In November 2005 Siemens Building Technologies, a leading provider of energy and environmental solutions, building controls, fire safety and security system solutions, introduced APOGEE Wireless, the first wireless building automation system based on mesh topology. Now, it has incorporated reliable, redundant mesh networking technology to ensure its new wireless room temperature sensors are immune to signal interruption, reveals the company’s press release. As a result, these innovative wireless sensors are ready to meet the real-world needs of facility owners and HVAC system designers looking to deploy wireless technology in demanding HVAC control system applications.

“Until now, all wireless room temperature sensors had only one wireless communication path to their associated controller. If its communication link was disrupted due to a physical obstruction, communications were lost until the obstruction was removed”, says Rick LeBlanc, Senior Vice President of Siemens Building Technologies. “Because the new Siemens sensor is part of an inherently redundant network, the sensor is able to automatically find a new path using the other radio nodes on the network – therefore the communication link can’t be compromised.”

Signal integrity is only part of the sensor’s overall reliability advantage. Efficient embedded intelligence and other aspects of its design contribute to long battery life—five years under normal use. Designed on a ZigBee-compliant platform with a display that features temperature, setpoint values and occupancy condition, the device will enable the most ambitious, cost-efficient HVAC control schemes. HVAC system designers and contractors can place the wireless sensor in the most optimal location to deliver occupant comfort and control rather than where it is easiest to wire.