Why was the BACnet protocol developed?
ASHRAE realized that automation systems for buildings needed a protocol standard. Because of the proprietary nature of this industry, existing systems for the most part do not permit interconnection between different manufacturers’ equipment. In 1987, ASHRAE undertook the challenge to develop and put forth a standard set of rules (BACnet) governing communication between various devices used in building control systems. Now that BACnet is the accepted standard by ANSI and ASHRAE, and is currently being considered for adoption internationally, the foundation has been laid for further industry cooperation. • What do BACnet products look like? BACnet devices physically resemble other standard control devices you may have seen, but their physical form isn’t important. Because BACnet is simply a set of rules for communicating between building automation devices, the microprocessors of these devices are programmed so they will understand the same language and conform to BACnet requirements. T
