the magazine of the continental automated buildings association winter 2012 volume 9, number 4
Operating system, app store Conceived to Control Home automation A.J. Brush argues that an operating system that addresses home automation would simplify application development and let users easily add functionality by installing new devices or applications.
PAGE 12 $25 usd www.caba.org/ihomesandbuildings
using Building Management systems to Monitor Lifts and escalators → 7 Highlights from CaBa’s Digital Home Forum → 14 CaBa Completes Connected Home, Bid specification studies → 17 so How “smart” is Your Building? → 18
CABA’s Intelligent & Integrated Buildings Council (IIBC) focused on areas of research that address the needs and priorities of high performance and intelligent buildings. The IIBC identified two key areas of exploration in its 2011 Landmark Research study - the impact of smart grid development on intelligent buildings, and the progression of intelligent buildings towards net zero energy. There is a growing marketplace outlook that achieving energy sustainability and the growth of building intelligence are interdependent and exert a collective influence in the progression of high performance intelligent buildings. Consequently, CABA’s IIBC members focussed the research study on an investigation and assessment of the impact of the smart grid on the commercial buildings sector. Though still early in development and deployment, the research also examined the relationship of smart grids and the progression towards net zero energy output in intelligent buildings. The purpose of this study was to identify, define and size the principle business opportunities presented by the growth of smart grids, in relation to “intelligent buildings”. An examination of smart grid should yield immediate value to all stakeholders in the intelligent building industry, as smart grid and auto demand response holds more relevance in the industry today - with opportunities in existing buildings and new construction. Energy capacity/supply problems need to be addressed in the short-term, and made available in emerging technology. This will serve to add to market education and understanding, and address market knowledge gaps. As well, open and interoperable communication between energy suppliers and commercial energy users is an eventuality - which was further explored in relation to smart grid development and intelligent buildings. The purpose of these initiatives is two fold – an educational and validation exercise for industry participants and a means to drive public opinion and facilitate policy decisions at industry stakeholder, public authority and government organization levels. The study was funded by these CABA members:
RUBY SPONSOR
EMERALD SPONSORS
DIAMOND SPONSORS
The research was undertaken by research and buildings technology consultancy, BSRIA, on behalf of CABA.
Your Information Source For Home & Building Automation www.CABA.org
To purchase this and other available research reports or explore new research opportunities contact: George Grimes CABA Business Development Manager 613.686.1814 x226 or grimes@caba.org
More Information available at: www.caba.org/estore
the magazine of the continental automated buildings association winter 2012 volume 9, number 4
Featu re s
Large Building Automation.............................................................................................................................................................. 7 Using Building Management Systems to Monitor Lifts and Escalators by Dr. Albert So Home Systems..................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Operating System, App Store Conceived to Control Home Automation by A.J. Brush
CO L U MNS
President & CEO’s Message............................................................................................................................................................ 3 CABA Research Briefs........................................................................................................................................................................ 5 Residential Building Retrofits Blueprint Clean Energy Solutions for American Cities Ken Wacks’ Perspectives............................................................................................................................................................... 14 Highlights from CABA’s Digital Home Forum Research Viewpoints........................................................................................................................................................................ 17 CABA Completes Connected Home, Bid Specification Studies by Rawlson O’Neil King Opinion..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 So How “Smart” is Your Building? by Zach Denning
De pa rtm e n t s
New Members.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Industry Trends.................................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Upcoming Events................................................................................................................................................................................ 21
CABA NewsBrief Please go to the CABA Web site at www.caba.org to learn how to freely subscribe and sponsor
Editorial Advisory Board Dr. Kenneth Wacks Ken Wacks Associates (Chair) David Labuskes RTKL Associates, Inc. Labib Matta NeXgen Advisory Group FZ-LLC Daniel Michaud Environmental Systems Design Harshad Shah Eagle Technology, Inc. Managing Editor Ronald J. Zimmer, CAE Editor Rawlson O’Neil King Contributors Ken Gallinger George Grimes John Hall Association Office Continental Automated Buildings Association 1173 Cyrville Road, Suite 210 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1J 7S6 Tel: 613.686.1814; 888.798.CABA (2222) Fax: 613.744.7833 Further editorial use of the articles in this magazine is encouraged. For subscriptions, circulation, and change of address enquiries email caba@caba.org. For editorial and advertising opportunities: www.caba.org/ihomesandbuildings The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those held by the Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA). CABA shall not be under any liability whatsoever with respect to the contents of contributed articles. The organization reserves the right to edit, abridge or alter articles for publication.
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Join CABA Today! The Continental Automated Buildings Association provides more information about integrated systems and automation in homes and buildings than any other source. www.caba.org
CABA Board of Directors Chair Dr. Satyen Mukherjee Philips Vice-Chair Dr. Morad Atif National Research Council Canada Directors Scot Adams Cadillac Fairview Corporation Kris Bowring Best Buy Co., Inc. Scott Burnett IBM Brian Casey Honeywell International, Inc. Dr. Yong Chang Samsung Electronics, Co. Ltd. Michael Clay Verizon Wireless Jonathan Cluts Microsoft Corporation Larry Ehlinger Pella Corporation Jeff Hamilton Ingersoll Rand Bill Horrocks Comcast Communications Elizabeth Jacobs Siemens Industry, Inc. Shahram Mehraban Intel Corporation Ian Milne Robinson Solutions Mike Nager Metz Connect Stephen Nardi RealView, LLC Barry Rogers SecurTek Monitoring Solutions Tom Semler Hydro One Networks Inc. Alok Singh Southern California Edison Company Dana “Deke” Smith National Institute of Building Sciences
CABA President & CEO’s Message Ron Zimmer After 15 years of service to CABA, it has been my pleasure to work with many CABA Board members and participate in many Board meetings. Because meetings are hosted by CABA Board members, each is unique and memorable. The recent CABA Board meeting hosted by IBM will go down as a classic meeting not just because it was productive or was coupled by the CABA AGM. There was important work accomplished, great research and data exchanged and informative tours at their ISL facility in Hawthorne, NY. Board members even got to challenge ‘Watson’ to a game of “Jeopardy”. While there was much business covered, the most important was the amendments to the CABA Operational Plan. This yearly “CABA Roadmap” is directly linked to the CABA Strategic Plan that encompasses the period from 2010 - 2014. One new development is the creation of the CABA Ambassador Bureau, to help CABA as more efforts are taking place internationally. Recent presentations of CABA research in China, UAE, Brazil and Singapore are a testament to the interest in “connected home and intelligent buildings” research across the globe. The CABA Councils and Advisory Boards continue to grow with new volunteers and activities. Results of their work include the recent completion of major landmark research reports “Impact of Smart Grid on Connected Homes” and the “Intelligent Buildings and the Bid Specification Process”. The record attendance at the CABA Digital Home Forum hosted by CABA member Qualcomm this October in San Diego was another recent highlight discussed. One significant change for the organization was the approval of an expanded CABA Board from 22 (see current Board listed on this page) to 25. This is to accommodate more segments of this growing industry onto the CABA Board. A recent survey of organizations resulted in an astonishing 100+ new organizations that have an interest in serving on the CABA Board. As CABA prepares to celebrate its 25th Anniversary in 2013, a sincere thank you goes to the many organizations and people that have supported the industry and the organization. We hope that many of you can attend forthcoming CABA anniversary events in 2013, including special receptions at CES and AHR Expo to kick-off the New Year. Remember – CABA works for you and the industry!
Thomas Starek Diebold, Incorporated
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N e w M e mb e r s The Continental Automated Buildings Association is a not-for-profit industry association that promotes advanced technologies for the automation of homes and buildings. CABA members benefit from timely, competitive intelligence on the integrated systems industry. Here is a sampling of our latest members. BRE Trust
The BRE Trust is the largest U.K. charity dedicated specifically to research and education in the built environment. GreenBiz Group
GreenBiz Group provides clear, concise, accurate, and balanced information, resources, and learning opportunities to help companies of all sizes and sectors integrate environmental responsibility into their operations in a manner that supports profitable business practices. IDC Energy Insights
IDC Energy Insights assists energy businesses and IT leaders, as well as the suppliers who serve them, in making more effective technology decisions by providing accurate, timely, and insightful fact-based research and consulting services. IEEE
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a professional international association that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence. Energate Inc.
Energate is a fast-emerging global market leader for home energy management and demand response solutions, which include controls, systems, software and services. MTS Allstream
MTS Allstream is the wholly-owned operating subsidiary of Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. The firm runs both the regional operations for the Manitoba-based telecom company and the national business communications operations through Allstream. MTS Allstream is the fourth largest telecommunications provider in Canada, with 7,000 employees. A complete CABA member listing with both product and service information and Web links is available at: www.caba.org
Connect With Us at www.caba.org
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CAB A RESEARCH BRIEFS CABA Research Briefs provide a condensed synopsis of specific research papers available in the organization’s research libraries. CABA research libraries provide industry intelligence to the home and large building automation and integrated systems sector. Residential Building Retrofits Blueprint This presentation from the Residential Building Retrofits Working Group of the State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network (SEE Action) provides a vision of the home energy upgrade market, and includes: market sizing, forecasts, data on barriers to expansion, and working group priorities and target projects.
Results Summary 2009
Base Case in 2020
Moderate Case in 2020
Aggressive Case in 2020
Total Housing Stock
112 M
128 M
128 M
128 M
Target Market: Households with incomes >149% Federal Poverty Level residing in homes built prior to 2005
82 M
93 M
93 M
93 M
0.5 M
1.7 M
3.0 M
0.5%
1.8%
3.2%
Cumulative Number of Homes Upgraded (2010-2020)
7M
14 M
22 M
Market Saturation: Cumulative # of Home Upgrades by 2020 as % of Households >149% Poverty Level and Pre-2005 Construction
7%
15%
23%
Delivered Energy Svaings in 2020*
0.08 Quads
0.22 Quads
0.32 Quads
Cumulative Delivered Energy Savings, All Homes Upgraded (2010-2020)*
0.53 Quads
1.14 Quads
1.59 Quads
Annual Public/Private Investment in 2020
$2.1 B
$10.1 B
$19 B
Total Private Sector Investement
$17 B
$65 B
$91 B
Total Public Sector Investment
$9 B
$18 B
$41 B
1.8
3.6
2.2
Metrics
Home Energy Upgrade Market Activity Annual Number of Homes Upgraded Homes upgraded as % of Households >149% Federal Poverty Level and Pre-2005 Construction
0.7%
Energy Savings & Investment Requried
Ratio of Private to Public Investment
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caba research briefs
Clean Energy Solutions for American Cities Even though America is having economic trouble, the majority of cities are still committed to reducing energy consumption by implementing new energy efficient technology. This report from the United States Conference of Mayors looks at what are the most common and popular technologies that are being implemented currently and what are the goals of individual cities strategies. The document also looks at major partners and the types of funding that is given for different technologies. Technologies Already Deployed by Cities (percentage of cities)
LED/other energy-efficient lighting
85%
Low-energy buildings
71%
Energy-efficient appliances/pumps/other systems
64%
Hybrid vehicles
60% 42%
Solar electricity generation 27%
Compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles
20%
Energy-efficient water treatment technology Methane capture from landfills/bio-solids Advanced biofuels
19% 18%
Geothermal
15%
Solar hot water
15%
All-electric vehicles
13%
• Despite challenging economic conditions, three in four cities (75 percent) expect their deployment of clean energy technologies to increase over the next five years. • Cities identify financial constraints as the most significant challenge to improving energy efficiency and conservation, and developing new renewable energy supplies. • LED and other efficient lighting (76 percent), low-energy building technologies (68 percent), and solar systems to generate electricity (46 percent) are the top three choices among mayors as the most promising technologies for reducing energy use and carbon emissions. • Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) are shown to have multiple benefits for cities, from helping to cope with higher gas prices to deploying new energy technologies and efficiency measures, now and in the future. • Mayors point to the economic benefits of clean energy solutions as key drivers of their energy strategies. • For one in three cities, adapting to climate change is already an element of their capital planning and/or capital improvement programs. • One-quarter of all U.S. cities have already set targets for the use of renewable energy.
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Large Building Automation Using Building Management Systems to Monitor Lifts and Escalators Dr. Albert So notes that remote monitoring and limited control of elevator systems is becoming a standard recommendation in most international building automation guidelines. It is well known that there are lots of advantages to using a building management system to exercise control over remote lift and escalators. According to the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Guide D on Transportation Systems in Buildings, such provision can improve reliability and availability of an elevator system as users are able to closely keep track of the operation on a real-time basis. Response time to attend to faults from maintenance contractors can be shortened. Trapped passengers can be found on a 24-hour basis, even when the elevator system is unmanned. Regarding maintenance, a condition-based approach becomes possible as the remote computer can record all events associated with an elevator and monitor relevant parameters. In this way, repetitive breakdowns due to the failure of the same component can be minimized, while breakdowns often can be anticipated and prevented. From the end user’s point of view, such a provision can facilitate a continuous monitoring and evaluation on the performance of the maintenance contractor, while useful statistical reports and trend logging can be produced. From the maintenance contractor’s point of view, such a provision can help to feed important information back to the manufacturer for revision and improvement to elevator design. Elevator professionals are still arguing about the provision of remote control functions. It is quite dangerous when one issues a remote command to an elevator without one’s presence on site. Therefore, it is generally agreed in the industry only those commands that can be easily be made by passengers, such as making landing
calls or car calls, or preventing the landing doors from closing, should be issued remotely. Despite technological developments, existing connections between elevator and BMS systems are still very proprietary. The communication protocols between them vary by manufacturer and often by job. Even the physical media of the interfaces are different, with ModBus and Ethernet being common candidates. Furthermore, the amount of data and contents to be transmitted also vary, depending on the availability of proper information. It is natural that an internationally recognized open and common standard is desirable for all types of remote monitoring and limited control of elevator systems by building management systems. Development of elevator/BAS standards
In early 2006, the Architectural Services Department of the Hong Kong government initiated a consultancy project to develop a set of open and common protocols for elevator control and engaged this author to work on the assignment. The goal was to develop common protocols so that all elevators owned by the government could be remotely monitored and minimally controlled by a central BMS. In this way, remote monitoring could be introduced, and theoretically, an unlimited number of clients could be monitored simultaneously. The developed protocols would be both machine and platform independent, so that no time-consuming collaboration between an elevator company and the BMS supplier would be needed. After nine months, the project team drafted three sets of open and common protocols in three formats: XML,
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large building automation
Building Object
Room Object
Elevator Group Object
Building_Name: Tall Tower Building_Address: 123 Main
Room_Type: Lift Machine_Room_ID: 1
Machine_Room_ID: 1 Group_ID: 47 Group_Mode: down-peak
Elevators:
Elevator_Groups:
Group_Members:
Room Object Room_Type: Lift Machine_Room_ID: 2 Elevator_Groups:
Room Object Room_Type: Lift Machine_Room_ID: 3
Elevator_Groups:
Elevator Group Object Machine_Room_ID: 1 Group_ID: 48 Group_Mode: normal Group_Members:
Elevator Group Object Machine_Room_ID: 3 Group_ID: 48 Group_Mode: normal Group_Members:
Lift Object Machine_Room_ID: 1 Group_ID: 47 Installation_ID: 1 Car_Position: (1:03, 12) Car_Direction: (1:03, Up) Energy_Meter: 12768 kWh
Lift Object Machine_Room_ID: 1 Group_ID: 47 Installation_ID: 2 Car_Position: (1:00, 37) Car_Direction: (1:00, Stop) Energy_Meter: 12768 kWh
Escalator Object Machine_Room_ID: 3 Group_ID: 48 Installation_ID: 1 Direction: up-rated-speed Energy_Meter: 128 kWh
Figure 1 - Data Structure of BACnet Lift or Escalator Object
BACnet and LonWorks. All three were platform independent and Internet accessible. Regarding hardware, in order to protect the currently proprietary protocols used within the elevator controllers, the concept of a “Universal Lift and Escalator Gateway” (ULEG) was proposed. The ULEG was actually an interfacing computer between an elevator controller and the Internet. One ULEG was enough for one machine room in general with up to eight lifts or escalators. The ULEG is Intranet and Internet compatible, lift or escalator controller compatible, and would be implemented by elevator manufacturers or contractors, so that no commercial secrets would be exposed. What was to be enforced by the building owner was the output of ULEG, not input to ULEG. Inside each ULEG, there are three reporters, namely an XML reporter, BACnet reporter and LonTalk reporter respectively. Two government buildings were chosen to test the three different standards candidates. The testing found that out of the three candidates, XML is just an open language on an open platform, while LonWorks, though popular around the world, relies more on hardware support. Hence, BACnet was welcomed by most BMS manufacturers and became the favorite choice.
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After the test project was completed, the author got a chance to meet the late Bill Swan, former Chair of BACnet Standing Standard Project Committee (SSPC) 135, when he was in Seattle. It was natural for both of us to work together to develop technology that linked elevator systems to BACnet. It had taken us a year to produce a first term of reference document and organize a meeting to form a working group in January 2010. Ultimately, a group of renowned international elevator manufacturers formed an official working group entitled the “Elevator Working Group of BACnet”. Unfortunately, Swan suddenly died in June 2011 and everything related to BACnet elevator control standard development was halted. It was not until the end of 2011 that Swan’s wife, Kathleen, requested that the BACnet Committee promptly continue with Swan’s work. I then worked with Kathleen, Steve Bushby and David Robin, Chair of the SSPC, to search for a complete set of document left behind by Swan. After searching and editing the found documents, the Public Review Draft – Proposed Addendum aq to Standard 135-2010, BACnet, was released in March 2012. Subject to my request, the review period was particularly extended to August to let elevator manufacturers and professionals have more time to evaluate
large building automation
the draft. Several comments were received and the draft will be slightly modified as a response to the comments as indicated below. Public Review Draft: BACnet Objects for Lifts and Escalators
There is a need for standard objects in BACnet to represent the status of lifts and escalators, and for standardized services to convey this status, so that standardized remote condition-based monitoring and maintenance becomes possible using BACnet. One distinctive feature of elevator objects versus other objects is that data could
become meaningless if there is a slight delay in transmission, even a few seconds long. That is particularly obvious when the BMS wants to know the current position of an elevator car or the current speed of it, because the normal speed of an elevator car could vary between 1.5 m/s to 10 m/s. Therefore, all data has to be “time-stamped” to take care of the unpredictable delay of data transmission through the Internet. First of all, the hierarchy of the data structure of a standard elevator system has to be designed. It starts with an “elevator group” whose basic concept is shown in Figure 1.
Properties of the Elevator Group Object Type The Elevator Group object type defines a standardized object whose properties represent the externally visible charcteristics of a group of lifts or escalators (a group being defined as those lifts or escalators controlled by a single supervisory controller). The object and its properties are summarized in the table below. Property Identifier
Property Datatype
Conformance Code
Object_Identifier
BACnetObjectIdentifier
R
Object_Name
Character String
R
Object_Type
BACnetObjectType
R
Machine_Room_ID
BACnetObjectIdentifier
R
Group_ID
Unsigned8
R
Group_Members
BACnewARRAY[N] of BACnetObjectIdentifier
R
Group_Mode
BACnetGroupMode
O
1
Landing_Call
List of BACnetLadningCallStatus
O
1
Landing_Call_Control
BACnetLandingCallStatus
O
Profile_Name
CharacterString
O
2
1
R = Required, O = Optional 1: These properties shall be present only if this object represents a group of lifts. 2: This property, of datatype BACnetLandingCallStatus, may be present if the Elevator Group object represents a group of lifts. If it is present it shall be writable. A write to this property simulates a passenger pressing a call button at a landing, indicating either desired direction of travel or destination floor.
BACnetLanding CallStatus ::= SEQUENCE { time [0] Time, floor-number [1] Unsigned8, command CHOICE { direction [2] BACnetCallDirection, destination [3] Unsigned8 }, floor-text [4] CharacterString OPTIONAL } Figure 2 - An Elevator Group Object
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large building automation
A building is usually served by a group of lifts or escalators sharing one machine room together where the driving machines and controllers are placed. Therefore, there is an identity number of the group and group members. They are implemented in BACnet as shown in Figure 2. Landing call commands issued by passengers or remotely by the BMS are included in the group object. They are further elaborated in Figure 3 where properties of the group object are shown. The property “Landing Call Control” is writable by the BMS remotely. Such remote control is kept to a minimum for the purpose of safety. After the group object is specified, for an individual lift car or escalator, it is necessary to determine the exact number of data points that can be retrieved from or sent to the lift object or the escalator object that has to be defined. Some systems utilizing the objects and services presented herein are quite large, connected by IP networks. For this reason, data is not considered to be conveyed in a timely manner, yet a central monitoring system needs to be able to know which of the data it has is the latest. Moreover, the Internet itself is not synchronous while the elevator system is very dynamic, changing second by second. This led to the concept introduced here of timestamped data. A particular object type involving timevalue is included in the draft.
Also, because of the potential for large numbers of COV (change-of-value) subscriptions, and run-time changes in those subscriptions, the ability to subscribe and unsubscribe in a single request for COV notifications on a number of properties of a number of objects is provided, as well as to convey multiple object COVs in a single notification. It should be noted that elevator manufacturers are very protective of their machine rooms and internal system operations (quite naturally, given the life safety issues involved). Most if not all communications at this time will be conducted through gateways, sometimes with relatively slow serial connections to the elevator system. This has shaped elements of this proposal where all messages are to be time stamped. Certain elevator industry concepts and practices that are of major concern have also been codified in this proposal, such as the “Energy Meter” properties wrapping at a certain point to an unspecified value which may differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. Currently, the issue of energy conservation is one of the hottest topics in the elevator industry.
Dr. Albert So is affiliated with the Asian Institute of Built Environment and is Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Asian Institute of Intelligent Buildings (AIIB).
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large building automation
Lift Object Type The lift object type defines a standardized object whose properties represent the externally visible characteristics of a lift. The object and its properties are summarized in Figure 3. Property Identifier
Property Datatype
Conformance Code
Object_Identifier
BACnetObjectIdentifier
R
Object_Name
Character String
R
Object_Type
BACnetObjectType
R
Elevator_Group
BACnetObjectIdentifier
R
Group_ID
Unsigned8
R
Installation_ID
Unsigned8
R
Assigned_Landing_Call
List of BACnetAssignedLandingCallStatus
O
Making_Car_Call
BACnetTimedUnsigned8
OW
Registered_Car_Call
BACnetTimedListOfUnsigned8
O
Car_Position
BACnetTimedUnsigned8
R
Car_Direction
BACnetCarDirection
R
Car_Door_Status
BACnetARRAY[N] of BACnetCarDoorStatus
R
Car_Door_Command
BACnetCarDoorCommand
OW
Car_Door_Zone
BACnetTimedBoolean
O
Car_Mode
BACnetCarMode
O
Car_Load
BACnetTimedReal
O
Next_Stopping_Floor
BACnetTimedUnsigned8
O
Passenger_Pushbutton_Alarm
BACnetTimedBoolean
R
Energy_Meter
BACnetTimedReal
O
In_Service
BACnetTimedBoolean
R
Car_Drive_Status
BACnetCarDriveStatus
O
Safety_Signal
BACnetLiftFaults
R
Landing_Door_Status
BACnetARRAY[N] of BACnetLandingDoorStatus
O
Profile_Name
CharacterString
O
Figure 3 - Properties under a Lift Object
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Home Systems Operating System, App Store Conceived to Control Home Automation A.J. Brush argues that an operating system that addresses home automation would simplify application development and let users easily add functionality by installing new devices or applications. The vision of smart, connected homes has been around for well over two decades. In this vision, users easily perform tasks involving diverse sets of devices in their home without the need for painstaking configuration and custom programming. For example, imagine a home with remotely controllable lights, cameras, windows, and door locks. It should be easy to set up this home to automatically adjust windows and lights based on the outside temperature and lighting or to remotely view who is at the front door and open the door. While modern homes have many networkcapable devices, applications that coordinate them for cross-device tasks have yet to appear in any significant numbers. Homes differ in terms of their devices and inter-connectivity as well as preferences for how various activities should be conducted. Application developers are thus not only plagued by having to support many distinct devices, but also build configurability flexible enough to meet the demands of a majority of users. It should thus come as no surprise that there are few applications for the home today, save those provided by device vendors. But vendor applications often provide access to their own devices with little or no cross-device capabilities. For instance, electronic locks come with custom software but little support for extensibility. Such vertical integration by individual vendors discourages device composition. Current approaches for enabling cross-device tasks fall on the two ends of a spectrum. At one end are the efforts to improve basic device interoperability through standards (e.g., DLNA, Z-Wave) and research efforts. However, device interoperability alone is insufficient. Applications also need to support user preferences and
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coordinate device access. For instance, a security task may want to keep the windows closed at the same time as an energy conservation task wants to open them. Interoperability itself does not provide mechanisms to resolve such conflicts forcing the applications to provide it themselves. Such coordination needs significant engineering. At the other end are monolithic systems that tightly integrate multiple devices for specific cross-device tasks. They include commercial security systems (e.g., ADT) and research efforts. However, such systems are hard to extend (especially by users) with new devices or tasks. Researchers at Microsoft argue for a fundamentally different approach for organizing home networks: the development of an operating system for the home. By masking heterogeneity across homes through appropriate abstractions, a “HomeOS” can greatly simplify application development. Further, users can manage their homes as a connected ensemble, by specifying their access control preferences globally. They can also easily enable new capabilities by installing new applications or devices. To simplify this task, inspired by Apple’s App Store, Microsoft has proposed a “HomeStore” that is coupled with “HomeOS”. It would help users find applications that are compatible with their devices and find devices to enable desired tasks that cannot be supported by their existing devices alone. From the perspective of users, today’s home networks have two significant shortcomings. Integration hurdles: Despite investing in several sophisticated devices, it is hard for users to fully exploit the functionality that their devices are collectively capable of.
home systems
Cross-device compatibility occurs only when two devices happen to implement the same standard (e.g., DLNA), are part of a monolithic multi-device system (e.g., cameras and locks for security), or are from the same vendor (e.g., XBox and Zune). No single vendor is even close to manufacturing all the types of devices found in homes today. Management nightmare: Each device comes with its own configuration and access control tools, and users must get familiar with different interfaces and semantics. With many devices present, this can be a nightmare. Vendors, especially smaller ones, want their devices to become broadly adopted especially since users desire device integration inside their homes. However, heterogeneity hurts vendors as well. As a result, they tend to vertically integrate devices and software, to provide a robust experience to users independent of the environment. Abstracting heterogeneity in the home will likely reduce vertical integration and enable device composition as well as reuse across multiple tasks. To address the problems above, researchers at Microsoft are examining a different paradigm for home networking. In particular, they propose the development of a “HomeOS” and a “HomeStore”. The goals of HomeOS are to simplify the management of home networks and the development of applications. It accomplishes these goals as follows. First, it provides one place to configure and secure the home network as one connected ensemble. Users do not have to deal with multiple different interfaces and semantics. Second, it provides high-level abstractions to applications. Developers do not have to worry about low-level details of devices and about device inter-connectivity. HomeOS is responsible for enforcing user preferences for device access and coordination, which does not have to be supported by individual applications. For example, if a user dislikes noise at night, she can disable night-time access to all speakers; HomeOS will then automatically deny access to all applications that try to use the speakers. With HomeOS, users enable new tasks by installing new home applications. Because homes are heterogeneous, this process must be streamlined such that users do not inadvertently install applications that will not work in their homes. For instance, if an application for keyless entry requires a fingerprint scanner, users without such devices should be warned against purchasing such an application.
Inspired by the iPhone model, the Microsoft researchers propose that HomeOS be coupled with a HomeStore to simplify the distribution of applications and devices. The HomeStore verifies compatibility between homes and applications. Based on users’ desired tasks, it recommends applications that work in their homes. If a home does not have devices required for those tasks, it recommends appropriate devices as well. For instance, if a user wants integrated temperature and window control, the HomeStore can recommend window controllers if there exists an application that combines those window controllers with the user’s existing thermostat. In addition, the HomeStore can perform basic quality checks and support rating and reviewing to help identify poorly engineered applications and devices. It is not intended for a HomeStore developed by Microsoft to become the sole gatekeeper for home applications. Such a model would allow multiple HomeStores, allowing users to visit the one they trust most.
A.J. Brush is a Senior Researcher at Microsoft Research, who focuses on home automation and activity recognition on mobile devices.
LEARN MORE ABOUT CABA’S ANNIVERSARY www.caba.org/anniversary
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Ken Wacks’ Perspectiv es
Highlights from CABA’s Digital Home Forum By Ken Wacks About 150 people gathered in San Diego for the semiannual CABA Digital Home Forum on October 11, 2012. This forum focused on the growth of the home systems business as network technologies have evolved and connectivity among home devices has expanded. The sponsor of this conference was CABA member Qualcomm, a pioneer in cellular telephone communication networks. Home system trends
The following observations about home system trends were delivered in a keynote presentation entitled “Connected Home Vision.” The presenter was Dan Rabinovitsj, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Networking Business Unit at Qualcomm. A large number of devices in the home will be interconnected, possibly using Internet protocols (IP). There devices will comprise applications such as: • Security • Energy management • Health/fitness • Education Many of these devices will be sensors and user interfaces. The user will be presented with personalized data tailored to the context of a specific activity. The results will be new experiences delivered to users. With the possibility of 100 or more IP devices in a house, an automated system manager will become important. Seamless home network operation requires: • Automatic discovery and configuration of new devices added to the home network.
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• Establishment of quality-of-service levels as devices contend for network resources. • Diagnosis of failing devices and resolution of problems so other devices on the network are not impaired. Other speakers presented their visions and concerns about the connected home: • Connected devices have much more utility than stand-alone devices. • Can entertainment devices popularize the relevance of energy management? • Consumer spending on energy management will not be significant even if it saves 50 percent of the energy bill. • Energy management can be made into a successful business, but it will not have margins comparable to entertainment products. Home service characteristics
The following are projected characteristics for new home services: • Most services will offer convenience and fun rather than critical functions (such as life safety). • Services should always be on and available. • Services will evolve with more storage and proxies for Internet-based services. (A proxy provides an interface to an IP network for a device with limited or no IP capabilities.) • Some services will be provided by “a personal cloud server.”
K en Wacks ’ Perspectives
Multimedia
Smart Gateway CLOUD Remote Management
Home Operations Wired or 3G/4G (cellular)
Life Management
BYOD Figure 1 - Smart Gateway: Heart of the Connected Home (Courtesy of Qualcomm)
• Services will need a high-level OS (operating system) platform. • Most services will be “headless,” meaning they include no user interface. Where a user interface is required, it may be supplied via a smart phone, TV, or tablet. These devices will offer ease-of-use for installation and service expansion, and will become “your life control.” Some home services will provide alerts to events such as security notices or energy costs. Other services will enable convenient control like a garage door opener or remote operation of lights. The most feature-rich services are context-based, where operations depend on the time or place or status of other systems and events. An example of a context-based service is arriving at home where the following activities are initiated automatically: disarm the security system and turn on lights, music, and air conditioning or heat. Home gateway
A network tool to deliver some of the essential management services will be the smart gateway. According to Qualcomm, the gateway “will be the center of the connected home for multimedia, home operations, life management, and BYOD (bring your own device).” The required features of a gateway, as illustrated in Figure 1, include: • An extensive secure platform so device data cannot be accessed externally unless authorized. • The ability to host IP services.
• • • •
Access to local and cloud (external) intelligence. Maintenance of network harmony. Management of preferences and credentials. Support for multiple home network communication protocols.
In-home wireless and PLC communications
A number of Qualcomm speakers discussed wireless communications for home devices. Qualcomm views the home as a logical extension of a wireless communications network. The proliferation of connected home devices is expected to generate a thousand-fold increase in data traffic over the next 10 years. If theses devices are wireless, small-area cellular communications will be needed for deployment indoors. Also, networks that share bandwidth such as WiFi will need more base stations rather than higher-powered base stations for improved coverage. Qualcomm predicts that cellular will become cheaper like Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi will become more carrier grade. Eventually the two will become similar. Licensed bandwidth in the home using femtocells (small-area cellular networks) will increase. Qualcomm now owns Atheros, which makes integrated circuits for power line carrier communications (digital signaling via electricity wires). So Qualcomm discussed wired communications options to supplement wireless. Power line carrier communications (PLC) may move broadband content by linking Wi-Fi base stations. Information technology is being tailored for ease of use by consumers.
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K en Wacks’ Perspectives
Home Internet/Media Server Premium/Smart
Internet Gateway/Meter Internet
Ethernet/
IGW
Mainstream
PLC
Broadband Modem NAT/DHCP/Firewall Remote Management Internet Traffic Shaping
Entry
100M-1Gbps 10-20 year lifecycle
(W)LAN, CPU, HDD, I/O, Apps... 2-5 year lifecycle
CARRIER
CONSUMER
Figure 2 - Two Key Products for Home System Management (Courtesy of Qualcomm)
Home system management
Qualcomm Atheros described the evolution of two key products for home system management, as illustrated in Figure 2. 1. Internet gateway/meter supplied by carrier • Includes a broadband modem (100 Mbps to 1 Gbps with a 10- to 20-year life cycle). • Provides the following IP functions: NAT (Network Address Translation), DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) and firewall. DHCP is used for assigning local IP addresses, NAT translates IP addresses to reach end devices, and a firewall protects devices from bogus messages. • Remote management. • Internet traffic shaping. 2. Home Internet/Media server supplied by the consumer • (W)LAN (Local Area Network, possibly Wireless), CPU (data processing), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), I/O (Input/Output), Apps, with a two- to five-year life cycle. • Qualcomm expects consumers to be offered a premium/start, mainstream, and entry version of the home Internet/media server.
The business model for making money in home systems is developing. Services for a connected home, such as system maintenance, may become a revenue source. Some services may be free or advertiser-supported, with premium charges for extended and enhanced services. Home systems represent technology for the masses that can generate money for mass-market companies. Smart clouds, gateways, and connected devices are the indispensable building blocks for home systems. The role of the cloud for providing home services external to the home is speculative now. The role of the gateway is more certain. Qualcomm predicts that the gateway platform will enable unprecedented innovations and opportunities. A speaker from Frost & Sullivan noted the robust sales of home systems in 2012: • Home controls / monitoring: $2.5 billion • Energy management / smart grid: $9.6 billion. • Media, telecom, and managed services: $12.1 billion.
Dr. Kenneth Wacks has been a pioneer in establishing the home systems industry. He advises manufacturers and utilities
The business of home systems
worldwide on business opportunities, network alternatives, and
The ecosystem of home systems is fragmented among network operators, health service providers, modem/ router makers, consumer electronics companies, appliance makers, cloud content providers, energy utilities, and service providers.
product development in home and building systems. In 2008,
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the United States Department of Energy appointed him to the GridWise Architecture Council. For further information, please contact Dr. Wacks at 781.662.6211; kenn@alum.mit.edu; www.kenwacks.com.
R es ea rch Vie wpoints
CABA Completes Connected Home, Bid Specification Studies By Rawlson O’Neil King The Continental Automated Buildings Association has completed a collaborative research study that examined the impact of smart grids on connected homes. The study found that the concept of a connected home is desirable for consumers due to the perceived benefits of controllability, energy savings and security that homeowners derive from it. The study however found lack of awareness, confusion regarding what products and services are best suited for consumers, and quantification of the cost benefit analysis are the key issues that have kept the industry from moving forward. Overall, the study found that only 39 percent of consumers had some level of understanding of the smart grid. However, only 34 percent of consumers, who have general smart grid awareness, attribute this awareness to their local utility company, and marketing campaigns concerning smart and green home technologies. The main opportunities that the report identified over the next five year period include energy efficiency, device and system integration, along with a move towards a universal home platform within home. The study found that energy efficiency would continue to dominate the discussions around adopting smart technologies by homeowners into the near future. The ability to quantify energy savings and reduce operation expenses will increase demand for connected home products and services. The report also found that while pure-play entrants, such as manufacturers and solution providers would participate in the market, more sole solutions from utilities teaming with telecom firms could be expected in the long run.
“CABA was pleased that a number of world-class companies and organizations came together to support this project,” stated Ronald J. Zimmer, CABA President & CEO. “The result was actionable research which determined the clear potentials of connected home technologies along with various strategies that companies can adopt to capitalize on a new wave of services in the age of the emerging smart grid in North America.” Sponsors of this CABA study included: CableLabs®, ClimateTalk Alliance, Comcast Communications, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Consolidated Edison of New York, Energent Incorporated, fifthplay nv, Hydro One Networks Inc., Hydro-Québec, IBM, IEEE, Intel Corporation, Landis+Gyr, Microsoft Corporation, MTS Allstream, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Pella Corporation, Philips Lighting, Qualcomm Incorporated, Samsung Telecommunications America LLC, Southern California Edison, Sykes Assistance Services, TELUS, Tridel Corporation, TRLabs and the Z-Wave Alliance. CABA has also completed its “Intelligent Buildings and the Bid Specification Process” research study. The purpose of the “Bid Spec” landmark research study was to improve the understanding of the market imperfections and the inconsistencies that exist in designing and implementing intelligent building projects, as well as making investment decisions on intelligent technologies. CABA’s research project was designed to identify major problems in existing bid specification approaches and models, in order to help organizations create new strategies that unify the stakeholder decision-making process. • continued on page 19 Winter 2012
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opinion
So How “Smart” is Your Building? Zach Denning So what is a “smart” building? Has your building told you when equipment is dwindling? Often the term is confused with the addition of a building automation system in place of an antiquated pneumatics system. Maybe an engineer develops a new controls strategy that lessens the energy consumption of a central plant. But what defines a “smart” building? The definition of smart is having or showing intelligence, which is achievable through the merger of data analytics and building automation systems. The evolution of analytic software has now filtered into building automation giving operators and end users more insight into how equipment functions than ever before. Analytics are now run on everything from variable speed supply fans to local heating valves on units; all in an attempt to register impending failure and deliver it to the end user. How many tenant complaints are based on the failure of a valve or damper actuators? What if a thermostat slipped out of calibration and went unnoticed? What if the software could predict the malfunction and generate a work order on its own? These are all examples of the application of analytics within a building. Analytics are powerful tools that when incorporated into building automation can not only predict impending failures, but deliver those results in unique ways to end users. Software analytics was derived from the time consuming task undertaken by workers in the mid-1990s to predict the future of equipment based on a criterion of conditions. If the conditions were met in most circumstances the failure could be prevented, saving the end user from unnecessary expenses. So what if this process was automated? How powerful would the combination of analytics and building automation be in your building? Take for example an air handler where the outside air tempera-
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ture is 75 degrees, return air temperature is 70 degrees, and supply air temperature is 65 degrees. During these conditions the supply fan, per designed conditions and estimated baseline energy consumption, normally runs at 60 percent and the cooling valve is opened to 35 percent. Would a normal BAS system be alarmed if the fan rose to 63 percent and the valve opened to 40 percent? Without a comparison to past criterion could your BAS decipher which equipment was working abnormally and alert you? One of the core features of data analytics is data mining to identify system malfunctions that normally wouldn’t be understood by a typical building automation system; a critical feature that is a basis for large energy savings. Building automation analytics have bridged the gap between financial officers and facility engineers. Many property owners are faced with increasing energy bills and higher emission regulations and are looking to their maintenance staff to help reduce costs. Typical buildings have also already taken advantage of low hanging fruit or easy energy reductions like installing Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) or undertaking lighting upgrades. Are there any other strategies that could help squeeze every kilowatt of energy out of your equipment? Predictive maintenance, identified in the above example, is one of the key measures to help compare real-time equipment operation to energy consumption costs. What if you could see the financial loss associated with a failing component over the course of a day? Through analytics packages, such as the one installed at the PUC in San Francisco, the end user will not only be notified of an equipment malfunction but also see the financial impact of not repairing the issue. Therefore, financial officers can take a proactive approach to energy consumption by reviewing the
opinion
analytic BAS from a fiscal perspective and reporting to the facility engineers; an approach unattainable by traditional BAS implementations. Data analytics remain a unique solution based on the characteristics of each building. No two buildings are designed or maintained in the same manner due to size, location, structure, etc. Unlike configurable software, analytics must be designed on a job-to-job basis to ensure accuracy of results and highest return of investment. Take for example two buildings, one in Phoenix versus another in San Francisco. A building operator in San Francisco is concerned more with heating spaces and high humidity while Phoenix lacks humidity and deals with higher, dry heat loads. The prerequisite variables necessary to predict equipment malfunctioning are going to be stark opposites. Due to these principles, the integration of data analytics comes at a greater investment than the typical automation integration, but with higher returns. A number of smart building consultants estimate energy savings through properly installed analytics at 15 to 20 percent, over six to eight percent through standard automation and simple monitoring alone. Factor in operational sav-
ings and tenant retention due to high satisfaction rates and the returns grow even higher. Analytics have become one of the prominent buzz words in the engineering community behind LEED and green energy due to the associated savings. Often property owners can utilize their existing BAS system with a new front end such as the Tridium A/X which is capable of hosting analytic platforms. This type of installation will allow the analytics platform to harvest data from disparate systems and manipulate equipment directly from within the program framework; a unique solution offering greater expandability into sequence upgrades based on how equipment has functioned in the past. Integrated analytics packages are helping to evolve the world of smart buildings through continuous management of energy consumption.
Zack Denning holds an engineering sales position at Controlco, a business consultancy specializing in energy efficiency solutions.
research viewpoings – continued from page 17
The goal of the project was to provide its participating sponsors with actionable recommendations that they can utilize to improve the entire bid specification process. Sponsors of this CABA study include: AutomatedLogic and Lenel, a part of United Technologies Climate, Controls & Security, BACnet International, Cadillac Fairview Corporation, Diebold Incorporated, Distech Controls, Inc., Honeywell International, Hydro One Networks, Inc., Johnson Controls, Ontario Power Authority, Overhead Doors, Philips, Smardt Chiller Group Inc., Siemens Industry, Inc., Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), Trane, a leading global provider of indoor comfort systems and solutions and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, and Verizon. “The aim of this research project is to turn frustration into profitability,” stated Ronald J. Zimmer, CABA President & CEO. “Creating a more efficient bid specification process will ultimately lead to an efficient and less expensive facility construction process and will lead to better buildings with advanced intelligence.”
At the end of the process, CABA expects to provide its research sponsors with a comprehensive bid specification model that can deliver a significant measure of consistency and control along with the identification and description of a consistent scope of work that addresses the need to ensure timely facility construction and costeffective maintenance through intelligent building technologies. For more information, about CABA’s research projects please see www.caba.org/research. CABA members will able to access the executive summaries of both research reports in the CABA Research Library. Organizations will be able purchase both reports after they are made available by contacting CABA at 888.798.CABA (2222) or 613.686.1814 x 226.
Rawlson O’Neil King is CABA’s Communications Director.
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Ind u st ry Trend s Connected Televisions
Shipments of Internet-connected televisions will rise from 212 million in 2012 to 596 million by 2017, Digital TV Research predicts. The market-research firm estimates that connected TVs will represent more than 20 percent of the worldwide market in five years, compared with 8.9 percent this year. Smart Buildings
Asia will be the hub for the new construction market for smart buildings in the next 10 years. The smart building market is expected to grow from $427 billion to $1.4 trillion in 2020. It is anticipated that in 2030, 45 percent of the world’s energy will be consumed by Asia and the biggest consumers will be from the construction sector. Smart Meters
According to the Energy Information Administration, electric meters with enhanced communication capabilities are becoming more prevalent and in 2011, more than 23 percent of all U.S. electrical customers had smart meters. Home Entertainment
Through the first nine months of 2012, consumer spending on home entertainment has increased by one percent to $12.34 billion, compared with $12.22 billion in the same period of 2011, according to DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group. The increase is being led by gains in Blu-ray disc sales, electronic distribution and subscription streaming. Tablets
The U.S. ownership rate for tablet computers reached 31 percent in October 2012, more than double the rate of a year ago, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. Home Automation
Nearly half of consumers surveyed by J.D. Power and Associates said they would choose a cable provider to supply a digital lifestyle package that includes home automation, among other services. Telecommunications companies were the choice of 19 percent of the respondents, while 17 percent said they preferred a security provider and 10 percent an energy provider. Tall Buildings
China will have 802 buildings more than 500 feet tall compared with 539 in the U.S. by 2017, according to MotianCity, a research organization in China. The country has 332 buildings under construction and another 516 are in the planning stages, compared with only six under construction in the U.S. and an additional 24 in the works, the report said. In total, China is expected to invest about $269 billion in tall buildings over the next decade. M2M
According to Machina Research, the intelligent buildings sector represents a significant opportunity for M2M players. The worldwide M2M market will grow at a CAGR of 17 percent between 2011 and 2020, from $52 billion in 2011 to $214 billion in 2020. The fastest growing application group in terms of revenue is the building automation sector, which is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 50 percent over the forecast period to reach $63 billion in 2020. Green Buildings
McGraw-Hill Construction’s 2013 Dodge Construction Green Outlook report notes the value of the green building market has grown from $10 billion in 2005 to $78 billion in 2011. In 2012, the total “non-residential and residential” market is expected to be worth $85 billion, and by 2013, the overall market size for new green building projects will rise to between $98 billion and $106 billion. By 2016, this number is expected to reach $204 billion to $248 billion.
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Upcoming Ev e n t s National Institute of Building Sciences Conference & Expo
January 7-10, 2013 Washington, DC www.nibs.org/index.php/conference
NFMT 2013
March 12-14, 2013 Baltimore, MD www.nfmt.com/baltimore 2013 DC Building Energy Summit
CONNECTIONS Summit at CES 2013
January 8, 2013 Las Vegas, NV www.parksassociates.com/events
March 26, 2013 Washington, DC bit.ly/rWc6a1 Beijing International Building Technology
ShowStoppers at CES 2013
January 8, 2013 Las Vegas, NV www.showstoppers.com
April 8-10, 2013 Beijing, China bit.ly/rWc6a1 ISC WEST 2013
Smart Grid Asia Forum
January 21-22, 2013 Mumbai, India www.mindsspeak.com/smartgrid
April 10-12, 2013 Las Vegas, NV www.iscwest.com LIGHTFAIR International 2013
AHR EXPO 2013
January 28-30, 2013 Dallas, TX www.ahrexpo.com
April 21-25, 2013 Philadelphia, PA www.lightfair.com Buildings NY
GreenBiz Forum 2013: New York
February 20-21, 2013 New York, NY bit.ly/UXa7zK
April 24-25, 2013 New York, NY www.buildingsny.com Guangzhou Electrical Building Technology
Energy Savers UAE 2013
February 25, 2013 Abu Dhabi, UAE bit.ly/V2v6S0
June 9-12, 2013 Guangzhou, China bit.ly/zWJ3iN InfoComm 2013
GreenBiz Forum 2013: San Francisco
February 27-28, 2013 San Francisco, CA bit.ly/WdFZ4g
June 12-14, 2013 Orlando, FL www.infocommshow.org
Need information on upcoming industry events? Go to: www.caba.org/events
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