Smart Buildings (2)

I have just returned from Mobile World Congress (MWC), the most anticipated mobile industry event of the year with 109,000 visitors from 198 countries, and I’m in awe of the pace of innovation in the Internet of Things (IoT) market, as well as the speed at which technologies are rapidly evolving to market-ready solutions. This observation could not be more true for Semtech’s LoRa® devices and wireless radio frequency technology (LoRa Technology).

LoRaWAN®-based Internet of Things (IoT) deployments are global and the number of deployments continues to increase yearly. In 2019, 40%* of all low power, wide area networks (LPWANs) are predicted to run on Semtech’s LoRa® devices and wireless radio frequency technology (LoRa Technology), and LoRaWAN-based networks are present in approximately 100 countries today. In the Asia Pacific region specifically, experts anticipate the number of all IoT-connected devices will jump from 3.1 billion in 2015, to 8.6 billion in 2020. Some recent innovative LoRa Technology use cases from this region are featured below.

Among the many fascinating topics that captivated the 180,000 plus attendees at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) were innovations for smart homes and buildings. From smart kitchen appliances to voice assistant-enabled lighting, consumer electronics companies are leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT) to connect everyday devices to the Cloud to create new experiences for consumers at a rapid pace. Business Insider forecasts that in the United States alone, more than one billion smart home devices will be deployed by 2023.

Water is one of the more expensive items on the utility bill – costing Americans on average  $15-$77 per month. From the dishwasher and washing machine, to toilets and the shower, water use is unavoidable. At the same time, consumers all around the globe are aware of the need to conserve water in order to minimize environmental impact, prevent drought and create a more sustainable planet.  A recent report from ABI Research indicates IoT smart city technologies could drive more than $20 trillion in economic benefits by 2026.

For businesses, water can often be one of the most expensive utilities. Additionally, it can be hard to keep track of just how much is being used in order to prepare for the costs. For big corporations, concerns are much larger than whether or not a sink has been left running. Supermarkets, for example use millions of gallons per year in refrigerated display cases, frozen food cases and storage freezers. If a leak occurs, or proper efforts are not taken to assure systems are running efficiently, water waste becomes a very serious and costly issue quickly.

The United States Fire Administration estimates that nearly $14.3 billion in property damage was lost to fires in the U.S. (2015). The vast majority of these fires are small commercial fires, which do the most property damage, and are the largest risk for human injury. These fires can spread in a number of minutes; so early detection is key to preventing property damage and loss of life.