How Professional Cabling Solutions Can Improve the Smart Building Experience

Modern progress is seen in the increasing number of smart buildings springing around the city. Even though they’ve been dubbed “tomorrow’s technology” for more than a decade, we tend to dismiss them as something that’s out of reach. However, in the UK, about one-fifth of all commercial buildings could be considered “smart.”

By 2024, the smart building market is estimated to be worth more than $50 billion. There has already been a revolution in smart building technology, but the changes were gradual enough that they appeared more like expected growth than an unexpected real estate uprising.

It is only with a well-integrated infrastructure that smart buildings can fulfil their promises. Smart buildings, like smart planning, can help businesses save money and minimise their environmental effect, but moving into a smart workplace won't immediately improve your bottom line. A smart building, on the other hand, is a working piece of infrastructure that you can take advantage of.

Effective methods for accomplishing this;

Infrastructure and Cost Optimisation Mechanisms

Modern smart buildings can reduce energy use, streamline operations, and cut costs over time, among other benefits and here's how;

Here, the most important mechanisms are:

HVAC, lighting and IT systems are all integrated to reduce energy usage in a building.

As a result, businesses can reduce their carbon impact while also saving money on their electricity bills.

Consolidation of infrastructures for monitoring, administration, security, and communications.

It is easier to scale, has a longer lifespan, and has significantly lowered equipment and connectivity costs by unifying two (traditionally independent) systems.

It is possible to increase the safety and efficiency of your company’s operations and the efficient use of its resources by using metrics and analytics.

When it comes to the two techniques of consolidation and integration, the cabling infrastructure of your network serves as the foundation. Tuning or developing your network’s cabling infrastructure with these three mechanisms in mind is the first step in capitalising on the potential of smart buildings.

Consolidation and Integration

Traditionally, communication and IT infrastructures have been kept separate, unless in the last phases of a network, where Internet and phone lines may merge. Because security infrastructure was purposely separated from everything else, facilities monitoring, lighting, and HVAC systems were usually out of reach for all but the largest corporations.

Communication and security systems were the first to be integrated into enterprises’ data networks because of the rise of VoIP and the increased bandwidth requirements of security systems. In today’s world, IT-based security is the norm. The remaining systems were taken care of by IoT.

In practice, what does this entail?

Limited cable selection:

?Cat6a and fibre cable are the only two types of cabling that the vast majority of business networks require. As a result, your cabling architecture will last longer and require less maintenance, making it easier to create a network.

Greater scalability

Via a structured cabling model.

Simplified infrastructure

By enabling high-speed wireless networks and utilising technologies such as Power-over-Ethernet (PoE).

Nothing about a handout, which is often debated, makes an exception to this rule, and consolidated cabling infrastructures are no exception. For high-speed, structured cabling systems, more planning is required, and the installation procedures are not straightforward and must adhere to a variety of complex standards.

Some installation processes have no technical implications, but they attempt to ensure compliance with legislation such as the Workplace (Health, Safety, and Welfare) Regulations Act. Unreliable, flaky networks can emerge from things like how much a cable can be bent and still perform at its stated speed.

The first stage in integrating a facility’s IT, security, and energy infrastructures is to consolidate its cabling infrastructures. These integration initiatives are valuable both for the actionable items they supply and for the variety of information they may deliver.

With the former, you get results right away. As a result of this, you’ll be able to base your decisions on actual data from your company’s daily operations rather than generic assumptions about many different firms.

Integrating security and IT systems

Data-heavy monitoring, access recording and control, and alarm and response speed all benefit from the system.

Modern security systems rely on CCTV systems, which are at the cutting edge of technology thanks to the advent of high-speed data networks. It is not only high-speed data networks that enable high-resolution monitoring, but also advanced archive systems that allow security professionals to readily discover, extract, and use CCTV material for forensic analysis.

Integrating your company’s energy and IT infrastructures

Opens up previously inflexible aspects of operating costs, such as energy use in all its forms, including lights, HVAC, running water, and waste management. Energy expenses can be reduced by an average of 18 per cent when smart building technologies are used.

Cost-saving methods come in many shapes and sizes. Occupancy sensors can be used to switch off superfluous lights and alter HVAC parameters based on occupancy and day of the week. It’s not only that the most evident mechanisms are at play. As an example, high-speed networks facilitate remote working, while occupancy-aware energy use enhances the impact of remote work.

There is a price to pay for this level of integration: a greater demand on the network. High-resolution imaging sensors in security systems make this an important consideration because of the potential impact of latency.

Although this integration involves a wide range of different systems, it can also lead to a wide range of different deployment situations. It’s not uncommon for devices to be used in situations where an office network wouldn’t generally be used, such as:

The building’s more difficult-to-access areas (rooftops, deep basements). These elements of the building are difficult to maintain and frequently necessitate special access.

Extreme weather conditions, such as rain, extreme heat, and extreme cold. Special enclosures are required to house the cable sections in these locations, and their installation is far from simple.

Outdoors CCTV cameras may be deployed over long distances using IP technology. The greater capacity that fibre optic cables can transport over longer distances makes them a suitable option in this situation, but the additional connecting equipment required and the difficulty of installation make them less appealing.

Risks and Challenges

If an integrated cabling approach were easy, everyone would be doing it by now. But that’s not the case. When it comes to building infrastructure, there are some difficulties you can encounter

●?????Standards and Building Codes.

Many aspects of developing technologies are not yet standardised or fully understood, leaving space for uncertainty when it comes to intelligent building cabling.

The UK’s workplace safety regulations, building rules, and data network standards are complex. Certain cable kinds, placements, and mechanical supports are forbidden.

They are in place to keep networks safe and prevent rescue efforts from being hampered in the event of an emergency, such as a fire or other natural disaster.

There are also some industry-specific standards, such as the positioning of CCTV cameras and other security devices which may be enforceable by law.

On the other hand, there isn’t a single standard that informs us how to create intelligent structures. In the field of intelligent buildings, industry groups like BICSI publish standards for technologies used in these buildings, but that’s about all they do.

It can be difficult to navigate this complex web of laws, especially since some of them are legally enforceable and noncompliance with them might result in legal action. To make matters even more difficult for smaller businesses, they are unable to create and keep this kind of expertise internally.

It’s best to use open, well-understood technology instead of proprietary, vendor-specific solutions for smaller businesses. Cross-vendor collaboration and worldwide standards and legal requirements are an intrinsic part of such an effort when it comes to the development of the first type of product. Vendors of the latter type are less likely to ensure broad conformity with other standards, and the specialised knowledge needed to perform a reliable and secure installation is more difficult to come by and more costly.

Planning and flexibility

Structured cabling and network integration demand more preparation and restrict small-scale flexibility. While some may say that flexibility is wasted on ad hoc patchwork, the reality is that it has its place in complex infrastructures.

These features have also been used to give structure and stability to infrastructure building projects. Following an industry-standard model assures long-term support for your expansion ambitions and sustainable network growth.

Security and privacy

You should be mindful of the security dangers that come with complexity. Simultaneously, several security-related aspects of London’s modern intelligent buildings can be utilised.

Conclusion

Intelligent buildings are a paradigm for integrating modern technologies including intelligent sensors, analytics, distributed control systems, and IoT. When used together, these technologies can dramatically improve your company’s productivity, comfort, and security.

Trust professionals with your cabling solutions to get the most out of your London smart building. Get your FREE on-site survey now by contacting us. We’d be pleased to advise you on smart building cabling and even implement it for you.