February 8, 2005

Survey by Sensicast and B&B Electronics Finds 45% of Respondents to Deploy Wireless Sensor Networks in 2005

Nearly 70 percent of Respondents Looking into Sensor Networks for Industrial Monitoring Applications

NEEDHAM, MA - February 8, 2005 - Sensicast Systems, provider of wireless sensor networking products and solutions, and B&B Electronics, a leading manufacturer of data communication products for industrial automation, today released the results of an online survey of end users and system integrators in the industrial automation marketplace regarding the subject of wireless sensor networks. Overall, the survey found strong interest in wireless sensor networking technologies. According to the results, 45 percent of respondents are considering deploying a wireless sensor network in 2005, and nearly 70 percent are researching wireless sensors for industrial monitoring applications. The survey is the first in a series that Sensicast and B&B Electronics have designed to track industry attitudes towards wireless sensor networks.

The survey inquired about cost savings associated with wireless sensor networks and found that 58 percent of respondents believe they would save more than $100 in wiring and labor costs for each wireless sensor deployed and 33 percent anticipated more than $250 savings per sensor. Given the large number of sensors found in most such deployments, this points to considerable cost savings across the industrial enterprise. In addition, nearly 70 percent of respondents plan to use wireless sensors within harsh radio frequency environments like those commonly found in industrial automation. Other findings include:

  • 55 percent prefer using the 2.4GHz frequency band; 25 percent prefer 900MHz
  • Nearly half of the respondents think that battery operation of wireless sensors is important to their applications
  • Only 41 percent of respondents are familiar with the ZigBee mesh networking standard; however, 61 percent of those familiar find ZigBee support important for future interoperability

"The survey clearly demonstrates the industrial sector's strong interest in wireless sensor networks, and the desire for interoperable wireless that can withstand the challenging RF environments found in industrial settings," said Paul Sereiko, CEO of Sensicast Systems, Inc. "We believe that it's important to deliver reliable sensor network solutions that can be deployed cost effectively and are flexible enough to meet the demanding requirements set forth by our customers."

"The survey validated our research, but uncovered new information as well," said Don Wiencek, president of B&B Electronics, an early developer and distributor of mesh networking systems and IEEE 802.15.4 conversion products. "We understood cost savings as the key driver of adoption and reliability in harsh environments as the critical requirement. Surprising is that the adoption rate may exceed our expectations. With nearly 70 percent of respondents researching wireless sensor network options, 2005 will be the year of intense scrutiny of sensor networks for the industrial market."

To get more survey results, whitepapers and other information about the market for wireless sensors in Industrial Monitoring, go to: http://www.sensicast.com/contact_us/mailer.request.php?reqtype=wp

About B&B Electronics

B&B Electronics (www.bb-elec.com) is a leading manufacturer of data communication products for industrial automation, retail services and building control fields. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Ottawa, Illinois. They serve over 50,000 customers from all parts of the world. A wholly-owned sales and service facility is located in Ireland, serving Europe, Africa and the Middle East. B&B Electronics is a subsidiary of Avtek Corporation, a privately held company in Providence, RI.

About Sensicast

Founded in 2002, Sensicast (www.sensicast.com) provides complete wireless sensor networks to a wide range of industries. At the core of Sensicast's sensing solutions is the comprehensive Sensicast Sensor Network Platform. Consisting of the SensiNet™ mesh networking protocol and SensiMesh® gateway server software, Sensicast's Platform provides the simplest, most cost-effective way to develop and deploy reliable network solutions for intelligent wireless monitoring. Sensicast is focused on providing complete solutions for system integrators and a development platform for original equipment manufacturers. Sensicast is a privately held company with Ardesta, LLC as its primary investor.