Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/31501
2 SECURITY STATS www.securitysystemsnews.com APRIL 2011 SECURITY SYSTEMS NEWS SECURITY STATS Wireless sensor market set for growth A Building automation, security applications, service provider competition major drivers By Daniel Gelinas ccording to a recent report from ABI Research, the worldwide market for wire- less sensors in building automa- tion and security applications is set to see impressive growth over the next five years, growing from 1.09 million units shipped in 2010 to 25.92 million units shipped in 2015. According to ABI principal analyst Jonathan Collins, while building automation will be a primary con- Growth of worldwide wireless sensor market tributor to wireless sensor market growth, security applications also will figure in. “The technology will push to Millions of units shipped replace wired systems across a range of applications including fire and safety, lighting, and access control,” Collins said. “Wireless sensor networks—or WSNs—bring many benefits regarding installation and flexibility which is helping to grow adoption. Additional factors are the increasing move toward standardized ICs [integrated circuits] mainly around 802.15.4 silicon. Standardization means greater ease of implementation for device and sensor manufacturers and increas- ingly lower IC costs. There is also the potential for Wi-Fi networks to be leveraged, which would carry IP all the way to the device, but IP support isn’t a particularly strong driver on its own.” Collins said that in addition to the growing move toward all-IP solutions, increasing competition between service providers would also be a growth driver. “There is growing competition to deliver home automation and security services. Lower cost, easily deployed wireless sensors enable home security providers to leverage the online connectivity of their secu- rity panels to offer new services for managing a home remotely,” Collins said. “Likewise other service provid- ers with similar connections to the home will be looking to expand into home security offerings.” What are some of the stumbling blocks installers will face as they move forward with wireless tech? “Wireless sensors remain new to the market and to the majority of consumers,” Collins said. “Wireless has to enter the market and compete with existing offerings.” That being said, the best thing installers can do to prep for a wireless future is to get educated and maintain contact with customers. “Installer integrators can develop their own WSN-based offering and leverage the tech- nology flexibility combined with specialist knowledge to deliver better systems and services to customers,” Collins said. “They can also leverage their contact with consumers to promote the potential for additional services and applications to be supported by additional wireless sensors than may be part of a standard deployment.” SSN Jonathan Collins ABI Research 2011