Easy BACnet
Who do I call when something's wrong — IT, HVAC, or the controls contractor?
Updated 18 September 2026
Match the problem to the provider. If you can't reach the equipment on the network (nothing scans, wrong subnet, a firewall), that's your IT / network provider. If the equipment is reachable but the physical machine is misbehaving (a fan that won't run, no heating, a tripped unit), that's the HVAC / mechanical contractor. If the equipment runs but the control logic, points, schedules or overrides are wrong, that's the controls / BMS integrator — the company that programmed the system. Easy BACnet helps you tell which of the three you're looking at; it doesn't replace any of them.
Three providers, three kinds of problem
On almost every building, three different companies own three different layers. Knowing which one to call — and not wasting a day with the wrong one — is half the job.
IT / network provider
Owns the wires, switches, Wi-Fi, VLANs, IP addresses and firewalls — the network the controllers ride on. Call them when the problem is reachability: you can't get onto the controls network, you're on the wrong subnet, a scan finds nothing, or a firewall is blocking BACnet IP (UDP 47808). They cannot help with what a controller is doing, only whether you can talk to it.
HVAC / mechanical contractor
Owns the physical equipment — the air handlers, chillers, boilers, pumps, fans, dampers and valves, and the wiring to them. Call them when the machine itself is the problem: a fan motor that won't start, a compressor that's locked out, no airflow, a water leak, a unit that's mechanically tripped. The app may read a point correctly and the equipment still be broken — that's their domain.
Controls / BMS integrator
Also called the temperature controls contractor, ATC, or building-automation integrator — the company that programmed and commissioned the control system. Owns the controllers, the BACnet points, the sequences of operation, schedules, setpoints, alarms and graphics. Call them when the equipment is healthy and reachable but the logic is wrong: a point is stuck in override, a schedule isn't running, a setpoint won't hold, a device is unconfigured or has a duplicate ID, or a value reads right but nothing acts on it.
Which one do I call? (symptom → owner)
| What you're seeing | Who owns it |
|---|---|
| Scan finds nothing; you may be on the wrong subnet or on guest Wi-Fi | IT / network |
| You can reach some devices but a firewall or VLAN blocks others | IT / network |
| You need a static IP, a switch port on the controls VLAN, or a BBMD address | IT / network |
| A device answers, but the fan/pump/compressor physically won't run | HVAC / mechanical |
| No heating or cooling, a leak, a mechanically tripped or locked-out unit | HVAC / mechanical |
| A point is stuck in override and won't release | Controls / BMS |
| A schedule, setpoint or sequence isn't behaving; a value reads right but nothing happens | Controls / BMS |
| Unconfigured devices, duplicate Device IDs, or missing points after commissioning | Controls / BMS |
| MS/TP controllers aren't visible and you're not sure they're routed onto IP | Controls / BMS |
What to have ready before you call
The same handful of facts turns a long call into a short one. Easy BACnet gives you most of them:
- Your phone's address and subnet mask (the app shows these when a scan finds nothing) — the first thing IT will ask.
- The Device ID, name and IP of the unit in question, from the scan.
- The point name and what it's doing — its present value, units, status, and which priority is commanding it — for a controls call.
- What you expected versus what you saw. "AHU-2 supply fan command reads On at priority 8 but the fan isn't turning" tells all three providers exactly whose problem it is.
- Which switch or jack you're plugged into, if it's a network question.
Exporting the scan as a CSV and attaching it is often the fastest way to give an integrator what they need — see what to send when a vendor asks for your BACnet information.
The grey areas — who to call first
- "I can't find any devices." Usually IT / network first (you're likely on the wrong subnet). If IT confirms you're on the controls network and devices are known to be MS/TP, it becomes a controls question — are those trunks routed onto IP?
- "The value looks wrong." Decide whether the number is wrong (a sensor reading nonsense → controls or mechanical) or the number is right but nothing acts on it (a stuck override or bad sequence → controls).
- "It worked yesterday." Ask what changed — a network change (IT), a part that failed (mechanical), or a programming change (controls).
Where Easy BACnet fits
Think of the app as a flashlight, not a repair. It tells you what's on the network, what each point reads, and who is commanding it — enough to point at the right provider with evidence instead of a guess. It does not fix a network, a motor, or a control program, and it is BACnet IP only — it won't reach a bare MS/TP serial trunk. None of "call your provider" is a cop-out: these are three different trades, and the fastest fix is the right one on the phone.