Network Bridges with Multiple Networks

Wondering if someone can please help me with a configuration dilemma I have.

So, I have been given the task by a commercial client to sort out 2 buildings they have. No site files or documentation, you know the drill. Basically what I need to do is find a solution to give 8 floors per building an occupancy signal during business hours. Then after hours it will operate on occupancy only through PIR?s (all existing). Currently it has a hard-wired interface to the BMS that gives an input via a bus coupler for occupancy. I want to remove this interface and make it a native CBUS installation. Each floor has a network bridge and there are say 8 floors in total.

Could I put a PAC or a Touch Screen in the riser on one floor and using the scheduler pass the occupancy signal across that many bridges? They are the din rail mounted type so I think this is possible, but I also thought that they did have certain limitations.

Thanks guys, appreciate your assistance.

 

Can you elaborate a bit more on exactly what you want to achieve? If I was to guess at what you're trying to do, it sounds a bit like you want to have the lights under either maunal control or schedule control during office hours and then have the lights change over to PIR control outside those hours.

How easy/hard this is to program may depend upon how the building is wired. Is there a C-Bus backbone, with the bridges running off this network to each other network, or are multiple networks connected in series?

 

Yes Newman, that is precisely correct. I want the floors to operate from a schedule with a manual override during business hours. Then after hours the PIR's should control the zones. The PIR's are already installed and operating.

I believe typically the CBUS network runs around each floor to all devices then back to the Network Bridge, then on the far side of the NB it then goes off to the next floor and NB to do the same again. However, this has not been proven and there are no schematics or line diagrams either.

So I guess the answer to your question is that there are multiple networks all connected in series.

Thanks Newman.

 

A C-Touch or PAC should be able to send the required messages to all of the networks, but the implementation will depend on network topology (see below).

With 8 floors, it would be unlikely that the networks are all in series. There is a limit of 5 bridges (6 networks) in series. It is much more likely that there is a C-Bus backbone network.

Without accurate details, it is not possible to provide sound advice. I would suggest scanning the site with ToolKit to discover the topology, then post an image of it here so we know what the situation is.

 

Thanks Darren. I will go back to site and do what you suggested and investigate some further. I have however scanned the network last time I was there and was only able to see the one floor that I was connected to. In the configuration of the NB it did not have any boxes selected in Message Destination "Send to adjacent network" or "Send to other remote network". Under Connect Applications, Application 1 had "All Applications" selected.