Speaking the language of intelligent buildings!

The BACnet Testing Laboratories (BTL),  have confirmed that the automation software zenon by Copa-Data complies with the criteria of the BACnet standard. Entry onto the international list of products conforming with the standard and receipt of the BTL certificate affirm the reliable communication between zenon and other systems and devices in building automation.

Copa-Data project team (LtoR)– Helmut Weber, Markus Wintersteller and Lewis Williams

Each building is equipped with technology that fulfills a variety of tasks. The spectrum here ranges from heating, air conditioning, ventilation and sanitary systems to lighting management, lift monitoring, energy management or access control. To make sure that the different technologies can exchange data with each other, they need to speak the same language. BACnet, the international communications protocol, is primarily used for networks in building automation. To guarantee reliable and flexible communication in zenon projects in the area of building automation, COPA-DATA developed the native BACnetNG driver about ten years ago.

Markus Wintersteller, Technical Product Manager at Copa-Data, explained: “Our zenon BACnet driver had been communicating flawlessly, yet it did not comply with any profile description in terms of the BACnet standard. Along with increasing expectations from modern buildings and the growing trend in smart buildings, the BACnet protocol has become more and more important. The certification of zenon BACnet connectivity is a fundamental factor for us to be independent in this area as well.”

Speaking the language of intelligent buildings
The international BTL Listing attests that zenon 8.00 complies with the BACnet Operator Workstation Profile, or B-OWS Profile for short, of the ANSI (American National Standards Institute)/ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) standard 135-2012. To comply with one of the three profiles for user interfaces, products must meet certain criteria, such as setting values. On the basis of a profile, handlers can better classify the capabilities of a system or device in the BACnet environment.

Lewis Williams, Technical Consultant at COPA-DATA, adds: “zenon was carefully examined on the basis of the BACnet test framework outlined by the independent inspection body MBS GmbH from Germany. In the process, zenon standard functionality such as the equipment model has been of great benefit; it brought advantages to the tests and accelerated them. We want to provide our customers with top flexibility and reliability in their projects. Therefore, we had already developed our own BACnet stack early on. We are pleased to know that an independent laboratory has rewarded our efforts with a positive test report, achieving a certificate and entry into the BTL Listing.”

@BACnetIntl #BuildingAutoSys