A Performance Analysis of BACnet® Local Area Networks

Abstract

ISO-16484-5 (EN ISO 2003) and ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 135-2004 (BACnet (R)) is a standard data communication protocol for building automation and control systems. In this study, the performance of three BACnet local area networking options is investigated with simulation models developed using ARENA, a tool for simulating discrete event dynamic systems. This study evaluates the delay characteristics of Master-Slave/Token-Passing (MS/TP), ANSI/ATA-878.1 (ARC-NET), and ISO-8802-3 (Ethernet) medium access control (MAC) layers being used to deliver BACnet application services. Analysis of the simulation results was used to develop recommendations that should be considered when designing and operating BACnet systems.