standard user interface (UI) platforms. For example, it’s possible to create smart displays that can be installed on a wall or to develop control applications that a user may install on their smartphone or tablet. These in-house developed interfaces might add additional functionality and have specific branding. Depending on the situation, a building owner might work with specific partners that offer additional features or promotions in these applications.
“Smart” adds value for tenants
Furthermore, providing extensive smart features to an apartment building adds significant value for a tenant over “traditional” apartment buildings. Living in a “smart apartment” adds comfort and convenience for its occupants as it allows for easy control of lights and heating. It also adds to the feeling of safety since occupants receive notification of smoke detection or movement. And it simplifies a variety of home tasks as many devices can be automated based on the detection of user presence, time of day, weather conditions and more.
As consumers become more accustomed to the concept of smart homes and the benefits of IoT over traditional homes and devices, having both the network groundwork already set up along with operating control panels, sensors, lights, heating and other smart devices offers both building owners and tenants considerable value.
Benefits to Smart Home Product Manufacturers with Thread-based Commercial Buildings
There are a number of ways in which smart home product manufacturers can benefit from an increased presence of pre-installed smart products in rental apartments. Not only in terms of increasing market awareness, but also because it creates a point of entry for after-market products. Let’s look at these benefits in greater detail.
Raise awareness of IoT benefit among consumers
Living in an apartment equipped with numerous IoT devices is a great way of educating consumers about the possibilities offered by smart homes. As with most new technologies, consumers making a first-time purchase are likely to see the benefits and advantages of these new technologies over time and will embrace and accept them into their lives.
When apartment dwellers are exposed to these technologies it will greatly help the process of making consumers accustomed to what they are, how they work, and how they add value to their lives. In fact, many of these customers are more willing to invest in products to enhance the functionality of their smart homes even further and will start looking for products to address those additional needs.
As customers grow accustomed to the devices in their home being “smart,” it is more likely that the experience will increase the perceived value of smart devices among consumers and drive future purchases as well. A washing machine that does not signal the end of a cycle by sending a notification to the home’s operating panel or smart speaker or a robotic vacuum cleaner that is unaware of the user’s presence in the house will ultimately become less and less attractive to consumers.
It is likely that they value smart products more than traditional, non-connected products and are willing to spend more as they see the value of other connected products in their home.
Eliminate the setup and maintenance burden
One of the most common reasons consumers are holding back from investing in smart home products is not knowing how to get started. Often, outfitting a home or apartment with IoT devices entails a decision-making process about which protocols to choose, which gateways to select and which applications to use, presenting challenges to potential buyers.
Having your house or apartment already equipped with the proper “plumbing” in the form of the network and buttons, smart displays or apps to operate the devices will give consumers confidence that the necessary groundwork is in place and that it will be easy to add new smart devices to the home.
Device compatibility for consumers
Tenants who live in an apartment that’s pre-equipped with smart devices will look for specific markings (like the Thread logo, or a CHIP certification mark) when purchasing new devices to have confidence in it working seamlessly with the rest of their smart home.
Thread and CHIP-based devices don’t just cater to a market of individuals who are new purchasers of smart home products. The technology also underscores demand among high-value customers already convinced of the benefits of the smart home who are looking to further enhance their smart way of living.