BACnet
BACnet (Building Automation and Control Networks) is an automation protocol that has been developed for building automation and is constantly being further developed. First and foremost, it ensures the interoperability of devices from different manufacturers with each other. BACnet/IP uses the Internet protocol as the communication layer.
This chapter describes how to configure the BACnet service on the Beetle and start a network query via BACnet.
Please ensure that your Beetle is in operation and has a connection to the Avelon server. If this is not the case, start in the chapter Connectivity.
Warning
There are some reserved IP addresses that the Beetle uses to communicate. Please avoid using any of these addresses in your network.
Note
To use the BACnet service on the Beetle, you need a valid BACnet licence.
Enable BACnet service
In order to use the BACnet service and read network objects, a valid licence key must be stored and the service must be enabled. How to enable or license communication protocol services is described in section Communication protocols.
Configure service
Note
To configure the BACnet service, you must have operator privileges.
Click on BACnet on the left.
Click the Settings button to open the configuration dialog of the BACnet service and edit parameters.
General BACnet settings
These settings are available for any communication mode (IP or SC).
- Communication mode
Currently, only BACnet/IP is supported.
- Device ID
The device identification number of the Beetle. Allowed values are 0 - 4194304, the default value is 100.
- Time synchronization
The Beetle automatically adjusts the time on the connected BACnet devices to its own time. Select the desired time synchronization mode.
Off
Local time
UTC
- Interval
Select how frequently the time should be synchronized.
Hourly
Daily
Weekly
- Refresh DNS
Select how often the DNS on the Beetle should be refreshed.
Never
Hourly
4 × Daily
Daily
BACnet/IP-specific settings
These settings are only available if Communication mode is set to “IP”.
- Network ID
The BACnet/IP network identification number of the Beetle. Allowed values are 0 - 65535, the default value is 1.
- UDP port
Set the port on which BACnet/IP should listen. Allowed values are 47808 - 47817, the default value is 47808.
- Network interface
If two network cards are configured, select the interface via which the controllers are accessed here. Otherwise leave the value at LAN.
LAN
WAN
BBMD
If BACnet/IP is enabled, you can set the mode in which the Beetle should operate. Click on BBMD to open the BBMD (BACnet broadcast management device) configuration.
Select the desired mode in the dropdown. Depending on the selection, you can add one or more devices to the list below.
- Simple device
The Beetle acts as a simple BACnet device.
- Foreign device
The Beetle acts as a foreign device. A foreign device is a BACnet device that has an IP subnet address that is different from the IP subnet address that includes the BACnet/IP network that the device wants to join. Although the device can communicate directly with other BACnet devices, it receives broadcasts from other devices only if it is registered with the corresponding BBMD. Add all BBMDs to the list below by clicking on Add and entering their respective IP address and BACnet/IP port.
- BBMD
The Beetle acts as a broadcast management device. Add all BACnet devices to the list below that the Beetle needs to communicate with by clicking on Add and entering their respective IP address, BACnet/IP port and subnet mask.
Scan network
On the BACnet page, click the Discover devices button to start a network discovery.
Note
If you receive the message “Please start the BACnet service to display objects on the network.”, you must first enable the BACnet service (see Enable BACnet service).
Warning
All network devices to be identified must be located in the same network segment.
After a short time, all network devices found are displayed.
Select one of the devices found to query its objects.
Note
Use this list to check that all objects are listed as expected. Only then should you adjust the data points via the Avelon user interface.
Download data point list (optional)
After a successful network scan, click the Download button to download the list of found objects to your computer as a CSV file.