I. A trillion-yuan existing market is opening up
China's hotel industry has entered a stock era. Over the next three years, 732,000 rooms older than 15 years will enter a concentrated renovation cycle , with the market size already exceeding 100 billion yuan . Since 2026, the number of renovation contracts signed has already surpassed the total number for the entire previous year, and "renovation" and "rebranding" are becoming accompanying actions in the upgrading of China's hotel stock .
The core challenge of renovating existing hotels lies in the need to upgrade guest rooms with smart technology while maintaining operations and minimizing disruption to guests. This places demands on the construction costs and deployment flexibility of communication technologies far exceeding those of new projects.
II . Market Trends
The smart hotel market is currently experiencing a period of structural expansion. Market research firms predict that the global smart hotel market will grow to US$90.46 billion by 2032 , representing a compound annual growth rate of 14.20% . The Asia-Pacific region is the fastest-growing area, driven by high smartphone penetration, urban tourism expansion, and large-scale hotel modernization .
In terms of connectivity technology, PLCs are transforming from a "supplement to wireless solutions" to a "connection base for hotel guest room control ." This judgment is based not only on Lihe Micro's implementation data but also on changes in the competitive landscape: Honeywell's INNCOM FLEX intelligent hotel guest room control system, released in September 2026, explicitly supports "wired and wireless dual deployment solutions" and is compatible with mainstream building protocols such as BACnet IP and Modbus TCP, reflecting the leading building automation manufacturers' recognition of the "multi-protocol compatibility and open deployment" approach .
III . The Dilemma Between Wired and Wireless
Traditional hotel guest room control systems face a structural dilemma.
Wired solutions (RS-485 bus, TCP/IP Ethernet) offer stable and reliable communication with strong anti-interference capabilities and no data packet loss issues, but require the laying of dedicated communication cables. In existing renovation scenarios, this means trenching, ceiling removal, and wall repair, resulting in long construction periods and often requiring closure or phased construction, significantly impacting hotel operations . This type of solution is more suitable for new construction or complete renovation of high-end hotels .
Wireless solutions (Bluetooth Mesh, Zigbee, Wi-Fi) offer flexible deployment options, requiring only the laying of power lines, making them cost-effective and easy to install in converted hotels . However, wireless signals face challenges in complex hotel structures, such as wall attenuation, metal cabinet obstruction, and co-channel interference, resulting in weaker communication stability compared to wired methods. Furthermore, the location of the equipment significantly impacts signal quality .
No single technological approach can simultaneously meet the dual requirements of "uninterrupted transformation" and "highly reliable communication." What the industry needs is a third path.
IV . PLC: Resolving the conflict between "existing power lines" and "new wiring".
The core logic of PLC (Power Line Carrier Communication) differs fundamentally from traditional solutions. Wireless solutions rely on electromagnetic wave propagation, and signals experience significant attenuation when passing through load-bearing concrete walls and metal structures. In contrast, PLC uses the building's existing 220V/380V power lines as the data transmission medium. Signals travel along the power lines and are unaffected by physical obstructions from walls, floors, or metal structures—as long as the circuit is powered, the communication link remains stable .
Real-world test data supports these technical characteristics: PLC-IoT end-to-end response latency is consistently below 50 milliseconds , and the communication success rate is nominally as high as 99.99% ; a single host can support 128–384 device nodes; academic research confirms that PLC-IoT has comprehensive advantages over ZigBee and KNX technologies in terms of stability, cost-effectiveness, and anti-interference capabilities .
For hotel renovation projects, the most valuable feature of PLCs is that they eliminate the need for wiring.
V. Open ecosystems are replacing closed solutions
The accelerated adoption of PLC technology in the hotel industry also benefits from the industry's reflection on "closed-loop guest room control solutions".
Currently, most hotel smart guest room control projects adopt closed-loop solutions, with hotel systems, equipment, and platforms highly dependent on a single supplier. If a vendor experiences operational or technical issues, the entire guest room control system may be paralyzed. Furthermore, incompatible communication protocols between gateway devices from different brands prevent interoperability and hinder system expansion, resulting in persistently high costs for subsequent hotel upgrades, maintenance, and iterations .
Based on a unified protocol standard, the PLCP ecosystem brings together products such as switch panels, light drivers, curtain motors, and temperature control panels from numerous equipment manufacturers. Hotels can flexibly select from multiple brands and categories, eliminating the supply chain risks of "one vendor monopolizing" products.
This trend offers a clear message for module manufacturers: hotel customers are no longer simply buying "a gateway + a set of equipment," but are looking for "a standard + an ecosystem." As the underlying communication layer, modules need to be compatible with mainstream protocol stacks.
VI . PLC module slots of Qogrisys
Shenzhen Ofeixin Technology Co., Ltd. has developed two core module products for hotel scenarios in the PLC field.
The 3121N-H (based on the HiSilicon Hi3121S) is based on a subset of the IEEE 1901.1 standard. A single CCO supports up to 200 STA nodes , dynamic routing, and automatic multi-path addressing. A typical 200-node, two-tier network can be set up within 10 seconds . The module size is 23.5×30mm, integrating built-in line drivers and onboard coupling circuitry, and providing interfaces such as UART, PWM, GPIO, I2C, and ADC. Qogrisys has also designed an integrated PLC + power supply kit with a built-in conversion transformer for direct connection to 220V bidirectional AC power, facilitating rapid product adoption by customer control solution providers .
The S130N-ISI (based on the Leadcore VC6330) uses an LCC package, measuring only 20.6×12.6mm , making its ultra-miniaturized design suitable for space-constrained hotel panel devices. It integrates a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 MCU and a 32-bit DSP dual-core processor, supporting both China SGCC Q/GDW 11612 and IEEE 1901.1 protocols . The Leadcore VC6330 chip achieves an application-layer communication rate of up to 1Mbps, with a 99.99% communication success rate in actual projects and a Level 1 network communication latency of
