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Honeywell Puts Building Control in Occupants’ Hands

 

Building occupants have for a long time grappled with how to gain access to a facility when they forget their access card at home, or who to call when their work area is not at favorable temperatures, particularly in regions with tough climate conditions. To address these common frustrations, Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced a new mobile software application for building occupants.

With an increase in the use of connected devices and technologies, coupled with busy on-the-go lifestyles, the Honeywell Vector Occupant App combines the convenience of today’s mobile devices with connected building features to give users more control over their comfort levels and ability to securely move about the work place. The new software is the latest example of Honeywell’s leadership in the Internet of Things around connected buildings.

Honeywell Vector Occupant App provides quick comfort controls for occupants to choose their preferred office temperature

Occupants given access to advanced technology
The new app provides digital identification and integrates with core building functions, including access and comfort control, to enhance building occupants’ experience with the touch of a screen. The app’s access control capability eliminates the need for physical cards or fobs and gives users secure access via their smart phones. In addition, occupants can quickly and easily communicate temperature discomfort for real time adjustments instead of the more time-consuming process currently used of seeking out a facility manager or making a phone call to request temperature changes.

Simplified facility management
The Honeywell Vector Occupant App allows facility managers to benefit from immediate insight into where and how comfortable occupants are, so they can make adjustments more quickly and easily. The app’s digital identification and access control capabilities make it easier to manage occupant credentials, eliminating the need for keeping track of and replacing misplaced access cards.

“Across the Middle East, facility managers and occupants are increasingly focusing on making their buildings smarter through innovative technologies that allow them to be more green, safe and productive. This new app gives users more control over energy usage and costs, while also offering increased comfort and convenience, which is of particular relevance in this region where high temperatures can make everyday life challenging,” said Anthony Azar, General Manager for Honeywell Building Solutions Middle East. “Occupant engagement is an increasingly important aspect of intelligent building solutions, and the smart phone app is an innovative new platform for gathering insight that can refine environmental conditions to optimize workspaces,” concluded Azar.

Backed by a cloud-based architecture and enabled by HID Global’s Seos® credential technology, the Honeywell Vector Occupant App works independently of underlying building systems, enabling widespread use and adoption. Administrators within facilities deploying the app access a cloud portal to manage users and features such as corresponding user identification and credentials. Users who download the app must receive an invitation from the administrator in order to gain access to its features.

The app currently features:

• Digital Identification – Eliminates the need for plastic badges or temporary tags and solves the issue of outdated photo IDs by providing an up-to-date photograph
• Convenient Access Control – Builds on the app’s digital identification feature, offering mobile-based access control that can easily be managed by a facility and eliminate the need to track and replace cards or fobs. Occupants have one less item to carry, and can open doors from greater distances than traditional key cards and fobs
• One-Click Hot/Cold Calls – Provides a quick and direct way for occupants to indicate when their work areas are too hot or too cold, and to receive confirmation that their issues are being addressed. Facility managers are alerted to occupants’ discomfort right away and the location of the call, identify patterns and quickly make adjustments to satisfy occupants.

The Honeywell Vector Occupant App is part of Honeywell’s approach to connected services, which leverages the connectivity of buildings to improve how they operate and the experiences they offer for those who visit and work within them. The app is also the latest addition to Honeywell’s mobile software strategy, a significant part of the company’s efforts to provide the latest technology innovations to help keep facilities safe, secure, comfortable, productive and energy efficient. Future enhancements and capabilities are planned for the app that will take advantage of building connectivity. The Honeywell Vector Occupant App currently works with Apple and Android products and is available on iTunes® and Google Play™.