Johnson Controls and TI: Advancing security in buildings

Imagine a world where buildings have greater access to reliable security and safety, enabling you to remotely control your door lock for a visitor or receive an alert if the front door of your business opens while you’re away. To make this possible, connectivity is essential to detect intrusion or prevent unexpected incidents. 

Recognizing the role that wireless connectivity has in everyday life, Johnson Controls developed the PowerG protocol, a Sub-1 GHz two-way wireless protocol that enables low-power, long-range communication in products that increase security in buildings and enable cost savings for end users.

To increase access to secure connectivity across a wider range of devices and applications, Johnson Controls collaborated with TI. Together, they developed a scalable solution that increases access to the PowerG protocol for Johnson Controls’ customers.

“Collaborating with TI has been fantastic, not only on the PowerG protocol, but as a whole,” said Kevin Woodworth, senior director of intrusion at Johnson Controls. “One of the things that impresses me the most about TI is the breadth of their portfolio to help us accomplish what we need to do.”

For 140 years, Johnson Controls has sought to transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play, adopting technology as the world evolved to increase safety and security. Johnson Controls' wireless PowerG protocol has a variety of applications in buildings with products in residential and commercial settings such as motion, glass break, temperature, flood and smoke detectors, and smart locks, thermostats and plugs.

Over the last 10 years, Johnson Controls has worked to develop the PowerG protocol into a reliable option among other wireless protocols. Unlike shorter-range protocols that depend on mesh networks that require more devices and battery life to function, the PowerG protocol uses less power while still maintaining a longer and more reliable range. Among other long-range connectivity options, the PowerG protocol’s advantages include its maturity and history of successful deployment. Even compared to proprietary protocols, the PowerG protocol requires fewer fixes or replacements in end-equipment that a user might need to complete.

The PowerG protocol has helped enable temperature-monitoring technologies in resort cabins so that the owner can automate optimal times to turn thermostats on and off without entering the building to save money. At the same resort, the PowerG protocol’s flood-detection technology can alert the owner if a sewage pump is at risk of failing. Smart locks with the PowerG protocol also enable a schedule that restricts employee access to resort cabins during certain hours, increasing guests’ privacy and sense of personal safety.

To equip third-party partners with reliable and long-range connectivity that advances security, Johnson Controls knew that they had to couple the technology’s proven reliability with a hardware design that easy to implement. To address this, they worked with TI to develop the CC1312PSIP module.

“Our collaboration with Johnson Controls to bring the CC1312PSIP to market has enabled the PowerG protocol to make buildings smarter and more secure. By combining the secure, long range protocol expertise of Johnson Controls with TI’s low-power expertise, the radio performance and SiP module allows Johnson Controls to easily and cost-effectively add reliable wireless connectivity to any IoT application,” said Marian Kost, vice president and general manager of connectivity at TI.

Instead of mounting each component onto a circuit board, which increases development time when switching from another protocol to the PowerG protocol, the CC1312PSIP module saves board space with high integration and a simpler board layout. Since TI has already completed the complex design elements necessary for a radio-frequency layout, there’s also a lower chance for a printed circuit board (PCB) respin risk or need to revise and remanufacture a PCB.

With the CC1312PSIP, the design and ease of implementation of the PowerG protocol technology enables quicker and more streamlined adoption, advancing the goals of Johnson Controls for the PowerG protocol.

“We now have millions of devices deployed worldwide with TI chips, so it’s been a long-standing and symbiotic relationship where TI has continued to meet our needs,” Woodworth said. “We want to take the PowerG protocol to new applications and put it everywhere we can, and we’re looking forward to continuing our collaboration to expand the PowerG protocol.”

Johnson Controls transforms the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, their mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet.

Building on a proud history of 140 years of innovation, Johnson Controls delivers the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through OpenBlue, their comprehensive digital offering.

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