A new one may emerge. In the grand scheme, it matters little. Ten years from now, or five, the protocol issue may be nothing more than a memory. What endures will be the network and its power to carry out the owner's vision of building performance. Creating Value from Knowledge Value is not in devices.
Value is in relationships among distributed intelligence.
A decade ago, HVAC systems consisted of integrating boilers, chillers, pumps, fans, valves, piping and ductwork. Today, HVAC systems are components of facility management systems affecting environmental control, energy management, fire protection, security, maintenance management, lighting control, and much more. Time and innovation will make systems more integrated and more powerful. Increasingly, the value of building systems is not in devices themselves but in the networks that tie them together and in the intelligence that directs them. Devices and control practices will change.