Why Should You Use the BACnet Protocol?

Pros and cons of the BACnet protocol and why you should use it
BACnet’s open nature has led to more partnerships between manufacturers, which leads to greater innovation in the industry.

We wrote a whole whitepaper on why you should use BACnet, interviewing thought leaders and technicians throughout the industry. To give you the Coles notes, here are a few pros and cons of BACnet.

Want to know more? Check out our Ultimate BACnet FAQ.

Pros of Using BACnet

  • BACnet is open and widely adopted, making it easier to integrate devices and work with many different vendors.
  • Using BACnet Web Services, it’s possible to achieve a single pane of glass solution and manage many disparate systems in one place.
  • You can expect better out of your vendors or System Integrators because they aren’t locked in for the lifetime of a building.
  • BACnet — and especially BACnet IP — is an infrastructure that you can build on, now and into the future.

Cons of Using BACnet

  • There are some issues with maintenance and management. BACnet/IP can be quite chatty if you don’t configure all your broadcasts and BBMDs properly.
  • BACnet MS/TP’s wiring is a particular frustration for technicians when wires come loose or aren’t properly terminated.
  • The Internet of Things presents new challenges as well, with so many data-generating devices being added to the network.
  • Managing vendors can be a huge challenge, as you juggle devices from different manufacturers. The devices might speak the same language, but that doesn’t mean they work well together, and finger-pointing can be a significant obstacle to getting work done.
  • Rising criticism that BACnet doesn’t develop quickly enough for the Internet of Things (IoT).  

Overall though, BACnet is the strongest, most robust option for managing all our different building automation systems.

That’s why we built Optigo Visual Networks to manage it all.

Optigo Visual Networks (OptigoVN) is our next-generation OT network troubleshooting and monitoring software solution. OptigoVN analyzes OT network traffic to instantly reveal problems, allowing you to quickly resolve issues and prevent them from happening again.

Create your FREE account and safeguard your OT network’s health today.

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