April 2007

ZigBee Enables Smart

Buildings of the Future Today

2009 ZigBee Alliance. All rights reserved.

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ZigBee: Wireless Control That Simply Works | ZigBee White Paper - April 2007

The Commercial Building

Powered by ZigBee Technology

install solutions based on ZigBees wireless intelligence capabilities into commercial and industrial
buildings deliver on the promise to revolutionize how
humans interact with their environments. The net
effect simplifies and dramatically reduces the cost of
construction, operations and building upgrades
through reduction of manpower or wiring needed to
add new control capabilities. At the same time, it
enhances energy conservation, safety, lighting
control, HVAC and other building operations.

Employees who work in commercial buildings can

relate to this tale of discomfort: You just received a
promotion and find yourself sitting in that welldeserved corner office with glass windows. You sit
back in your brand new black leather chair, put your
feet up on your new desk, and think, "I have truly
arrived." You enjoy that view of maybe a lake, a fountain or a hillside and revel in your new space.

ZigBee wireless technology creates new possibilities

and transforms the office environment into truly effective workspaces. Modern wireless building control in
both new and retrofitted buildings offers sophisticated and seamless wireless networks where, in the
case of the latter, walls stay intact and wires avoid
becoming bundled messes.

Just as you begin to settle in, you realize that your well
earned office has some uncomfortable environmental
problems. A dim overhead fluorescent light requires a
desk lamp to enable you to read. Meanwhile, the
infamous Catch 22 in heating, ventilation and air
conditioning (HVAC) becomes clear. In the middle of
summer, freezing cold air blows out of the overhead
air vent directly onto you. You shiver and wear sweaters even though it is 100 degrees outside. Next in the
middle of winter, hot, stifling air blows and you wear a
short-sleeved shirt when the temperature outside is
below zero degrees.

The Commercial Building Powered

by ZigBee Technology
Walking into a commercial building featuring ZigBeepowered technology changes how business owners,
employees and customers experience an environment. Our "corner office" scenario describing uneven
temperatures, poor lighting control and lack of energy
efficiency created through deficient control systems
transforms into an individualized, controlled experience when using ZigBee technology.

Dozens of complaints and system adjustments later,

you wonder, "Can anybody actually have a comfortable office or cubicle where they have one-to-one
system control over lighting, air temperature, security
or safety?" The answer is a firm yes.

A prototype ZigBee-enabled wireless control systems

offers:

Now many new and old commercial establishments

are not only adopting sophisticated facility controls
systems, but wireless building control that leverages
wireless standards developed by a consortium called
the ZigBee Alliance. The ZigBee Alliance is a group
comprised of international companies that work
together to enable reliable, cost-effective, low-power,
wirelessly networked, monitoring and control products based on an open global standard. The Alliances
membership continues to grow as leading technology
and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) adopt
and embed ZigBee technology in a wide range of
products.

Remote or internal control

Control for lighting systems (with peel and
stick sensors) to create adaptable workplaces
Internal and remote control of HVAC to adjust
thermostats and conserve energy
Security systems along a buildings perimeter
or interior, and
Internal and remote control of landscape
systems to conserve water and preserve plant life

As a result, ZigBee Alliance members have become

global market catalysts for wireless building control.
These companies collective efforts to develop
flexible, mobile and easy-to-use products and to

2009 ZigBee Alliance. All rights reserved.

Building owners, personnel and visitors would freely

walk in and out of a ZigBee-driven, secured smart
building that wirelessly trigger alarms and alerts at

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ZigBee: Wireless Control That Simply Works | ZigBee White Paper - April 2007

need for network synchronization delays as required

by Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. This enables lighting systems
to utilize wireless control with ZigBee.
IEEE 802.15.4 defines a robust radio PHY (physical
layer) and MAC (medium access control) layer. ZigBee
defines the network, security and application framework for an IEEE 802.15.4-based system. These capabilities facilitate speeds to enable a network to have
thousands of devices on a single wireless network.

pre-set times. Enhanced security also comes from the

ability to avoid workers arriving or departing darkened buildings or parking lots. Preset security
systems can be timed to specific work hours or
adjusted according to individual schedules. Rooms or
parts of buildings can be alarm activated, while other
parts can remain unsecured.
ZigBee technology-driven systems wirelessly trigger
lighting systems to be adjusted to Daylight Savings
Time or specified hours to turn on or off at preset
times or dim specific areas on command. Staff no
longer struggle to read under poor lighting or harsh
desk lamps. Individual cubicles, spaces or offices can
be adjusted to enable one-to-one control over lighting to adjust for individual needs, tasks or events
(reading, viewing a presentation, hosting an event,
etc.).
An almost universal experience the very cold or hot
space decreases with on-command wirelessly
controlled HVAC and thermostats. With ZigBee
standards-based wireless platform, employees enter
their workspaces and they can adjust the temperature
immediately. No more irritable phone calls to overworked facilities workers who try and try to adjust the
thermostat, only to make one person comfortable in
one part of the building and freeze or overheat
another person just a few feet away. ZigBee truly
offers a compelling proposition for the unique needs
of monitoring and control applications for HVAC.
The facility manager no longer has to rush to the
building in the middle of the night to disarm an alarm,
turn off lights, or make emergency adjustments to the
HVAC system.
What is ZigBee Technology?
ZigBee technology has become the standard of
choice among other wireless technologies by overcoming speed limitations found in other wireless
commercial automation technologies and by allowing
for more devices on a single network. ZigBee technology uses the universally available 2.4GHz band to
provide low data rate wireless applications and offers
a published specification set of high level communication protocols designed to use small, low-power
digital radios based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard for
wireless personal area networks. The 802.15.4 radio
technology used by ZigBee allows for near instantaneous communication between devices without the

2009 ZigBee Alliance. All rights reserved.

ZigBee defines the solution to create self-forming,

self-healing mesh networks. The mesh network helps
sensors and controllers establish reliable wireless
communication networks. Wireless mesh networks
mean all devices have communication capabilities to
"talk to one another," and act as repeaters transferring
data to other radios that might be out of communication range of a particular device.
Mesh networking also means ZigBee networks do not
require a central control point. Mesh networks automatically adjust to network topology changes. Nodes
can be added, removed, replaced or relocated without the need for traditional network administration.
Mesh networks can optimize or increase the visibility
into dynamic systems, such as the environmental
conditions inside of a commercial building or the
condition of machinery in a manufacturing plant,
without the cost and administration of a wired
network.1
The Market Forecast for Commercial Wireless
Wireless building wireless technologies began to
progressively emerge on the market in 2005. Many
major technology-related companies announced new
wireless applications or stated their intention to
develop and release new technologies in late 2006
and 2007. The adoption of ZigBee has played a pivotal
role in driving wireless building automation in this
profitable market sector. ZigBee enables cost benefits, ease of deployment, retrofitting applications
and network scalability all of which spurs broader
market adoption.
Whether used in new construction or retrofit, flexibility offers the ultimate benefit in deploying a wireless
system as opposed to a wired network. These sensors
can be located or relocated to optimize system
performance, increase customer comfort, and adapt
to changing floor plans, according an InfoShop report
"Wireless Sensors in Building Automation."2

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ZigBee: Wireless Control That Simply Works | ZigBee White Paper- April 2007

Flexibility that allows reconfiguration of lighting systems to quickly create adaptable workspaces
and extends to allow upgrades of building infrastructure with minimal effort.
Safety enhanced through a network where
integrated data from multiple access points enables
capabilities such as a fire extinguisher that indicates
blockages, etc., or a wireless monitoring system that
enhances perimeter protection to secure the building.
ZigBee chips can be embedded in devices such as
controllers, switches and sensors for light, heat or
moisture. The devices can be inexpensive, but the
savings for commercial facilities are substantial by
avoiding cabling/wire pulling costs. With no wiring
required, peel-and-stick battery-powered devices like
these can be added anywhere and moved easily.
Even greater is the cost savings associated with more
efficient control of a building's HVAC and lighting
systems, an improvement that often requires the
addition of many controllers and sensors.5
For example, a room senses when a person leaves and
automatically turns down the heat, lights, air conditioner and other energy-consuming devices. Now
multiply that single-room energy savings across a
large hotel, condominium or office building with
thousands of occupants. Since 20 to 80 percent of
system installation costs are consumed by wiring,
wireless systems can reduce initial costs of system
ownership as well as recurring utility costs.
To really understand the true value proposition of
ZigBee technology means looking closer at the efforts
of ZigBee Alliance members who are actively developing wireless building automation products and
services. Many such companies have big plans for
ZigBee in 2007. The following case studies describe
just a handful of the member companies involved in
ZigBee technology development.

The adoption rate of general wireless usage in the

private sector also provides positive economic indicators for the future of wireless building automation.
Most technology adoption tends to start in the business sector. One could theorize that general wireless
technology adoption by businesses will also likely act
as a catalyst to enhance interest by the overall business sector to move toward this application. For
example, enterprises and small and medium-size
businesses (SMBs) ranked setting wireless policy and
centralizing management of mobile devices as the
top two telecom initiatives for 2006. Budgets reflect
these priorities: In 2006, SMBs plan to spend closer to
33 percent more on both mobile voice and mobile
data services than in 2005. The trend continues with
56 percent of enterprises expect spending on mobile
voice to increase, and 63 percent expect mobile data
spending to increase, according to Forrester Research.3
The ZigBee Advantage
ZigBee-enabled facilities allow everyone to customize
and control their own space while allowing business
owners to receive substantial technology benefits and
cost advantages for their investments. Wireless-based
systems offer building owners and facility managers
more choices and fewer constraints, including:
Simpler more flexible system design; faster, less
disruptive installations and retrofits; and smoother,
less costly migrations staged to accommodate budgets and schedules. Wireless systems reduce wiring
and labor costs in building automation technologies,
enhance power efficiency and the range of the wireless digital signal trans-mission. Wireless mesh
networking technology improves wireless signals
attenuation and offers improved wireless signals.
Also, consider the value of these key ZigBee advantages:
Building system control that enables integrated and centralized management of lighting, heating, cooling and security.
Automation control of multiple systems to
improve energy conservation, flexibility and security.

TAC, a Schneider Electric company, is a world leader

in building automation, security systems and energy
solutions. TACs mission is to provide added value
through building environment services for indoor
climate, security and use of energy, delivered with
advanced technology to end users and property
owners throughout the world.

Conservation that reduces energy expenses

through optimized HVAC management and enables
allocation of utility costs equitably based on actual
consumption.

2009 ZigBee Alliance. All rights reserved.

www.zigbee.org

ZigBee: Wireless Control That Simply Works | ZigBee White Paper - April 2007

trols and with the BACnet and the ZigBee organizations to leverage ZigBee standards as a data link layer
for BACnet. Both companies understand the significance of such cooperation in making systems interop
erate by using open standards.

TAC has systems in thousands of buildings worldwide,

and its Andover Continuum product line is a ZigBeeenabled Wireless solution. In addition to application
controllers, the TAC solution provides system administrators with a graphical, real-time tool to manage the
wireless network.
The TAC Wireless system was the first wireless solution
to support BACnet controllers over a ZigBee-enabled
solution. BACnet, an industry and ISO standard protocol, provides mechanisms by which computerized
equipment exchanges information. Acting functionally neutral, it ensures that any controller can
exchange information with another, and TACs wireless solution complements that agnosticism.

Johnson Controls Inc. Controls Group engineers

manufactures and installs control systems that automate a buildings HVAC, as well as its lighting and fire
safety equipment. Johnson Controls joined the
ZigBee Alliance to leverage remote monitoring and
control applications that feature simplicity, reliability,
low power and low cost and to help commercial
establishments reduce installation costs associated
with wired networks.

Since ZigBee and BACnet work together to ensure

ZigBee-enabled wireless controllers can communicate with wired BACnet- enabled controllers, the
wired and wireless systems complement each other.
TAC customers can integrate the more cost-effective
and flexible wireless solutions into their current
system instead of replacing those systems. Customers
can add wireless controllers during building expansion, remodeling or even reconfiguration. At a recent
trade show, people were amazed to learn that the
BACnet Objects discovered on another vendors
BACnet workstations actually resided in a TAC Wireless BACnet Controller and that was TACs goal; the
end user really should not be able to tell the difference between a wired or wireless system other than
the money they save in wiring costs.

Johnson Control develops ZigBee-based wireless

networks using open standards that create interoperability among all devices on the network and allow
Johnson Controls to move data on the network in an
expeditous manner. Johnson uses ZigBee technology
to eliminate wired networks to create wireless, logical
connections of devices on the network. ZigBee
devices communicate with each other and a central
controller.
Johnson Controls will deploy ZigBee systems in 2007
to allow facility directors or maintenance managers to
put everything and anything they want to connect in
a building while creating a wireless network that
enables them to internally or remotely access and
monitor buildings. A Johnson Control ZigBee-based
system will wirelessly control lights (turn on, off or
dim), remotely connect and control one-to-one wireless room temperature control through thermostats
and HVAC systems, and remotely monitor and control
security and fire safety.

BACnet interoperability is not the only opportunity

ZigBee technology presents to market TACs wireless
solutions. ZigBee technology enriches and expands
the system administrators control options with new
products from TAC and its competitors. Open standards benefit TACs customers and facilitate new
products that interoperate with each other and
increase market vitality. Standards-based development establishes a baseline to shorten product development cycles and assure interoperability.

Realized benefits include energy savings, manpower

reduction through remote monitoring capabilities,
and reductions in installation costs. Thermostats can
be controlled by individual users or facilities directors
to heat or cool a space at the appropriate times; manpower can be reduced by facilities workers having to
physically come into a building to perform tasks.
Installation cost can be reduced since wireless net-

With ZigBee technology, companies like TAC will go to

market quickly and interoperate in new ways with
other industry players. The products are designed for
ZigBee standards and can be deployed anywhere in
the world using ZigBees 2.4 GHz frequency. TAC is
working with other companies such as Johnson Con-

2009 ZigBee Alliance. All rights reserved.

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ZigBee: Wireless Control That Simply Works | ZigBee White Paper - April 2007

innovative technologies and comprehensive knowhow to benefit customers in 190 countries. Siemens
Building Technologies Inc. unveiled in 2005 the
industrys first wireless commercial building automation system, based on ZigBee wireless networking
technology.

works do not require physical construction in walls or

underground.
Once Johnson Controls begins to release ZigBeeenabled products, company leaders hope the end user
will not be able to tell the difference. A ZigBeeenabled
commercial building will act and perform the same as
a building with a wired network.

The current APOGEE Wireless Field Level Network

solution, which replaced hard-wired systems with a
wireless network solution, uses the companys current
network protocol stack that is designed for ZigBee.
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 HVAC systems.

Philips, a global leader in healthcare, lifestyle and

technology, delivers products, services and solutions
through the brand promise of sense and simplicity,
intends to use ZigBee technology for a new generation of lighting control, called EQUOS. The Philips
EQUOS vision is to unleash the full potential of lighting environments by enabling new applications for
personal comfort, safety, security and efficiency.
Philips believes the role of lighting has become
increasingly significant to enable smarter building
systems and enhance environments.

APOGEE Wireless features mesh networking configuration ensuring network reliability and integrity by
creating multiple redundant paths of communication.
Because it is inherently selfhealing, owners and builders will not have to worry about losing communication with control devices across the building automation system.

The company selected ZigBee technology for its

ability to create interoperability between lighting
control systems and other building subsystems, and
its mesh network capabilities which enable redundancy and eliminate single points of failure in a lighting control system.

Siemens current and future version of the 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.6

By using ZigBee in the lighting control system of the

future, Philips expects building owners to realize valuable return on investment through conservation,
energy efficiency and reduction of harmful greenhouse gas emissions. ZigBee technology will help
Philips lighting control systems realize other benefits
by creating centralized, integrated systems that can
be both centrally and locally controlled and managed.
For example, occ pants can control individual lighting
and thermostats or facilities can internally or externally change these systems and make adjustments. A
monitored system can also capture data for the facility manager to see, for example, that a lamp has
burned out and needs replacement.

ZigBee Coming to Your Building

ZigBee is the global wireless language connecting the
dramatically different devices found in commercial
buildings. It is also the only open global wireless communication standard enabling the development of
easily deployable, low-cost, low-power monitoring
and control products. With so many major companies
recognizing it as the clear choice to build the foundation for wireless building automation, the road has
been paved to create a ZigBee-enabled commercial
parkway full of automated buildings where employees work comfortably and facilities directors and
owners are focused on higher value activities.

Siemens AG, one of the worlds largest electricaln

engineering and electronics companies, provides

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ZigBee: Wireless Control That Simply Works | ZigBee White Paper - April 2007

About ZigBee Alliance

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 goal of the ZigBee Alliance is to provide the
consumer with ultimate flexibility, mobility, and ease
of use by building wireless intelligence and capabilities into everyday devices. ZigBee technology will be
embedded in a wide range of products and applications across consumer, commercial, industrial and
government markets worldwide. For the first time,
companies will have a standards-based wireless
platform optimized for the unique needs of remote
monitoring and control applications, including simplicity,
reliability, low-cost and low-power.
1 AutomatedBuildings.com, Wireless Mesh Networks, April
2005,
http://www.automatedbuildings.com/news/apr05/interviews/c
apuano.htm.
2 The-Infoshop.com, Wireless Sensors in Building Automation,
http://www.theinfoshop.com/study/ti29296_wireless_sensors.h
tml.
3 Forrester Research, Press Release, Mobility Management,
Tighter Security, and Migration to IP Dominate 2006 Plans,
According to Forresters Telecom & Networks Survey; Telecom
and Network Adoption Trends by North American Enterprises
and SMBs, June 27, 2006,
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix. zhtml?c=60569&p=irolnewsArticle&ID=876624&highlight=.
4 Siemens, Press Release, Siemens Introduces First Wireless
Building Automation, Nov. 16, 2005,
http://www.sbt.siemens.com/press/general10.asp.
5 Buildings Dept. on Energy Priorities, Energy Priorities, ZigBee
Wireless Standard Could Make Building Automation More
Practical,
http://energypriorities.com/entries/2005/08/zigbee_mesh.php.
6 Siemens Launches Ember-enabled Wireless Building Automation System, Dec. 6, 2005,
http://www.zigbee.org/imwp/idms/popups/pop_download.asp
?contentID=7307.

2009 ZigBee Alliance. All rights reserved.

www.zigbee.org