BACnet Discovery

Once your Edge Node is online, the next step is to discover the BACnet devices on your building network and begin collecting data. The BACnet tab on the Deployments page lets you configure network details, initiate a discovery, and monitor its progress, all from the Onboard App.

🔧 Configure Your BACnet Settings

If this is your first discovery after setting up a Collector, start by configuring your BACnet network settings.

1. Navigate to the Deployments page in the Onboard App
2. Click on your building's Deployment and open the BACnet tab
3. Click the pencil icon to edit your BACnet configuration.
4. Set the following:
   • Network: The IP subnet the BACnet discovery will run on. Select the appropriate network from the dropdown. If multiple networks are listed, confirm the correct IP with your IT team
   • Poll Frequency: The rate at which the Collector polls BACnet devices for telemetry data. The default is 60 seconds. Increase this interval if you do not need granular data for your use case.
5. Click Save to apply your configuration.

🔍 Run a Discovery

Once your BACnet settings are saved, you are ready to launch a discovery.

1. Click the Actions button (next to the pencil icon).
2. You will see a device ID input field where you can specify the range of BACnet device IDs to scan.

There are two types of discoveries you can run:

• ‍Global Discovery (Recommended for First Discovery): Scans for all discoverable devices on the network across the full BACnet device ID range [1–4194302]. To run a global discovery, click Submit without entering any device IDs. The Collector will perform a network-wide scan and return all discoverable devices.‍
• Targeted Discovery: Scans a specific range of device IDs for faster, more controlled results. To run a targeted discovery, enter the smallest and largest device IDs in the range (e.g., 1020–1029). The Collector will scan all devices within that range, including the boundary IDs.

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📊 Monitor Discovery Status

Once a discovery is initiated, you can track its progress directly on the BACnet tab through the Latest Discovery Status column. The status will show NEW when a new discovery been initiated. This will change to IN PROGRESS which means that the collector is actively scanning the network (typically within 5–6 minutes of launch).

Use the refresh button on the BACnet tab to check for status updates. Depending on the network size and number of devices being scanned, a discovery can take anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour to complete.

Once the status shows SUCCESS, click on it to open the Staging Interface where all discovered devices and their points will appear for modeling and publishing.

⚙️ Behind the Scenes

During discovery, the Edge Node communicates with BACnet devices using broadcast messages on the building network. Device information, equipment, and points discovered during this process are securely transmitted to the Onboard Cloud and made available in the Staging Interface for AI modeling and publishing.