3
The BACnet™ Protocol
BACnet stands for Data Communication Protocol for Building Automation and Control Networks. Unlike most other protocols that began as private implementations followed by standardization efforts, BACnet was built from the ground up as an independent, royalty-free, open standard control and automation protocol. The standard committee was chaired by university professors until 2004, its goal was to harmonize data types and formats, data exchange primitives, and common application services. Several open source BACnet stacks are available.(e.g., http://bacsharp.sourceforge.net/; http://bacnet.sourceforge.net/.).
The scope of BACnet applications is very large, including HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) applications, lighting control, fire control and alarm, security, and interfacing to utility companies.
Together with LonWorks, BACnet is one of the most popular industrial automation and control protocol, adopted in products of many leading vendors (Siemens Building Technologies, Johnson Controls, Inc., Teletrol Systems,@IC, TAC, KMC Controls, American Auto-Matrix, Contemporary Controls Ltd, Reliable Controls).
3.1 Standardization
The BACnet standardization effort began in 1987 during a Standard Project Committee meeting of ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers). BACnet became an ISO standard in 2003 (ISO 16 484-5). In January 2006 the BACnet Manufacturers Association and the BACnet Interest Group of ...
