Open DDC Systems Obstacles and How to Avoid Them

For years, the end users in the controls industry have struggled with the complexities of multivendor building automation and control systems. Proprietary, vendor-exclusive hardware, software and communications protocols have created closed systems that present integration and operation/maintenance challenges. Several open standards and associated technologies, most notably BACnet® and LONWORKS®, offer the potential for open multivendor systems. However, realizing this potential requires correct design and implementation (as does any system whether it be open or closed), which is not a trivial task. It is possible to design and implement these new technologies and still retain a closed system.