Building retrofit
sensor network
A group of Sense-i nodes measuring environment, electrical load, presence and leaks across an existing building, linked through gateways or cellular to one cloud. Built for buildings that are occupied, finished and hard to cable.
THE PROBLEM
Older buildings hold little room-level data, and rewiring them is disruptive
Most commercial and industrial buildings were built before anyone expected them to report data. They have a BMS that covers the central plant, if anything, and nothing at room level. Owners now need that data for energy reporting, for tenant comfort and for maintenance planning.
Wiring sensors into an occupied hotel, hospital or office means ceiling tiles, containment, out-of-hours work and disruption to tenants. Adding points to an older BMS often needs controllers and licences that are no longer supported.
A wireless network solves the cabling. It brings its own engineering questions: which radio, where to put gateways, how to share the air with Wi-Fi and other systems, and how to keep hundreds of batteries managed.
HOW WE SET IT UP
A network engineered for your building
Radio topology designed, then tested
We choose between Wi-Fi, 4G, LoRa and Zigbee per area, place gateways, and plan channels so the network coexists with the building Wi-Fi and other radio systems. A pilot floor proves the design before rollout.
One platform for every sensor type
Temperature, humidity, current and power, presence and water leak nodes all report into RIOD Live, so energy, comfort and risk sit on one screen per floor.
Managed as a fleet
RIOD Live shows device health and battery level for every node, with remote configuration and OTA updates. Maintenance gets a list of the nodes due for service.
Connected to what you already have
Data passes to your BMS or analytics tools through an API, nodes can drive relay outputs locally, and AI tools can query the data through MCP.
FROM THE FIELD
Where building data has paid back
Taj Hotels: chillers and air conditioning
We monitored power and run status on chillers and AC units so the engineering team could see downtime as it happened and track how quickly maintenance responded, instead of learning about a failure from a guest.
Where wiring was the obstacle
In controlled rooms and cold stores, running new cable is disruptive. Battery-powered wireless loggers let us instrument these spaces without opening walls or insulated panels.
AT A GLANCE
Retrofit sensor network
- Measured
- Temperature, humidity, current and power, presence, water leaks
- Hardware
- Sense-i wireless sensor nodes with gateways where the topology needs them
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, 4G LTE, BLE; LoRa or Zigbee with site gateways
- Security
- MQTT over TLS 1.2
- Platform
- RIOD Live or your own server; device health, OTA, audit trails, PDF and Excel export, MCP access
- Lead time
- About 4 weeks for 100 nodes, about 6 weeks for 1,000
- Engineering note
- Radio topology and coexistence with existing systems are engineered and tested on a pilot floor
FAQ
Questions buyers ask us
Which wireless protocol is best for a building sensor network?
Most retrofits use a mix, chosen area by area. Wi-Fi suits areas with good existing coverage and adapter power. 4G suits scattered points and plant rooms. LoRa reaches far through concrete with low power. Zigbee forms a mesh across a floor.
Will a wireless sensor network interfere with our Wi-Fi?
It is designed to share the air with your Wi-Fi. We review the existing radio systems, choose channels and protocols to suit, and test on a pilot floor before rollout.
Can wireless sensors connect to our existing BMS?
Yes. RIOD Live passes data to a BMS or analytics platform through an API, and nodes can drive relay or control-signal outputs into BMS inputs where a hard-wired signal is preferred.
How long does it take to roll out sensors across a building?
After the pilot, manufacturing takes about 4 weeks for 100 nodes and about 6 weeks for 1,000. Installation is fast because nodes screw to a wall and are configured from a phone over BLE.
Planning to add sensing to an existing building?
Send us the building type, floor plans and what you want to measure. We will propose a radio topology, a pilot floor and the node mix.