Future ZigBee applications could control lighting fixtures and monitor moisture levels on lawns and manage outdoor sprinkler use. Hotels and motel chains already use ZigBee-based controls to simultaneously save on utility consumption and provide more comfortable room temperatures for their guests. “When a customer checks in or out, the [network] automatically turns the air conditioning or heat on or off” so it doesn’t run non-stop while a room is unoccupied, says Joyce Putscher, an analyst with In-Stat, a market research firm based in Scottsdale, Ariz.
ZIGZAGS For ZigBee to reach its potential, though, applications must get closer to a “ZigBee in a box” model that will allow owners and managers to quickly and easily put the sensors, radio transmissions, and ZigBee standards to work.
In the single-family market, the Eaton Corp., a manufacturer in Cleveland, offers a “home awareness system,” which comes with a base station, home key, and sensors, that allows homeowners to check everything from whether a garage door is open to whether an iron was left on.
Still, there are zigzags ahead in ZigBee’s path to widespread adoption. Applications are still new and under development, although interest is high: ZigBee Alliance membership has leaped to more than 150 companies, all with varying applications in mind. For those applications that are available, costs are relatively high, although Pryzant says his ZigBee system paid for itself within a few months. Multifamily owner and manager Pryzant also notes that the ZigBee “infrastructure” still requires professional installation. “I think we were a beta site,” he says. “And there were some kinks to work out.”
Some multifamily firms aren’t considering the technology. “We aren’t doing ZigBee at all,” says Greg Hardt, information systems coordinator at ERC Properties in Fort Smith, Ark. Others are waiting until the standard is well-established. “You absolutely have to have standards or there will be a lot of versions,” notes Lane Co.’s McMurray. “Early adopters will buy proprietary technology and then have to swap it out.” (The ZigBee Alliance says it has made some strides toward ensuring standardization and interoperability.)
Finally, some property owners note that they have more pressing tech initiatives to implement before they commit budget dollars to an emerging technology like ZigBee. “This whole industry has started to move to Web-based property management systems,” says Shelton Barron, vice president, management information systems, at Mid-America Apartment Communities in Memphis. “It’s been so far behind the times for years, we have to get [the systems] in place and take advantage of it” before considering a new, unproven technology like ZigBee.
–Teri Robinson is a freelance writer in New York.