BACnet

BACnet - BACnet PTP, BACnet MS/TP, BACnet IP, BACnet Ethernet

Click to learn more about BACnet and FieldServer Technologies

BACnet Solutions from FieldServer Technologies

Applications using FieldServer BACnet solutions :

FieldServer Technologies BACnet Protocol Implementation Conformance (PIC) Statements

BACnet Testing Laboratories

BACnet International established the BACnet Testing Laboratories to publish the BTL Implementation Guidelines and to test products to be awared the BTL mark. The BTL mark is a symbol that indicates to a consumer that a product has passed a series of rigorous tests conducted by an independent laboratory which verifies that the product correctly implements the BACnet features claimed in the listing.  The mark is a symbol of a high-quality BACnet product.  For more information about the BACnet Testing Laboratories go to: http://www.bacnetinternational.net/btl/

The QuickServer FS-QS-1010, ProtoNode RER and ProtoCarrier/ProtoCessor FPC-CD2 have been awarded the BTL Mark for both BACnet/IP and BACnet MS/TP.

BACnet Protocol

BACnet is "a data communication protocol for building automation and control networks." A data communication protocol is a set of rules developed by the BACnet committee at ASHRAE governing the exchange of data over a computer network. The rules take the form of a written specification that spells out what is required to conform to the protocol.

There are 5 different options for BACnet, each of which fills a particular niche in terms of the price/performance tradeoff. The first is Ethernet, the fastest at 10 Mbps with 100 Mbps also recently available. ("Mbps" stands for "millions of bits per second.") Ethernet is also likely to be the most expensive in terms of cost per device.

There are two forms of BACnet for Ethernet. One is called BACnet Ethernet for dedicated BACnet lines and there is also a BACnet for TCP called BACnet IP which can run on a non-dedicated Ethernet line. Next comes BACnet ARCNET at 2.5 Mbps. Both Ethernet and ARCNET can use a variety of physical media ñ coaxial cable, twisted pairs, even fiber optic cable.

For devices with lower requirements in terms of speed, BACnet defines the BACnet MS/TP (master-slave/token-passing) network designed to run at speeds of 1 Mbps or less over twisted pair wiring (RS-485). All of these networks are examples of "local area networks" or LANs. BACnet also defines a dial-up or "point-to-point" protocol called BACnet PTP for use over phone lines or hardwired RS-232 connections. A key point is that BACnet messages can, in principle, be transported by any network technology, if and when it becomes cost-effective to do so and FieldServer Technologies has the drivers available for all forms of BACnet.

AN005 -- Applying FieldServers in Building Automation Applications

AN009 – BACnet Protocols Supported by FieldServers

BACnet Protocol Implementation Conformance Statement (PICS) - FieldServer Gateways

BACnet Protocol Implementation Conformance Statement (PICS) - QuickServer

Links

BACnet.org – The official website of ASHRAE SSPC 135 providing the latest information on BACnet

BACnet
BACnet International
- An organization that encourages the successful use of BACnet in building automation and control systems through interoperability.

BIG-NA - BACnet Interest Group – North America

BIG-EU - BACnet Interest Group - Europe


Site of the organization that developed BACnet, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.