North Building Technologies

North Communications, Brighton-based manufacturer of the Compass network, has released drivers that will link Compass to two popular field network standards - Echelon and BACnet. The new drivers enable existing Compass-compatible building systems to communicate seamlessly with devices on Echelon or BACnet networks.

Explaining their decision to develop the new drivers, North Director Paul Price stated that Echelon and BACnet have seldom been employed in isolation because very few users want all their eggs in one basket: "The new drivers mean that if you want to add a wing or refurbish part of your mechanical services, you can install Echelon or BACnet there without having to rip out the rest of your control and monitoring systems. You can fully integrate old and new, and even bring control data back on to existing displays. Increasingly we are finding that chillers and other HVAC plant are pre-fitted with BACnet capability", he explained. "Using Compass, these can be linked to an existing BMS for cohesive operation with no loss of functionality."

North sees lighting control integration as another obvious target for the new drivers: "The UK lighting industry has widely adopted the Echelon standard for lighting control networks. With Compass, Echelon-based lighting systems can now be linked easily with older lighting controls, other building systems and integrated displays."

North has over one hundred Compass drivers available covering proprietary systems, display systems for bms, air conditioning, cctv and security, and all of the leading networking standards. North believes the addition of Echelon and BACnet links endorses Compass as the principal building automation network.

Product codes

CP/LONSLTA/RS232 Compass Point for Echelon compatible system via SLTA
CP/BACNET/RS232 Compass Point for BACNET compatible system

Search the North e-Library for more information and technical documentation on the BACnet and Echelon interface.

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