What Is a BACnet IO Module?

The Founder's Explanation (Teach Exactly This Way)

"A guest who speaks the house language directly, you can talk any time. A guest who needs a translator standing next to him always — if translator goes for tea, communication stops. Native BACnet module speaks BACnet directly. Paper-BACnet module needs a converter always beside it. Datasheet writes BACnet, but on the wire, check who is speaking."

Teaching the Concept

The Guest Who Speaks the Language A guest who speaks your language talks to everyone, freely, any time. A guest who needs a translator beside him can only speak when the translator is there — and the day the translator leaves, he is silent. On a BACnet network, an IO module should speak BACnet itself, not through a converter that only one vendor understands. A native BACnet module is a first-class device; a paper-BACnet one is always leaning on a translator. Native BACnet IO Module Its points appear as standard BACnet objects, discoverable by any BACnet controller or tool over MS/TP or BACnet/IP — no gateway, no converter. ``` Supply Air Temp -> Analog Input (AI) Damper Command -> Analog Output (AO) Filter Status -> Binary Input (BI) Fan Command -> Binary Output (BO) Discovery: Who-Is / I-Am, native on the trunk ``` Native vs Paper ``` NATIVE own BACnet device instance, objects readable by any BACnet client PAPER points only visible through the vendor's own converter / proprietary backbone ``` BACnet on the datasheet is not BACnet on the wire — native means the building owns its own points.

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Related Topics

• What is BACnet and its history? — the open building-automation protocol
• What is a protocol in BMS? — the shared language controllers use to talk
• Browse all IO List & Wiring topics — more from this section of the EnSmart BMS Library