International. KNX Association announced the availability of a free Visualisation and Management Functions for KNX Webinar and its operation with BMS building management systems.
BMS and KNX in buildings
While the BMS is regarded as the backbone of the building, the field-level technology is where the action occurs, where the actuators and sensors can be found.
When it comes to technologies, you not only deal with a wide variety of them, but also confront technologies that are suitable for 'field level' or 'management level'. It is necessary to know the difference and what each technology can meet to individual needs. Whether the technologies at the management level would meet the needs of the smart home or whether the technologies at the field level would cover all areas for the facility manager or administrator and have complete control of the entire building.
To understand the difference, one must look at the main disparities between technology at the management level and technology at the field level. The first commonly refers to the building management system or BMS. Its main objectives are safety, improvement of comfort and efficiency of resource consumption. A facility manager uses a BMS to control the building. Therefore, its main activities are dispatching and managing as well as working with databases and statistical functions. Cooperation between workers (such as operators, carriers, etc.) and the system is realized, which is implemented through SCADA systems.
KNX, field-level technology
While the BMS is regarded as the backbone of the building, the field-level technology is where the action occurs, where the actuators and sensors can be found. Field-level devices can be found in smart homes, which do not require large central control. An example of this field technology is KNX, an open technology that provides a wide range of devices for individual needs and works perfectly with any other technology, especially those at the management level.
Although management-level and field-level devices offer the possibility of covering several of the applications of one and the other, their strength is still at its own level. Therefore, and especially for large buildings, it is necessary to use a BMS with technologies at the field level.
The best application, which proves that both technologies are more than just complementing each other, is visualization. Thanks to this visualization at the management level, the facility manager can immediately see what the current state is, the current problem and act accordingly. For example, in case of fire, the emergency lights can be turned on, the alarm activated and all doors can be locked. This scenario can also be automated, so if at the field level the sensor detects smoke, all of the following actions can be triggered by the BMS.
