Smart buildings have emerged as the fastest-growing vertical market for LoRaWan deployments, according to members of the LoRa Alliance.

Key applications driving a rapid return on investment (RoI) for building owners include energy and operational efficiency, environmental monitoring, and preventive maintenance. Legislation, such as France’s BACS decree, imposes a gradual reduction in energy consumption, which is also accelerating activity in this sector.

“The smart building market has truly taken off this year as major building management companies have realised substantial benefits on the back of LoRaWan deployments,” said Alper Yegin, CEO of the LoRa Alliance. “Research from Transforma Insights shows that LPWAN technologies such as LoRaWan will collectively grow from 439 million in 2024 to approaching 1.8 billion in 2034. LoRaWan adoption has skyrocketed in the smart buildings sector because operators realise the benefits it offers alongside a strong RoI once implemented.”

Building management has historically relied on wired systems, but these are now being replaced with wireless technologies that offer faster, more flexible deployment. Among the available options, LoRaWan is said to be the only wireless technology that can penetrate walls while maintaining low-power consumption.

This combination is what makes LoRaWan stand out within the smart building industry and what has accelerated adoption, enabling operational efficiency and connectivity in the smart building environment.

LoRaWans can co-exist with other wireless networks, as they are complementary to wifi, Bluetooth, 5G and RFID, among others, enhancing their suitability for smart building applications. With the technology’s ability to integrate seamlessly into building management system standards such as Bacnet, KNX and Modbus, LoRaWan enables a quick path to modernising and upgrading older facilities while retaining the value of existing building management systems. Benefits are equally significant for new construction, with a wide range of certified sensors available to manage building environments, energy use and more.

Recent developments include Verizon installing sensor insights at the State Farm Arena, where the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks play. This enables real-time monitoring of IoT-enabled sensors for operational efficiency. The insights support multiple IoT protocols, including LoRaWan, allowing users to manage sensors, gateways and connectivity from a central portal for optimised decision-making.

Milesight’s IoT sensing capabilities have been integrated with Tridium’s Niagara framework. The goal is to simplify system integration and improve overall efficiency in smart building projects, helping reduce time spent on system learning, configuration and deployment.

In Dubai, a commercial building implemented Milesight’s LoRaWan smart lighting control system to enhance energy efficiency and operational convenience. Using IoT technology, the building achieved a 25% reduction in lighting energy consumption within one month, saving approximately 11,000 hours of lighting use monthly.

Tektelic’s Kona micro gateway offers strong indoor coverage up to four concrete floors, battery backup, and remote provisioning to help property managers meet New York’s new gas safety regulation, which requires natural gas alarms in all rooms with gas appliances.

A New York high-rise condo, deemed uninsurable after two major water events, saw premiums jump from $150,000 to $850,000. Management worked with ProSentry to install 320 smart LoRaWan water sensors, detecting 31 leaks and catching a freezing door incident in real time before damage escalated.

Minew deployed hundreds of LoRaWan sensors across major hospitals in Hong Kong. This improved room occupancy visibility, cold storage compliance, and indoor air quality, delivering real-time insights and scalable infrastructure across hundreds of thousands of square metres.

Swisscom deployed a LoRaWan service-on-demand option for inspection rounds in facility management that cut work times for Post Real Estate Management & Services by 30%. And MClimate deployed LoRaWan smart water damage prevention in the Millennium Business Center in Lausanne-Crissier, Switzerland, providing immediate flood detection to prevent water damage.

Kerlink and Microshare deployed a LoRaWan IoT network at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability in London. In just a few days, sensors enabled real-time monitoring for bed occupancy, energy use, fridge temperatures and equipment tracking, boosting hospital efficiency, patient care and cost savings without impacting core IT systems.

“Given the projected growth in smart buildings over the next five years, LoRaWan providers are extremely well-positioned to capitalise on this growth and bring sustaining value to this sector,” said Yegin.

The LoRa Alliance (lora-alliance.org) is onsite at this week’s Things Conference (www.thethingsconference.com) and IoT Tech Expo (www.iottechexpo.com/europe/), both in Amsterdam.