Steve attended BACnet International’s PlugFest 2012, held this year October 29-November 1 in Tacoma, Washington.
PlugFest is an Interoperability Workshop that offers participants the unique opportunity to work with other players in the BACnet community to cooperatively improve all BACnet products.
Steve got ready for the event this year with a new “building in a box.” He learned from his experience as a rookie participant last year that less time transitioning between test sessions means more time testing. With everything wired and ready to go, transitioning from one test session to the next was much more efficient than it was last year. Steve’s traveling test lab is outfitted with various Metasys controllers that provide live data to the S4 Open: BACnet-N2 Router, this set-up enables other BACnet devices to interact with the S4 Open: BACnet-N2 Router in an environment that mirrors real-world conditions.
The days were long but very productive. At PlugFest, participants check their vendor allegiances at the door, roll up their sleeves, and get testing.
During a break from testing, Steve had the opportunity to present a workshop on the benefits of BACnet Gateway technology. The presentation was very well received, attendance was good, and there was lots of participation and interaction from the attendees. Everyone agreed that BACnet Gateways are critical to success given today’s economic conditions.
PlugFest is a special example of a Connection Community. Participants are there to see if they can make different systems connect, or talk, to each other, but the company contacts and the cooperation between companies are what make the experience invaluable. The connections made at PlugFest transcend the event itself and help to create a cooperative spirit within the industry.