Building Standards
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has granted the underlying protocol of the LonWorks platform, power line signaling technology, twisted pair signaling technology, and IP compatibility status and an international standard in the area of control and building management. The ISO/IEC standards for the LonWorks platform are formally known as:
- ISO/IEC 14908-1: Communitaction protocol
- ISO/IEC 14908-2: Power line signaling technology
- ISO/IEC 14908-3: Twisted pair wire signaling technology
- ISO/IEC 14908-4: IP compatibility (tunneling) technology
The standard is commonly referred to as ISO/IEC 14908-1 standards.
ISO/IEC standardization helps ensure a long-lasting committment to the platform. Based on substantial market support and activity by manufacturers and end-users around the world, the technology for the LonWorks platform has been adopted in numberous markets in the form of national and de facto standards.
Standards Setting Organzations
BACnet
The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has completed its recommendation for an HVAC control standard for the North American building control industry. This standard has been ratified by the American National Standards Institute as ANSI/ASHRAE 135-1995.
The communications protocol for LonWorks networks is part of the MAC layer of the Building Automation and Control Network (BACnet). All LonMark media types are also included. Both LonWorks networks and BACnet will be used cooperatively to meet the needs of the marketplace. LonWorks networks are ideally suited for real-time control with smart sensors, actuators, drives, VAVs, and micro controllers, while the BACnet protocol is best suited for data acquisition and supervisory control.
European Building Controls Standard
TC247, a committee within CEN (the Comit European de Normalisation), has defined standards for Controls for Mechanical Building Services. Working Group 4 (communication protocols) recently completed its work, called EN14908, which incorporates ANSI/EIA709.1-B as a communications standard. The LonMark interoperability guidelines have also been submitted to CEN for inclusion in the standard.
Chinese Control Networking
The Standardization Administration of China (SAC) has formally adopted the technology of the LonWorks platform its control network technology standard: GB/Z 20177.1-2006: Protocol Specification; GB/Z 20177.2-2006: Power Line Channel Specification; GB/Z 20177.3-2006: Free-Topology Twisted-Pair Channel Specification; and GB/Z 20177.4-2006: Tunneling Component Network Protocols over Internet Protocol Channels.
Chinese Automated Buildings and Intelligent Communities
The Standardization Administration of China (SAC) has formally adopted the technology of the LonWorks platform its control network technology standard: : GB/T 20299.4-2006 Digital Technique Application of Building and Residence Community Part 4: Application Requirements of Control Network Communication Protocol. This is the second Chinese national standard to adopt LonWorks technology.
Major End-User Organizations
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
After a two-year study of BACnet and LonWorks solutions—considering maturity, market adoption, product availbility, and functionality—the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created a specification that calls for LonMark certified products and our LNS network operating system. This specification has been accepted by the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force. Base commanders and facility managers may optionally use the specification when commissioning a new building or retrofitting an existing building's control system. The corps' primary requirement was to create an open procurement environment that prevents suppliers from locking the army into an expensive single-source relationship.
New York City Public School District
The largest school district in the U.S. at 1,200 properties, the New York City Public School District requires the use of LonMark certified products, Echelon's LNS network operating system, and Echelon's i.LON family of Internet servers. Like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, an open, competitive purchasing/bidding environment was the key requirement underlying the specification.