Extend Data Center BAS Without Rewiring: Wireless LoRaWAN® Sensors + BACnet with MultiTech
Extend Data Center BAS with Wireless Sensors + BACnet with MultiTech
Data centers are packed with critical systems—and packed with constraints. You need more visibility (thermal, humidity, differential pressure, leak, door status, generator and UPS rooms, CRAC/CRAH performance, energy and water) but adding new BAS points can mean after-hours work, security escorts, downtime risk, and expensive cable runs through live spaces.
A better approach is to extend the Building Automation System (BAS) with a purpose-built wireless sensing layer that lands data into your existing BACnet/Niagara workflows, so operators and technicians get new points, alarms, and trends without a construction project.
Wireless sensors (LoRaWAN) + BACnet integration + MultiTech edge connectivity = fast, scalable data center expansions.
Why are data centers are different (and why wired expansions hurt)
In commercial buildings, rewiring is inconvenient. In data centers, it’s often a non-starter:
- Change control and uptime requirements make invasive work hard to schedule
- Hot aisle / cold aisle containment complicates pulling wire and adding devices
- High density & constant airflow means small thermal issues become big problems fast
- Security and access policies slow down commissioning and maintenance
- Legacy BAS layouts weren’t designed for the sensor density operators want today
Wireless adds points where you need them—without disrupting production environments.
Where MultiTech Fits in Data Center Deployments
MultiTech enables system integrators and data center operators to add a secure, enterprise-grade wireless extension layer to existing Building Automation Systems—without disrupting operations or introducing unmanaged risk.
MultiTech delivers this by focusing on three things that matter in critical environments:
Secure, Industrial-Grade Edge Connectivity
MultiTech gateways are purpose-built for industrial and critical facility deployments, with hardened hardware, secure boot, encrypted communications, and flexible backhaul options. These platforms consistently pass rigorous security reviews and procurement testing from some of the world’s largest enterprises, on the first pass; avoiding the delays and rework that often derail projects when gateways fail security validation repeatedly.
Scalable Operations Across Sites and Portfolios
Whether supporting a single data hall or an entire global portfolio, MultiTech enables consistent, repeatable deployments through centralized device management. With MultiTech Device Manager, teams gain visibility, lifecycle management, and operational consistency across sites, so wireless expansion doesn’t become a collection of one-off installs that are difficult to support long term.
Built for BAS and BMS Integration, Not Standalone Dashboards
MultiTech deployments are integration-forward by design. Wireless sensor data is delivered into existing BAS/BMS platforms, often BACnet and Niagara-based—so operators interact with new points the same way they do wired ones. Alarms, trends, and workflows live in the system of record, not in yet another dashboard that operators are expected to check.
Why This Matters in Data Centers
In data centers, value isn’t created by adding sensors; it’s created when new data becomes actionable. MultiTech ensures that wireless points flow directly into the BAS / NMS where alarms, escalation paths, and operational response already exist. The result is faster commissioning, fewer security roadblocks, and a lower-risk path to expanding visibility in live, mission-critical environments.
LoRaWAN vs Wi-Fi vs BLE for Extending a Building Automation System (BAS)
When extending a BAS with wireless sensors, the real question isn’t bandwidth; it’s risk, operational fit, and scale. Wi-Fi and BLE can work in limited scenarios, but LoRaWAN is purpose-built for safely adding hundreds of sensor points into BACnet-based systems without rewiring or disrupting operations.
Important Considerations |
LoRaWAN |
Wi-Fi |
BLE |
|---|---|---|---|
Faster, Lower-Risk Expansion of Your BMS |
✅ Add sensors without opening walls or re-engineering the system. Overlay wireless sensing onto existing BAS architecture. | ❌ Often requires network redesign, VLANs, IT coordination, and access point density changes. | ❌ Requires dense gateway placement and careful tuning; fragile at scale. |
No Change to Operator Workflow |
✅ Wireless sensors appear as standard BACnet points (AVs, BVs, MVs) inside the existing BMS or Niagara station. | ❌ Data often lands in separate dashboards or requires middleware layers. | ❌ Typically managed outside the BAS; not native to BACnet workflows. |
Operational Visibility — Not More Dashboards |
✅ Sensor data lives where operators already work: trends, alarms, graphics, schedules. | ❌ Frequently introduces parallel monitoring tools and UI training. | ❌ Usually adds another interface technicians must learn. |
Security & IT Approval |
✅ Secure-by-design, end-to-end encryption from sensor to BAS. Edge-based architectures reduce IT attack surface. | ❌ Extends the corporate network into field devices; increases IT scrutiny and risk reviews. | ⚠️ Security varies; often viewed as consumer-grade by enterprise IT. |
Enterprise-Grade Hardware & Support |
✅ US-based design, development, and manufacturing of secure edge hardware. Proven in critical environments. | ❌ Commodity hardware with limited industrial lifecycle guarantees. | ❌ Typically not designed for industrial or critical-facility use. |
Predictable, Standards-Based Integration |
✅ Standards-based BACnet/IP or Niagara integration. Clear object mapping, trends, alarms — no proprietary lock-in. | ❌ Integration paths vary widely; often proprietary or vendor-specific. | ❌ Rarely integrates cleanly into BACnet or Niagara without custom work. |
Scales Across Buildings & Portfolios |
✅ Designed for single buildings or entire portfolios. Centralized device management and repeatable deployments. | ❌ Scaling requires more access points, more IT work, and more ongoing maintenance. | ❌ Does not scale well beyond small areas or point use cases. |
Battery Life & Maintenance Burden |
✅ Ultra-low power. Sensors often last 5–10 years on battery — fewer truck rolls and access approvals. | ❌ High power consumption; frequent charging or hard-wired power required. | ⚠️ Better than Wi-Fi, but still limited for multi-year deployments. |
Signal Penetration in Real Buildings |
✅ Excellent penetration through walls, floors, basements, plant rooms, and risers. | ⚠️ Walls and density degrade reliability quickly. | ❌ Poor penetration; struggles through obstacles. |
Best-Fit BAS Use Cases |
Building monitoring, data centers, IAQ, leak detection, thermal zones, pressure, energy & water expansion | User internet access, video, high-bandwidth IT applications | Proximity use cases, short-range sensors, asset beacons |
High-value data center use cases for wireless BAS extensions
Thermal monitoring where you actually need it
- Hot aisle / cold aisle edge conditions
- Underfloor supply temperature zones
- Return air pockets and recirculation trouble spots
- Rack-adjacent “canary points” to catch drift early
Value: Quicker detection of thermal anomalies and fewer “mystery hotspots.”
Humidity and dew point risk zones
- CRAC/CRAH supply/return monitoring
- Perimeter areas near loading docks and entrances
- Spaces with condensation risk (pipe chases, mechanical rooms)
Value: Reduce condensation/corrosion risk and improve environmental stability.
Differential pressure & airflow assurance
- Containment performance verification
- Filter pressure and airflow indicators (where applicable)
- Critical room pressure relationships (electrical rooms, battery rooms, etc.)
Value: Validate containment and identify airflow problems before they become capacity constraints.
Water leak detection that doesn’t require trenching
- Under raised floor leak zones
- Mechanical rooms, pump skids, valve vaults
- Near condensate lines, chilled water interfaces, and drain pans
Value: Faster leak detection, fewer incidents, better incident documentation.
Door, gate, and access-state monitoring
- MEP spaces, roof hatches, cage doors, critical rooms
- “Left open” alerts with timestamps and histories
Value: Better security posture and fewer “unknown condition” events.
Utility metering and pulse counting expansions
- Water usage visibility (makeup water, cooling towers where applicable)
- Sub-metering add-ons when wiring is expensive
Value: Improved resource accountability and sustainability reporting without rework.
