Shining a Light on the Internet of Things at Work

This blog post is part of a series about intelligent buildings based on content from the CommScope Connected and Efficient Buildings e-book.

Inspiring user experiences at home with connected devices are fueling the appetite for similar experiences in the workplace. Many companies are exploring ways to enhance their workplaces to attract and retain top talent. Designers and architects can create exciting spaces, but organizations still have to justify the costs. The Internet of Things (IoT) can enable companies to realize cost savings and greater efficiencies that validate their investments. Key areas for IoT investment in the workplace are lighting and space utilization.

Lighting

The LED lighting revolution created a way for organizations to immediately reduce their power bills. In some cases, those savings are being re-invested in a high density sensor network deployed throughout the building, operating on a common platform. For instance, the approach of adding one sensor per light fixture enables users to optimize energy savings based on dimming, daylight harvesting and tailored occupancy. But this approach can be utilized to do even more.

Space Utilization

The sensor network can be leveraged to provide insight about how spaces are being used. Tracking utilization of conference rooms or collaboration spaces enables organizations to quickly learn how to best optimize their spaces; for example, is there too little or too much space deployed? Sensors also make it possible for individualized adjustments to lighting, space monitoring for finding empty spots to gather, and real time temperature monitoring. Customizable user experiences, improved workplace well-being and increased productivity are the goals.

And More

Collecting space and resource usage data over time enables organizations to utilize deep learning to better understand and predict behavior. The next evolution of using IoT technology will involve predictive analytics; for example, the intelligent building will know that John Smith scheduled a 10:00 a.m. meeting in conference room 101, so it will start cooling the room in advance, knowing the room will be more than 80 percent occupied and most of the attendees like cooler areas. Such IoT networks will also interact with the audio/visual equipment in the room to automatically set the lights, start the video equipment and dial participants as needed without human interaction.

Automating redundant tasks and customizing the environment is how most employees will experience IoT in the office of the future. To learn more about how sensors and the IoT can improve workplaces today, check out CommScope’s Connected and Efficient Buildings e-book. I think you will find the chapters on lighting control and space utilization very interesting.

And what are your expectations for IoT in the workplace of tomorrow?