In Tandem with BMS: Key concepts and integration options
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Tandem Connect is designed to be 👋vendor agnostic, enabling seamless integration with multiple platforms using open protocols and plugins. This post delves into the different protocols and vendors involved in Building Management Systems (BMS) integration, providing valuable insights for customers and stakeholders.
👨🔧👩🔧 BMS Protocols and Vendors
It is crucial to distinguish between BMS communication protocols and BMS vendors for effective customer conversations.
- A BMS uses technical protocols to communicate information with components such as controllers, sensors, and actuators within a system. Communication protocols like BACnet (Building Automations and Control Network), Modbus, and LonWorks (or Local Operating Network) let device manufacturers share data and work together. For example, to automatically heat or cool a space based on occupancy, the sensors need to be able to talk with the controllers in the Fan Coil Unit in a way that the components can understand and take an action.
- A BMS protocol is the language, and an API (Application Programming Interface) defines the rules on how the software applications communicate. Not all BMS vendors offer an API, some might charge a subscription fee for API access, while others might be deployed within the IT firewall i.e. on-premises.
BMS implementations are typically done by master systems integrators due to the complexity of selecting the right automation/management system.
✍️ Use-cases for BMS data in Tandem
BMS data can be integrated with Tandem for use-cases such as heatmapping, historical analysis, understanding downstream impacts of certain events, create notifications and in the future derive operational insights.
Tandem does not allow command and control of the BMS.
An example use-case:
As a Facility Manager, I aim to integrate live data from our Building Management System (BMS) and Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), including work orders and documents, despite their different systems and access levels. This integration will enable me to visualize heatmaps and the status of work orders, thereby enhancing work-planning efficiency for my team.
💬 Key Questions for Customers
When advising customers on integrating with Tandem, consider the following:
- Who is the BMS vendor?
- What BMS communication protocols are supported?
- How is the BMS deployed: on-premises or cloud?
- Does the vendor provide an accessible API, or is it behind a paywall?
- If it is on-premises, would the IT team allow the installation of an edge-deployment of Tandem Connect within their network?
💞 Integration Options
The choice of integration option depends on various factors, including the use-case, the amount of data, and the cost of support and maintenance. It is recommended to conduct a review of the existing BMS, the use-case and choose an option that is scalable and meets the requirements of the IT team.
🤓 Tandem offers a few different options:
- Webhooks: Tandem natively supports REST API Webhooks, which are suitable for small data sets. To use this option, the device or service needs to be able to POST data to an HTTP endpoint.
- Azure IoT Hub: Tandem also supports importing Connections from Azure, which requires the customer to have an active Azure IoT Hub subscription.
- Tandem Connect: Tandem Connect is an iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) platform that allows you to easily integrate various IT (Information Technology) and OT (Operational Technology) systems across various environments (on-premises, cloud, or hybrid). It provides a set of tools, workflows, and connectors to streamline the flow of data.
- Tandem Connect + MQTT Broker: Tandem Connect offers an add-on MQTT broker, serving as a central hub for receiving and distributing large volumes of data to subscribed systems. This is ideal for scenarios where there is a need to aggregate data across multiple sites and/or the same data needs to be sent to multiple applications.
- Tandem Connect Outpost: This is a feature of Tandem Connect that allows deploying the pipelines within the customer's network on a customer’s edge device. An example of an edge-device could be a Linux-based virtual machine, and the Tandem Connect pipelines are run on a platform called Docker. Outpost provides the flexibility of securely deploying the solution onto a customer's private network/edge device with the same capabilities as the cloud deployments.
💬 Have you successfully integrated data from BMS to Tandem? Have lessons learned to share? Run into questions about this post? Share in the comments below!
References:
Open systems in building management systems | Trane Commercial HVAC
An Ultimate Guide to BMS Integration Protocols | Lumos Controls
