Author Archives: koonliang

The Future of Smart Buildings

From |
Leave a reply

For many years, building management systems (BMS) have been installed to control and monitor a portion of the building services. These systems, which tend to be expensive, are mostly used in large buildings, especially in the commercial and industrial sectors.

While offering much functionality, they have limitations in their use such as:

  1. Complex installation and configuration processes
  2. Systems are often closed and with limited evolutivity (due to their complexity)
  3. Systems are designed for operators only and not originally designed to provide services to building occupants

Smart buildings offer diversities and allow us to foresee an ultra-connected future; the challenge is to allow integration and interaction with the latest proposed solutions, in order to jointly offer a new user experience.

Phoenix Contact’s answer to the digitalization of building technology

Our IoT-based framework enables the integration of standard communication paths as well as new IP-based protocols. Thanks to open interfaces, existing systems can simply be integrated in the building management system.

The depth of the data ensures that your building projects have an intelligent and needs-based structure that is easy to expand. This applies to heating/ventilation/air conditioning, room and media systems, as well as the security concepts.

Phoenix Contact offers a broad product portfolio, ranging from easy installation to intelligent building automation. From cabling through to surge protection and the intelligent use of data in the building management system, we have intelligent products and solutions for your multi-site premises.

Controller for building infrastructure

The IoT-based ILC 2050 BI controller enables easy connection to standard as well as IP-based field devices. The data points of the technical building equipment captured and standardized at field level are defined once, and are then available to the entire system.

EMpro energy measuring devices

Our range of products for energy and performance measurements can be used to convert, record, measure, and monitor the energy parameters of your technical building equipment. The recorded consumption values provide a basis to increase the energy efficiency of your building.

Measurement and control technology

Isolate, convert, and filter signals, and monitor and control processes in the building: our measurement and control technology components cover all the tasks required for interference-free signal transmission from sensor level to control level.

Industrial communication technology

Regardless of which medium is used for the communication or that needs to be installed, we offer you the relevant solution with copper, fibre optic and wireless products.

STEP POWER power supplies for installation distributors

Use our power supplies and UPS to guarantee the highest availability of your processes. STEP POWER power supplies have been specifically developed for the building automation. They fit into installation distributors as well as flat control panels, and offer maximum energy efficiency.

Surge protection

From the incoming supply to the end device, from the data cable to the photovoltaic system – protect your devices and installations with surge protection from Phoenix Contact.

Phoenix Contact – your partner for leading edge building technology.

EMpro – Making Energy Measurement Easy

From |
Leave a reply

Data is extremely important in today’s world and the future.

All stakeholders and industries from machine builders, automotive industry, facility management, steel industry, industrial production, solar industry and datacentres etc. are collecting their energy data and analysing it. This enables them to make important business decisions that optimise their operations, increase productivity and reduce cost.  This should be able to be done locally and remotely.

Why measuring energy is so important?

“If you can’t measure it… you can’t manage it.”

Phoenix Contact’s innovative and coordinated portfolio of sensors and measuring technology can save you a great deal of effort when it comes to energy data acquisition.

Whether complex energy measurements or simple cost center billing: the broad range of multifunctional energy measuring devices and MID-certified energy meters ensures that there is a product for every application. Furthermore, there is a large selection of current transformers available, also for retrofitting.

The fastest way to measure energy

EMpro energy measuring devices acquire your energy data and communicate it to higher-level control and management systems. The user is able to configure and integrate the devices in just a few steps using the web-based, user-guided installation wizard. You can also benefit from the simple, direct connection of conventional Rogowski coils, and from the many practice-oriented web servers and device functions.

The integrated REST interface and direct connection to the cloud pave the way to the digital world in the Internet of Things (IoT). 24 V versions complete the portfolio.

Advantages of using EMpro measuring devices to manage your energy consumption

Set up communication interface, select grid type and configure measuring input: the EMpro energy measuring devices are configured and integrated into the network within minutes. Reduce your wiring and configuration effort, and benefit from smart web server functions.

Directly to the cloud with EMpro – without using a gateway

Access your measured data and component data anywhere in the world, without using an additional IoT gateway. You won’t need an IoT gateway to aggregate data, to convert between local network protocols and IoT protocols, or for encryption. The IoT-capable EMpro device is able to transfer its data directly and securely to the cloud using a router.

Energy data acquisition via Ethernet for Proficloud

Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) is an established protocol that is widely used in the context of the Internet of Things (IoT).

It is an open message protocol for machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, which enables the transmission of telemetry data between devices in the form of messages – despite long delays or limited networks.

Using Transport Layer Security (TLS), data can be encrypted and transmitted over the Internet or other networks. It is a hybrid encryption protocol (combination of asymmetrical and symmetrical encryption). It enables the secure authentication of communication devices, i.e., it checks the identity of the recipient or sender. In addition, through encryption the transmitted data is protected against unauthorized access by third parties and against tampering or falsification.

Access to data points via REST API in EMpro

Web services are playing a key role in the growth of companies in a digital world. That’s why we tirelessly research web technologies and incorporate well designed solutions into our industrial components.

One of these solutions now enables multifunctional energy measuring devices to communicate via the REST API (Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface).

This interface allows you to easily integrate measured data and device data into your building management system without any existing knowledge of industrial network communication.

In local networks, the devices can be easily accessed via the integrated REST API. 

REST or “Representational State Transfer” is a widely used architecture in the field of IT, which is also gradually being adopted in industrial applications. The user-friendly interface architecture uses well-known Internet protocols. Using any browser, data can be retrieved with just a few commands via an HTTP GET request. You do not need long register tables or special knowledge of industrial communication protocols.

Energy data acquisition in an Ethernet network via Modbus/TCP or RESTful API

EMpro – your choice for making energy measurement easy.