BRE IP1/07 PDF

Introduction

Many products are already available which use Internet Protocol (IP) as their communications protocol and which may be successfully integrated with an existing IP network for a variety of applications – in particular the remote management of building services, CCTV monitoring and voice communication. As the benefits of adopting IP enabled devices become more widely recognised, and understanding and trust of the underlying technologies develop, the integration of other building systems such as energy management, HVAC, access control, security and life safety will be increasingly considered and implemented.

For systems where rapid cost savings can be made (eg CCTV), a wide range of products from many different manufacturers is already available. For other systems (eg lighting) there is currently little to be gained by switching to IP based systems and so the choice of products is more limited.