Building automation and control (BACnet, OPC UA)

Reading from — and writing back to — the systems that actually run the building: values, setpoints, schedules and alarms, without replacing the automation you already have.

This is the group of integrations that matters most for operation, because it is the only one that works in both directions. Everything else brings data in. These also let Properate change something.

Once connected, four things become possible: you can see live values from the automation system, change setpoints without opening the local control system, schedule the building from Properate, and see the automation system's own alarms as deviations you can act on.

BACnet

BACnet is the standard protocol for building automation, and the most common way Properate reaches an existing installation. If your building has ventilation, heating or cooling controlled by a modern automation system, it is very likely to speak BACnet.

Properate discovers what is on the automation network — the controllers, and the individual values inside them — so the available points do not have to be listed by hand. What you get from that:

Live values — supply and extract temperatures, room temperatures, fan output, valve and damper positions, pressures, operating status. These are the values that appear on technical schemas, in the indoor climate table and behind alarms.

Setpoints you can change — where a value is one the automation system accepts changes to, you can set it from Properate and it takes effect in the installation.

Schedules in both directions — the automation system's own weekly schedules and exception days can be read into Properate and written back. This is what makes it possible to manage opening hours for a whole portfolio from one place instead of visiting each control system.

Alarms — alarms raised by the automation system appear in Properate, and can be acknowledged there. You do not have to log into the local system to see that something has tripped.

What is needed from you: a gateway installed in the building with network access to the automation network. This is normally handled during onboarding together with your automation contractor. No change to the existing controllers is needed.

OPC UA

OPC UA is the industrial equivalent, common in larger technical plant and in process installations. Where a system exposes OPC UA, Properate can read from it and write to it in the same way as BACnet.

Other routes into the automation system

Sauter — a direct integration for buildings running Sauter systems.

Smartwatt gateway — reaches wireless devices in the building, including indoor climate sensors for CO₂, temperature, humidity and motion. Useful where pulling cable is impractical.

Teltonika — industrial IoT gateways, read directly from the device.

Reading versus writing

Not every value can be changed, and this catches people out. Two separate things have to be true:

The value has to be writable. Many points are measurements, not commands — a sensor reading cannot be driven from Properate, only observed.

Your role has to allow changes. A read-only user gets dashboards, analysis and reports, but no write access.

If a setpoint you expect to change is greyed out, it is one of those two.

When a change does not take effect

This is the single most common source of confusion, and there are two distinct causes.

Synchronisation. Schedule changes are pushed to the installation by a sync. Until a sync has run, your change exists in Properate but not yet in the building.

Default values. Every setpoint has a default, and the schedule uses that default unless an event overrides it. An empty calendar therefore does not mean "no control" — it means "default, all the time". If a change appears to do nothing, check whether an event actually covers the period you are looking at.

Connecting older equipment

A common worry is that older ventilation and automation equipment cannot be connected without being replaced. Usually the opposite is true. Reading at protocol level is precisely what makes it possible to connect what is already installed, and a building from the 1990s with a maintained automation system is often easier to connect than a new building with a closed proprietary system.

If you are unsure whether a specific installation can be reached, ask support with the make and model of the controllers. That is normally enough for a clear answer.