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Solution

Smarter Airports with Battery-Free

Wireless Sensors

Bridging BACnet and Wireless EnOcean
Technology

Airports are complex infrastructures where
facility managers face significant challenges in
maintaining high levels of passenger comfort
while keeping energy use in check. Varying
occupancy patterns across terminal zones
– gates, lounges, baggage claim – require
flexible, real-time environmental data to support
optimal HVAC and lighting. Battery-free wireless
sensors, integrated with BACnet-based building
automation systems, provide an efficient, © Getty Images/iStockphoto
scalable solution for these challenges.

Scalable Sensing for Smart Terminals

Continuous monitoring of indoor environmental
quality demands extensive sensor deployment –
particularly across high-traffic public buildings
like airport terminals. A conventional approach
using wired or battery-powered sensors
becomes cost-prohibitive due to installation
labor and maintenance needs.

For example, Heathrow’s four main terminals SmartServer IoT © EnOcean
span over 540,000 m². Ensuring comfort and
air quality in such a space requires dense sensor
coverage – typically one CO sensor per 2500 Installation becomes dramatically simplified: making integration seamless. The SmartServer
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m², plus temperature, humidity, illumination, sensors can be adhered directly to walls or also supports semantic tagging with standards
and motion detection. Roughly 400 multi-sensor ceilings, eliminating the need for wires or battery like Project Haystack or Brick Schema to simplify
devices would be necessary, each traditionally maintenance. The result is a future-proof sensor use in analytics and optimization tools.
involving either extensive wiring or periodic infrastructure that is highly adaptable to spatial
battery replacement. reconfigurations or operational shifts – ideal for Conclusion
dynamic environments like airports.
To address this challenge, multi-functional, Battery-free wireless sensors represent a
battery-free wireless sensors powered by ambient Integrating with the BACnet Network transformative technology for large-scale
energy sources offer a compelling alternative. With facilities. By harnessing energy harvesting and
a pair of devices providing integrated temperature, The EnOcean SmartServer IoT integrates battery- BACnet integration, airports can significantly
humidity, CO , light, and occupancy detection, free sensor data into the existing BACnet building improve passenger comfort while achieving
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each pair minimizes the number of units needed management system. Each sensor appears as demonstrable energy savings. These next-
while maximizing data coverage. a digital twin with location and key values like generation sensing technologies will play a
CO , temperature, and humidity. These BACnet critical role in making airports smarter and
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Energy Harvesting: No Wires, no Batteries objects behave just like those from wired devices, greener spaces.
These sensors use indoor solar cells to harvest
energy from ambient light enabling permanent
operation without external power or batteries.
Data transmission is wireless and can be
easily integrated with BACnet-based systems, Rich Blomseth
ensuring seamless integration into existing Director of Product Management at EnOcean
building management frameworks. www.enocean.com

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