Technology doesn’t have to be complicated

The industry has talked about convergence of networks for many years. Today, it’s a reality. Intelligent or smart buildings are here and they’re evolving. An integrated building is a connected building, and a connected building is a smart building.

Intelligent buildings are already up and occupied, and are now commonly part of design criteria. Many case studies and white papers are available on the subject, from the likes of CISCO and several others. The future is now – don’t get left behind!

Sustainability, flexibility, lower energy, lower cost of ownership, asset creation and a smarter way of working! There’s a reason they’re called smart buildings.

Case studies already prove that not only do you lower your operational expenditure when the building is designed in a smart fashion, it can also result in reduced capital expenditure.

If it’s IP, we integrate it. Typically, that includes the full IT network, digital AV, IP cameras, wi-fi, access systems and many other building management services. The key is our expertise and knowledge, which allows us to walk the walk. From interpretation of design and procurement, through implementation, to final commissioning and support.

The Internet of Things (IoT) brings together end devices and building services to create an integrated and connected community. Think transport via the structured cabling system, add collaboration spaces, voice and data services, IP cameras and WI-FI APs, plus power over ethernet lighting, access controls and more. All connected using a common protocol (IP) and a single common communications network.

The creation of this common platform that allows integrated connectivity demands the highest quality of design and implementation. This is your highway between end devices and the network intelligence. Smart buildings demand error free connections end to end. You wouldn’t invest in a Ferrari to run over a cobbled street! High performing networks require high quality pathways. IoT end devices rely on the integrity of this connectivity.

With the arrival of high performance networks and specialized design considerations, Division 16 electrical was split into two disciplines (division 26 and 27). Data cabling, also called structured cabling, is the domain of specialist companies with accredited designers and qualified installation crews. BICSI and the TIA are the leading industry authorities who establish both the standards and education requirements for compliance.

The best delivered projects are those with the best considered planning. AV today is a digital platform and has been part of the IP converged world for many years now. Too many project managers will know the impact of late comers to a project and the costs incurred. Having specialists in IP connectivity working on your design and implementation will see all services including AV covered.

Modular I.T. solutions are the last step in creating a truly flexible workspace.  An investment in architectural or prefabricated walls would be compromised with point-to-point cabling being used to anchor assets. RapidNet allows for assets to be moved without having to pay for the cabling again.  Plug and Play is truly complementary and necessary the achieve maximum workspace flexibility.

2014 marked the end of analogue AV and the start of digital.  Now that AV is in the IP arena, it can exist on the standard I.T. network. As digital AV has advanced, many more solutions have been brought to the market.  Wireless capability in particular has freed up the AV assets with meeting rooms and collaboration spaces now truly flexible.

PCC only design with and implement plug and play solutions. Our interpretation of plug and play is ease of deployment and reusability. The solution must be sustainable and create an asset to the building or clients’ infrastructure. If it cannot be reused, redeployed or flexible to meet business changes, then it is not an asset. PCC create assets.

Cabling industry standards changed in 2002 to allow for the use of consolidation points. The RapidNet pre-terminated cabling solution has been deployed globally over the past 12 years. Manufactured in 9 countries and distributed in 32, there are now more than 5 million square feet installed in Canada alone. It is not bleeding edge, however, best of breed and the most intelligent cabling solution available that fits 100% to industry standards.

The consolidation point became standard in 2002 when large companies grew frustrated with the lack of flexibility in current cabling systems. The consolidation point was introduced to support flexible environments and is now widely used throughout the industry. There are two types of consolidation points—the modular pre-terminated solution and site manufactured equivalent. Both solutions are standards compliant, however the pre-terminated option will save money, while the site constructed version adds product and labour, resulting in increased costs.

Wireless is and always will be a complementary medium alongside hard wired cabling. Even wireless audio-visual and Wi-Fi access points require physical connectivity to the LAN room.

The nature of LEED dictates that no product or manufacturer contributes to the credit system. However, there are innovation credits that are directly attributable to the design of smart buildings using integrated solutions.

Today fire and safety remains a separate discipline. However, with the implementation of mass notification system legislation in the U.S., it’s coming!

We have delivered projects up to 500,000 square feet, and there is always an economy of scale. That said, we provide the same level of service for those smaller opportunities with equal attention to detail and quality.

There is a higher investment in the materials (the asset), but a reduced labour requirement. The larger the project, the more cost competitive the solution against traditional methods. Where would you sooner invest your money, in the assets that you retain or the labour that walks out when the project is complete!

From the point of order, we work on a maximum timeline of four weeks to get started. Bear in mind that the installation of plug and play technologies is typically only 25% of the time taken for traditional deployments. This is extremely beneficial in project management where our activities are flexible enough to be easily accommodated within a schedule.

Sound-masking was introduced years ago as a productivity aid. Adding sound to quiet spaces made them more comfortable for the working population. It soon got labelled as ‘white noise,’ which was poor quality and tended to drift when using analogue components. Things have moved on significantly, and we are now in the digitized evolution phase with sophisticated, high-quality sound production and zonal control. This has led to the product being used not only for comfort and productivity, but more recently for speech privacy. In 2017, the U.S. spent 17.4 million dollars on network security . Private and confidential verbal communications remain open and unprotected. Sound-masking makes conversations unintelligible, thus creating speech privacy in a localized area.