BACnet Committee Proposes Adding Zigbee Wireless Networking to Control Standard
A proposed addendum to the BACnet standard would reduce the cost of installation of building automation systems.
A proposed addendum to the BACnet standard would reduce the cost of installation of building automation systems.
Proposed Addendum q would tunnel BACnet over ZigBee wireless networks. This would lead to a reduction in the cost of installation at the sensor and controller level by reducing the amount of wired networking required in a building automation system, according to Jerry Martocci, convener of the BACnet committee's Wireless Networking working group.
Battery-operated devices, including sensors, will probably be ZigBee only, but powered controllers would have BACnet/ZigBee capability. Martocci notes that the "mesh" networking among ZigBee nodes leads to self-healing networks, so that even if a link between two nodes is obstructed, the "mesh" network can route around the obstructed link.
The BACnet committee also worked toward approval of nine additional addenda. These include Addendum j, support for physical access control, and Addendum i, support for lighting applications.
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