Vendor-neutral troubleshooting guides, scripts, tool tutorials, and configuration references for BACnet, Niagara, Modbus, Facility Explorer, and building automation networks.
18 articles
VLAN Design for Building Automation Networks
IT teams lack guidance on structuring VLANs specifically for BAS protocols and broadcast traffic.
PyModbus Quick Start: Read Registers with Python
Technicians want to script Modbus reads for testing or data collection but need a simple starting point.
BACnet Duplicate Device ID: Find and Fix It
Two devices sharing a device instance number cause data collisions, lost messages, and control failures.
BACnet Discovery Tool (BDT) Setup and Usage
Technicians need a vendor-neutral free tool to verify BACnet/IP communication and discover MS/TP devices through routers.
BACnet/IP to MS/TP Router Configuration
Bridging BACnet/IP supervisors to MS/TP field trunks requires correct IP settings, MAC addresses, baud rate, and network number assignment.
How to Export Niagara 4 History Data to CSV
Getting trend data out of a JACE for analysis or reporting requires manual steps or third-party modules.
Modbus Register Map Reading Guide for BAS
Technicians struggle to interpret Modbus register maps for VFDs, energy meters, and chillers; 0-based vs 1-based addressing causes off-by-one errors.
How to Connect to a Niagara JACE Remotely
Technicians cannot reach JACE controllers at remote sites; VPN config, port forwarding, and certificate errors block access.
Fix Niagara 4 Certificate and SSL Errors
Workbench shows certificate errors after expiration, IP change, or version upgrade; platform daemon fails to start.
Python BACnet Scripting with BAC0
Technicians want to automate BACnet reads/writes but Python BACnet libraries have steep learning curves.
Modbus RTU Troubleshooting Checklist for BAS
Communication fails due to mismatched baud rates, wrong parity, reversed RS-485 polarity, or register addressing confusion.
BACnet Firewall Rules: Ports to Open and Block
After network segmentation, BACnet traffic gets blocked by firewalls; technicians need exact port/protocol rules.
How to Fix BACnet MS/TP Address Conflicts
Duplicate MAC addresses on an MS/TP trunk cause intermittent communication failures and CRC errors.
BACnet BBMD Setup: Multi-Subnet Discovery
WHO-IS broadcasts stop at subnet boundaries; devices on other VLANs are invisible without BBMD.
Wireshark Display Filters for BACnet
Technicians capture traffic but cannot isolate BACnet packets from general network noise.
YABE (Yet Another BACnet Explorer) Tutorial
Technicians need a free tool to browse BACnet devices but YABE documentation is sparse.
BACnet Device Discovery Not Working: Fix It
WHO-IS requests go unanswered; causes range from firewall rules to duplicate device IDs to subnet mismatches.
BACnet Secure Connect (BACnet/SC) Setup Guide
BACnet/SC requires TLS certificates, hub configuration, and WebSocket setup that most technicians have never done.