logo elektroda
logo elektroda
X
logo elektroda

Smart Building Automation: Open vs. Closed Systems and Popular Protocols

lhunter 867 1
ADVERTISEMENT
Treść została przetłumaczona polish » english Zobacz oryginalną wersję tematu
  • #1 18701995
    lhunter
    Level 7  
    I am looking for information regarding popular control solutions for a smart building.

    I come across offers from various companies using open communication protocols with popular solutions. For example, the FIBARO company offers a system using the Z-Wave standard. The same goes for GRENTON. These companies do not have any revolutionary solutions; they simply use Z-Wave technology.

    So I started to look into what are the paths of open and closed solutions. At this point, I know that a closed solution is LCN and open solutions are BACnet, KNX or LonWorks. But this is not enough. So please help me find my way around this topic, guidance and direction.
    Regards
  • ADVERTISEMENT
  • #2 18718774
    grudziu
    Level 16  
    Open - means that there is a communication protocol specification, that more than one manufacturer produce solutions for a given system, that if you were stubborn you could stick something together yourself that is compatible. Open should also mean that there is one common tool to run, that the solution does not focus solely on one transmission medium (e.g. you can use the same protocol in a wired, non-wired, over IP way), that you have a rich catalogue of products from which you are ready to choose, and that some standards organisation ensures that the products are compatible with each other.

    Very open solutions are:
    - KNX is an ETS tool to which all manufacturers contribute their libraries, there is a KNXA organisation which ensures that devices are compatible with each other, which ensures certification ; there are defined modes of communication, data types, addressing of devices, addressing of functions
    - LON - there is a common tool, Lonmaker, most manufacturers have developed libraries for this tool, there is the LonMark organisation, unfortunately the technology is outdated, currently more companies withdraw from it than enter into it
    - DALI - there are many manufacturers, you can operate/program DALI devices with a tool from different companies, and so for example there is a tool from Tridonic that also allows you to run Osram ; a simple protocol that is trying (with pain) to be extended to a more advanced protocol than it should be
    - BACnet, open technology, there are BTLs (BACnet labs for certification), there is a multi-vendor organisation, but there is also a mess of commissioning tools ; there are many bacnet configurators, quite often the manufacturer of tool X focuses mainly on support of their own products ; as a technology and an organisation it is nevertheless quite open - there is technical information about the standard, it has been put together quite coherently from the beginning
    - Modbus, an open technology, many manufacturers, but there are no clear guidelines on how to organise the flow of information, each manufacturer packs data into registers, not according to an imposed order, but as it suits him (and often as the engineer responsible for creating the product is in the mood), often you need to have some kind of overriding freely programmable controller, which handles the communication (processes the data made available in registers by various suppliers) and by centralising this communication as well ; you can say that modbus is too open and it could use some top-down regulations
ADVERTISEMENT