Glossary of Terms
This explanation of terminology is meant to help anyone learn more about HVAC and its inner workings to allow a better understanding and more informed business decision.
A
ARCNet - an acronym from Attached Resource Computer NETwork, is a local area network (LAN) protocol, similar in purpose to Ethernet or Token Ring. ARCNET was the first widely available networking system for microcomputers and became popular in the 1980s for office automation tasks. It has since gained a following in the embedded systems market, where certain features of the protocol are especially useful.
B
BACNet® - BACnet®, an ASHRAE building automation and control networking protocol, was designed specifically to meet the communication needs of building automation and control systems for applications such as heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning control, lighting control, access control, and fire detection systems and their associated equipment. The BACnet® protocol provides mechanisms by which computerized building automation devices can exchange information, regardless of the particular building service they perform. As a result, the BACnet® protocol may be used by head-end workstation, general-purpose direct digital controllers, and application specific or unitary controllers with equal effect.
T
Trends - WebCTRL can read and store equipment status values over time and then display this information in a graph to help you monitor the equipment's operation. You can collect trend data for any BACnet input or output point in WebCTRL. The control module reads values for a point at intervals that you define and then stores that data in the module. Because a control module has limited memory for storing trend data, you can set up historical trending to archive the trend data from the control module to the WebCTRL database. A trend graph can display data from both the control module and the database.
P
Protocol - A protocol is a language or set of standard rules for data representation, signaling, authentication and error detection required to send information over a communications channel.
M
E
EIKON - EIKON for WebCTRL is the most advanced graphical programming tool in the industry. With the click of a button, you can build complex control algorithms, diagnose problems and run real-time or simulated operational data to evaluate the performance of a control sequence. EIKON makes it easy to understand control sequences as it does not use cryptic “line by line” computer code.
R
Rnet - An intelligent communications protocol and connection interface used between controllers and Room Sensors and Controller.
H