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Common BACnet IP and Ethernet issues

Common BACnet IP and Ethernet issues

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There are many different issues that can crop up on IP and Ethernet networks. While MS/TP problems tend to be centred around bad wiring, IP and Ethernet are usually the result of a misconfiguration. A study of two years’ worth of data showed that some of the most common IP and Ethernet issues include Unresponsive Devices (71% of files), Unresponsive Routers (24% of files), and excessive Global Who-Is Router Broadcasts (19% of files). These are the most common problems we see on BACnet IP networks, but the list goes on. 

There are many different issues that can crop up on IP and Ethernet networks. 

While MS/TP problems tend to be centred around bad wiring, IP and Ethernet are usually the result of a misconfiguration. A study of two years’ worth of data showed that some of the most common IP and Ethernet issues include Unresponsive Devices (71% of files), Unresponsive Routers (24% of files), and excessive Global Who-Is Router Broadcasts (19% of files). These are the most common problems we see on BACnet IP networks, but the list goes on. 

Learn more about the differences between MS/TP, IP, and Ethernet

Many of these network issues could be related. For example, excessive broadcasts might cause devices to be overwhelmed, shut down, and become unresponsive. This would flag at least two diagnostic checks in Visual BACnet. If you can uncover the root issue, you might solve several problems in one go. 

1. Identify the problem

Visual BACnet finds and highlights a wide variety of issues, like Global Who-Is, Duplicate Device IDs, Circular Networks, Duplicate BBMDs, Duplicate Networks.  

Critical diagnostic checks in Visual BACnet

2. Pinpoint the device(s)

When you dig into the data and click on a failed check, you’ll see which devices are causing issues. You’ll see the vendor name, Device ID, IP address, and more when you hover over an entry in any of the checks. 

BACnet IP check in Visual BACnet

3. Resolve the problem(s) 

Any failures or warnings in the Critical Checks should be addressed first. Start at the top and work your way down! You’ll likely solve a lot of smaller problems by solving the big ones higher up on your list. 

Monitor your networks, with the Visual BACnet Capture Tools for IP. Install these devices on your network and they’ll passively monitor, capture data, and send the information up to Visual BACnet for analysis. When issues arise, you’ll get an alert so you can dig in, identify problems, and quickly solve them. Learn more.  

Learn about solving common BACnet problems

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