Mar 22 2005
Millennial Net, Inc., the leading developer of self-organizing, wireless sensor networking systems, announced today that its MeshScape(TM) technology is powering JELD-WEN's new Building Envelope Environmental Monitoring Service (BEEMS).
BEEMS is JELD-WEN's cost-effective way to monitor environmental conditions in the building envelope, which includes the inside and outside walls, doors and windows. MeshScape allows BEEMS to be installed in new or old construction at a minimal cost--no network cables are needed.
MeshScape's wireless networking technology is optimized for low power consumption, allowing it to be easily paired with temperature and humidity sensors and installed in hard-to-reach areas where water intrusion and or collection may occur and remain undetected for days, weeks, months and even years. BEEMS has already proven its ability to quickly pinpoint trouble spots even before problems become visibly evident. JELD-WEN installed more than 100 nodes in one hi-rise condominium building to test the integrity of the building envelope.
In the test, not only did the JELD-WEN windows and doors prove to be effective environmental barriers, the technology unexpectedly found a significant problem with water leakage from poorly sealed building panels. Had the problem gone undetected--like many problems inside a building's envelope, it's often years before it becomes visible--the cost to repair the damage could have exceeded US$750,000.
JELD-WEN sees the partnership as an ideal fit with its leadership position as it looks beyond doors and windows to ensure the integrity of the entire building envelope.
"BEEMS enhances our many product offerings and protects the investment our customers make to meet their building needs," said Product Integrity Manager Wally Corwin. "Not only does this help ensure the proper installation and integrity of our products, but it also allows our customers to detect problems in other parts of the building."
"Our work to integrate Millennial Net's MeshScape wireless sensor network technology with JELD-WEN's new service is truly innovative, as it brings the concept of predictive maintenance--which has been widely adopted in the manufacturing industry--to commercial and residential buildings," said Mark Pacelle, vice president of marketing at Millennial Net.
"Applications like this require the ability for a sensor network to scale to hundreds of nodes with extremely low power consumption--indicative of the large-scale, highly power efficient sensor networks that Millennial Net is uniquely able to deploy. We're pleased to have the opportunity to take a leadership role alongside JELD-WEN. "
The Millennial Net system software is optimized for robust, reliable, scalable, highly dynamic wireless sensor networking and delivers easy-to-embed hardware modules and assemblies to facilitate the development and deployment process.