r/BuildingAutomation

Seems like a great idea, run your IP communication in a big loop to an RSTP switch, then the RSTP switch decides which way communicaitons goes, and if ever a com cable is compromised, you can't tell because the RSTP switch just sends the data through whatever path is available for that controller.

But how does the system operator know that there has been an issue? Are there any RSTP switches that will send an alarm via BACnet, or something we can integrate to, informing us that there has been a communication shift due to a broken com line?

I have been looking for a while for a way to tinker and test several things in the Niagara platform but I couldn't find any way to try out the software

Coming from mechanical/commercial hvac. How do I prepare for controls new construction

I'm wondering if anyone uses the SmartBuildings side of Ecobee thermostats and has any workarounds for the disaster that their program is.

1. Smart Home/Away is utterly useless because if I have a room that is not schedule (thus in away mode) and someone just walks by the thermostat, it automatically puts it in Home mode for 2 hours. There seems to be no way to avoid this unless I want to turn off Smart Away (which I don't want to do. Often we have something scheduled in a room but the parties cancel or leave and I want it to catch that and go to Away mode after some time). I thought a work around to this would be setting the Home and Away settings the exact same and then using a Custom comfort setting for "Occupied" but custom comfort settings overrule smart home/away.

2. Scheduling more than one thermostat together is a nightmare. Grouping them to set a schedule, I have to first import the existing schedule, make changes to it (hopefully not forgetting to pull in the old one first) and then make adjustments and set it for those thermostats. And I can ONLY do that to Home/Away/Sleep, I can't use the Custom Comfort Settings that I have established unless I set the schedule for each thermostat individually.

3. The Schedule is not calendar based, so to make a slight deviation, I have to set an event to a specific date. If I want to do that, I cannot see them on the schedule for the week and have to go to a separate tab to see any events scheduled. The way around this would be if it would allow me to set recurring events, which it also does not allow. The schedule system is clunky and incredibly easy to screw up and lose the whole week's schedule.

4. No Google Calendar integration without adding another paid third party app, which adds another layer of complication for set up.

All in all, after speaking with their SB sales team and explaining what we are hoping to be able to do and being sold a bill of goods (and 32 thermostats) we are actually in a worse situation now than before. And the hour wait time for support makes it even worse.

Anyway, beyond just venting at what a trash product this is, I'm wondering if anyone else has had any ways to work around these issues.

7 years integrating BMS across 11 enterprise campuses — here's what kept going wrong

Not a success story. More like patterns we kept bumping into on repeat.

Most large campuses we worked on looked like this:

• Multiple BMS vendors already running independently
• Energy meters logging locally with zero central visibility
• IAQ / CO₂ sensors not connected to anything unified
• No way to compare performance across buildings
• Legacy systems that absolutely cannot be touched

And the biggest constraint every single time — existing systems were live. We couldn't interrupt or replace anything.

What ended up working

We built a thin abstraction layer on top using EnSmart Controls — pulling data from each system independently, normalizing it into one structure, and leaving all existing BMS logic completely untouched.

No ripping out old systems. No protocol fights. Just clean unified data above everything.

First rollout was never perfect. Every campus needed tuning. But once we had a reusable layer, scaling got much faster.

Honest disclaimer — we built EnSmart Controls specifically because we kept hitting these same problems. Not trying to sell anything, just sharing what worked for us.

For anyone in multi-vendor BMS environments — how are you handling it?

Building a data layer on top? Unifying at protocol level? Or just living with separate dashboards?

I work at valve/sensor company as application engineer.

And I am interested in working at data centers as HVAC manager or whatever it's called.

what is the requirement for this role?

Do I need to know how PLC logic works or something like this?

i am an embedded systems engineer student, and i want to know the technologies and the real world jobs that people do for Money to see what i need to work on

Is BMS worth for a long time journey,.Also respected experienced engineers working on this field , how much is the maximum salary range that a BMS engineer can achieve?

Has anyone used this? I am curious to know how it worked in the wild. I found some documentation on it, and I was wondering how it worked, if it was useful, - basically tribal knowledge concerning this.

Called an 'AutotunerPID' - documentation from 1991 - so not knew.

***

'Description
'PID Loop function (Long)
' AutoPID() is a function providing cruise-control for process loops.
' AutoPID() automatically selects and tunes the Proportional,
' Integral and Derivative control loop constants and time frames.
' AutoPID() returns a value from -1.0 to 1.0 which is the magnitude of
' change to be made to the controlled Output Variable (-100% to +100%).
'EndDescription
'Properties
'Name:AutoPID:True
'Type:InfinityFunction:False
'EndProperties

'Code :

'PID_tuner_NC() PID loop tuner with no comments 02-Oct-91

****

For AutoTunerPID Wizard keep in mind that it is diff erent than PID or often referred to as BPID. There are 3 types of PIDs

1. bPID - (normal PID)
2. Simple PID - (which was used for less memory available in controllers and had 9 Arguments)
3. AutoTunerPID - (designed to be run once on a system to ascertain the required values of Proportional, Integral and Derivative factors (Kp, Ki, Kd),when complete the function is normally to be replaced by the standard PID function as it will run faster with less system overhead. However whentuning is complete the PID tuning function will continue to control the plant using the standard PID function.)

***

Specification for PID Tuning function. (AutoTuner or Tuning Wizard)
Original Issue 2, 2nd October 1991.

1. Introduction.
2. The Infinity PID tuning function is designed to derive the Proportional, integral and
3. Derivative factors required for a PID loop, it should be run on a fully operational system
4. where the responses found by the function will determine the resultant values.
5. It may be run on DDC (floating) control or analogue (positioning) control systems and give
6. results for Proportional only (P), Proportional and integral (P+I) or Proportional, Integral and Derivative (P+I+D) control.
7. The function should be called at the same frequency as the PID loop function will be called.
8. Any deadband defined will be cleared out for the tuning process.
9. Using the PID tuning function.

The PID tuning function is designed to be run once on a system to ascertain the required values of Proportional, Integral and derivative factors (Kp, Ki, Kd), when complete the function is normally to be replaced by the standard PID function as it will run faster with less system overhead. However when tuning is complete the PID tuning function will continue to control the plant using the standard PID function. 16. To begin tuning the function should be enabled after being previously disabled or alternatively element [1] of the passed data array may be set to 0. Element [1] of the passed data array may be used to determine tuning completion when it reaches a value of 5. 19. The format of the function will be as follows:

PIDtuner (Ena,Type,Cv,SP,Kp,Ki,Kd,Db,OP,Lag,Dev,Pd,Ta)

***

Background: I'm a former JCI Controls Systems Tech II (BACnet/IP, SCT/CCT/SMP, NAE/SNE, ADS/ADX) — commissioned BAS across school districts, a state university, and county facilities in central IL. laid off earlier this year.

Now running VeloVault LLC, an SBA VetCert-verified SDVOSB software company. Some of you may have seen my open-source dbexport-viewer / dbexport-parser tooling for Metasys archives — getting some use in the field for auditing and bulk-repairing .dbexport/.caf files without SCT/CCT.

I'm trying to reach JCI Federal Systems (Rockville, MD) about their SBA Mentor-Protégé Program — they have 2 open protégé slots and the technical fit is unusually clean (an SDVOSB software firm whose principal already speaks fluent Metasys).

What I've tried:

- Contact form on johnsoncontrols.com → auto-replied with their careers page (despite selecting "Suppliers" as inquiry type)

- Main inquiry line → reception routed me to an internal employee portal number that wasn't a valid format

- LinkedIn search for "Johnson Controls Federal" small business — nothing landing

Does anyone here have a Small Business Liaison Officer contact at JCI Federal Systems? Or know the right route in? Happy to keep contact info private if you DM.

Not here to trash anyone — JCI's intake is just genuinely opaque from the outside. Open-sourced the tooling because I like this stack and want to keep doing more of this work.

Hi guys, im newer to building automation but have been curious as to why IDEC relays are primarily used as the dry contacts for various applications. Is it because they are bacnet compatible? Any help is appreciated.

This is more-so pointed towards remote CCT access, If we were to run everything thru a Niagara server, would it still be possible to access any field device remotely via CCT to inspect/ make program changes internally at the controller level.

Hello friends, I have a major issue with CCT. Whenever I go to upload a controller, I get an error Failed to start the deviceDiscovery: Error Communicating with Device. In the logs, it says "StartDeviceDiscovery failed with failed propertynull.

This occurs both with uploading through an FX90(Jace 9000), as well as the MAP/CWCVT(I probably messed up that acronym). I've been running it as admin, and even tried a clean install of CCT 18(installed as Administrator), with all the packages. We have checked the In and Out rules for port 47808 on the firewall a million times, and even turned off the firewall to rule that out as an issue. When I log into the MAp in the web browser, as well as the Jace in Workbench, everything shows up fine, so it's definitely a CCT issue

I'm the only one with this issue, and my coworkers and I are at a loss. Any and all help is greatly appreciated, friends

If it matters, the controller is a F4-CGM09090-0H

We are about to go down a test case with a particular "AI" company but Trane is knocking on their door about Brainbox...

Does anyone have experience with them? What exactly are they doing, simple temperature resets etc or what?

I have a controls system installed in a building that is BACnet and I'm looking to bring all the points into Niagara to set up a new controls system with better capabilities than the one running the building now.

I want to connect to the building's network remotely so I can program in Niagara and access the points without having to be on-site and bother the customer. What's the best way to do this? VPN gateway, cellular router, other? I'd like to get something without a recurring service fee that I can just plug in and leave there.

I'm not sure what which product would be best, what capabilities to look for, price range (new to networking)

I ran across a large higher education campus environment a Trane system where it appeared to be a flat IT LAN where then each building operated on a unique UDP port for BACnet.

Is that common for Trane?

47809 for one building, 47810 for another, 47811 etc and so on about 30 to 40 buildings I bet.

I also did a lot of campus work prior but for corporate JCI and we always had a subnet for each building.

Wouldn’t this be a BACnet routing nightmare? I’m always used to see BACnet routing or a router referred to an IP to MSTP scenario inside a building but in a campus application like this there would need to be a Trane device at each building acting as a IP to IP router right?

And then how they factor in BACnet networks it seems even more confusing. Aren’t BACnet IP networks typically defined as network number 0 and the MSTP networks can be any higher number network typically what I see.

Any idea in a flat IT networking LAN like this with many buildings in unique UDP ports would all BACnet IP networks be network number 0?

When I got to the building and tried to discover other devices I couldn’t figure it out until Trane finally picked up the phone and told me about the architecture and network design.

Hey everyone! I recently got an opportunity to possibly work for Carrier as a Controls Tech. I’m currently a Controls Tech at JCI and I just wanted to know how Carrier is as a company and if it’s a good place to work etc; any info will help thank you!

* If this is against the rules I apologize *

Hello everyone! Hope all is well! Been in the trade for a little over 3 years now, and I’m on the service team for one of the big companies.

Today I had the pleasure of going out to one of my sites and working side by side with one of our best chiller mechanics. The guy is very meticulous with his work, and makes it look like art when he has to take a chiller apart for repairs.

He suggested that energy efficiency would be a great thing to put under my belt, and I’m curious how many people have certifications in that realm. Would you suggest taking a course or getting certified? What certifications from which organizations would you recommend? I didn’t go the college route so I have licenses, but I know some organizations want college degrees.

Hey,
I’ve got an inquiry for programming few AHUs, the project assumes controlling them with standalone MP-C (with IP-IO) controllers. Is it even possible to get somehow into MP-C not connected to AS? BMS in the facility is JCI and it’ll just exchange some BACnet data with AHU’s controllers. I’m wondering how to think about it - will I need an AS, build a project, and approach every single MP-C to get the soft into it? Or is there any other way? Never worked with any SpaceLogic controller this way.
Thanks in advance 👊🏼