thing-it-device-bacnet
[thing-it-node] Device Plugin for BACnet networks to control BACnet devices.
The BACnet Device Plugin is operational for the scope described here which represents a subset of the full BACnet protocol plus [thing-it] specific usages, such as higher level compelx devices. Contact us if you're interested in connecting [thing-it] to your BACnet environment and / or supporting additional BACnet features, devices, or objects.
Description
This Device Plugin allows you to
- show and modify values of any BACnet object of a BACnet device via the [thing-it] Mobile App and the [thing-it] portal at www.thing-it.com,
- visualize historic data of any connected BACnet object,
- combine data and controls from any other [thing-it] plugin, and
- define complex scenes, storyboards and timer controlled execution
by connecting an arbitrary number of BACnet devices to a thing-it-node on the same network. thing-it-node can be run on a variety of computers incuding Raspberry Pis and Linux server.
Hereby, this plugin represents basic BACnet Objects such as
- Analog Input
- Analog Value
- Binary Input
- Binary Value
- Multi State Input
- Multi State Value
connected to a generic BACnet Device and communication to those via UDP/IP.
The plugin also supports specific higher level devices, such as
- Thermostat
- Light
- Jalousie
by bundling a series of individual BACnet objects into a logical context.
User Interface Examples
Mobile UI
BACnet Object Configuration
Higher Level BACnet Device Configuration
Dashboard
In a dashboard data from a BACnet device, such as
- a room's temperature setpoing history
- the BACnet device's CPU load history and current value
- the BACnet device's internal temperature history and current value
can be combined with thing-it-device-weather data, such as
- historic outside temperature
- historic outside humidity
Non-Developers
Contact us if you're interested in connecting to your BACnet environment via mobile or web.
Developers
Those who are interested in implementing their own specific higher level BACnet Device e.g. a thermostat with specific state, services and UI from a [thing-it-node] perspective can still use the BacNetAdapter class under lib in this package to easily implement communication with the BACnet network via IP/UDP.
Contact us if you're interested in helping us support additional BACnet features, devices, or objects.
Installation
Installation [thing-it-node]
Follow the installation steps at thing-it-node to turn your computer (e.g. your PC, your Raspberry Pi, or a Linux server) into a [thing-it] Gateway. Installing thing-it-node automatically also installs the BACnet plugin.
After installation follow the instructions to pair your [thing-it] Gateway with www.thing-it.com and to start the [thing-it-node]. Use the configuration portal at www.thing-it.com to confirm your [thing-it] Gateway is properly connected.
Connectivity to BACnet
Make sure that the computer running [thing-it-node] (your [thing-it] Gateway) can connect your BACnet devices via an IP connection. As the BACnet protocol uses UPD broadcasts for an initial WhoIs / IAm handshake your BACnet devices and your [thing-it] Gateway should be on the same network to simplify the setup.
If your BACnet devices and your [thing-it] Gateway are not in the same network, additional network configuration and/or hardware may be required to ensure broadcasts from the BACnet devices can be seen by the [thing-it] Gateway and vice versa.
Configuring Devices and Actors
Use the configuration portal at www.thing-it.com to create a BACnet device. You need to know either
- the IP address or
- the BACnet device id
of the device to connect with it. Once your device is connected, you can add actors for BACnet objects or complex higher level objects in the configuration as shown in the UI examples above.
Where to go from here ...
After completing the above, you may be interested in
- Configuring additional Devices, Groups, Services, Event Processing, Storyboards and Jobs via your [thing-it] Mobile App.
- Use thing-it.com to safely connect your Node Box from everywhere, manage complex configurations, store and analyze historical data and offer your configurations to others on the [thing-it] Mesh Market.
- Explore other Device Plugins like Texas Instruments Sensor Tag, Plugwise Smart Switches and many more. For a full set of Device Plugins search for thing-it-device on npm. Or write your own Plugins.