BACnet gateway communication protocol was designed to enable communication of building automation & control for application like HVAC, Access control, Lighting control, fire detection systems & their associated devices.it runs mechanisms for computerized building automation devices to exchange information, irrespective of the particular device they perform. There are two types of BACnet Protocols, BACnet IP & BACnet MSTP.
BACnet IP
BACnet IP describes the way BACnet networks may be formed from group of devices which uses the TCP/IP family of protocols for their communication.
BACnet MSTP
BACnet MSTP is token passing protocol, where in MS stands for Master – Slave & the TP stands for token passing. BACnet MSTP is mainly used to connect field devices to controllers/ routers/control applications. It uses RS485 as its physical layer that allows up to 128 devices to be installed on a single network.
Advantages of BACnet Gateway Communication Protocol
Designed particularly for building automation & control networks.
It supports COV (change of value) on BACnet IP
It also supports BBMD (BACnet IP Broadcast Management Device)
Independent of local or wide area networking technologies.
Scalable from tiny, singe building applications to global networks of many of devices.
Allows the users to add non-standard extensions & enhancements without affecting existing interoperability safely.
It used by the most important fire protection companies in both the USA & Europe.
Supported by most chiller manufacturers.
It is completely open and can be built by anyone without the use of proprietary technology, tools or license fees.