User manual
Andover Continuum
BACnet
Andover Continuum
BACnet Controllers-13
BACnet BACnet
Product Overview
Andover Continuum is the first BACnet system to offer a Wireless BACnet Field Bus solution.
Wireless technologies can be found in all the corners of the globe from mobile phones to
wirelesshotspotsinairports,wheretravelerscanbrowsetheInternet.Asaresult,wirelesshas
lowered installation costs while providing a level of connectivity freedom never before seen. The
Andover Continuum Wireless BACnet solution now introduces these cost savings and ease of
installation benefits to the BACnet world of open protocol building automation.
Lower Costs and Solve Wiring Challenges
Wiring a field bus can be very labour intensive. Many field buses require controllers to be wired
seriallyinadaisychain,increasingtherunlengths.Furthermore,certaincontrollerlocationsmay
beextremelyhardtowire,yeteasilyaccessedbywireless.Wirelesssolvesthesechallengeswhile
greatly reducing the labour required for connectivity.
Withwirelesscontrols,installation/wiringcostsandchallengescanbesignificantlyreduced.
2.4 GHz Wireless Mesh Provides High Reliability
Likeaspiderweb,awirelessmeshbecomesstrongerwitheverynodethatisaddedtothe
system.Ifanodebecomesunreachable,themeshsimplyhealsitselfbyconnectingtothenext
nearestneighbours.Thewirelessnodesoperateatthe2.4GHzwirelessfrequency,whichhas
been approved for use in countries worldwide. The transmission level of each node can be
attenuated by the software for use in radio sensitive environments. The software can also be
used to select channels for systems with multiple communication buses.
WirelessMeshNetworksprovidethe24/7reliabilityrequiredforbuildingautomationsystems.
ZigBee Ready
The TAC wireless mesh solution is based on the same IEEE 802.15.4 standard that the ZigBee
Allianceisusingintheirevolvingstandard.Asaresult,TAChasmadealloftheirwireless
products ready for ZigBee compliant firmware. Since all TAC wireless products are flash
upgradeable,transitioningtoZigBeewhenthestandardinfinalisedwillbeeasy.TAC’sparent
company,SchneiderElectric,isamemberoftheZigBeeAlliance.Schneider’smembershipinthis
organisation reflects the direction of TAC.
Prepareforthefuturetoday.
Full Family of Wireless BACnet B-AAC Controllers
Any one of the BTL listed Andover Continuum BACnet controllers can become part of a wireless
meshwithwirelessfirmware.AsawirelessBACnetcontroller,thesecontrollerssupportthe
sameBACnetobjectsandservicesaswhentheyarewiredtoanMS/TPfieldbusandmeetthe
requirements of a BACnet Advanced Application Controller (B-AAC) with support for BACnet
trendsperASHRAE135-2004.AnEthernetlevelcontrollerwithwirelessfirmware,suchasa
bCX1,isrequiredtomanagethewirelessnetwork.
Small, Attractive Wireless Adapter/Repeater
Andover Continuum BACnet controllers communicate wirelessly when a Wireless Adapter is
connected to its service port. The adapter itself contains the wireless antenna and is connected
to the controller with a cable which allows for flexible mounting options. The adapter is plenum
rated and may be mounted outside the controller enclosure or within an architectural space. The
adapterislightandmountswithasinglescrew,adhesivetape,ortiewrap.
It’swhatyoudon’tseethatmakesthedifference.
Simple Power Connections
Theadapterispowereddirectlyfromthe3.3Vpowerfeedsofthecontroller’sserviceport.
Power kits are available to run the adapter as a repeater to bridge controllers that are far apart.
Adding the Wireless Adapter is a snap.
Wireless BACnet Field Bus