Test software BTF

automationdata exchangeinteroperability

The “BACnet expert” for building automation When it comes to using various devices from different manufacturers in building automation systems, the BACnet standard unifies data exchange and ensures interoperability of the products used. As it is absolutely essential that all of the technical elements actually adhere to the standard, the conformity of new developments is carefully examined by accredited testing laboratories. These labs use the BACnet test framework developed by Krefeld-based MBS GmbH and manufacturers to make their pretesting more cost-efficient. From field device to control unit and gateway all the way to guidance system: the entire data communication process comes to a halt if just one element is not completely BACnet conformant. This is why there are detailed regulations governing BACnet communication, which have been used in conformity tests by accredited testing laboratories since 2005. The tests culminate in the much coveted manufacturer’s certificate confirming that the tested device is BACnet conformant. Time-consuming manual pretesting is not necessary Manufacturers who want to put a newly developed BACnet product to the test in-house can use free open-source software to do so. Its disadvantage: the work is done manually and can take months. Depending on the range of functions, a complete conformity check can consist of several thousand individual tests – complete with a significant number of potential sources of error. As many product developers also find the pretesting process too complicated, MBS GmbH has developed the BACnet test framework (BTF).