BACnet/IP Nodes

Read property values from BACnet/IP building automation devices and integrate building data into your orchestration pipelines. Two nodes are available: the BACnet Read node for a single read function, and the BACnet Read Group node for reading many functions from one device in a single node.

Configuration Quick Reference

Field	What you choose	Details
Parameters	Connection, Function, Function Parameters, Timeout Override	Select the BACnet connection profile, choose a read function, configure function parameters with expression support, and optionally override timeout.
Settings	Description, Timeout (seconds), Retry on Timeout, Retry on Fail, On Error	Node description, maximum execution time, retry behavior on timeout or failure, and error handling strategy. All execution settings default to pipeline-level values.

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BACnet Read Node

BACnet Read Node

Read one or more property values from BACnet objects using ReadPropertyMultiple. Each read item is identified by a user-defined name, which becomes the key in the result output.

Supported Function Types:

Function Name	Purpose	Common Use Cases
Read Properties (bacnet.read)	Read property values from one or more BACnet objects in a single request	Temperature readings, HVAC status, energy meters, alarm states

Node Configuration

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
Connection	Selection	Yes	BACnet/IP connection profile to use
Function	Selection	Yes	Read function from the selected connection
Function Parameters	Dynamic	Varies	Auto-populated from the function schema. See your BACnet/IP connection functions for full parameter details.
Timeout Override	Number (seconds)	No	Override the default function timeout

All function parameters support expression syntax ({{ expression }}) for dynamic values from the pipeline context.

Input

The node receives the output of the previous node as input. Input data can be referenced in function parameter expressions using $input.

Output Structure

On success the node produces:

{
  "success": true,
  "functionId": "<function-id>",
  "data": { ... },
  "durationMs": 42,
  "timestamp": "2026-01-15T08:30:00Z"
}

Field	Type	Description
success	boolean	true when the function executed without errors
functionId	string	ID of the executed function
data	object	Function-specific result data (see below)
durationMs	number	Execution time in milliseconds
timestamp	string	ISO 8601 / RFC 3339 UTC timestamp

Function-Specific Output Data

Read Properties (bacnet.read):

{
  "results": {
    "Zone Temperature": {
      "object_type": 0,
      "object_instance": 1,
      "property_id": 85,
      "value": 72.5
    },
    "Damper Position": {
      "object_type": 1,
      "object_instance": 10,
      "property_id": 85,
      "value": 45.0
    },
    "Occupancy Sensor": {
      "object_type": 3,
      "object_instance": 5,
      "property_id": 85,
      "value": 1
    }
  }
}

Each result entry is keyed by the Item Name defined in the read function:

Field	Type	Description
object_type	number	BACnet object type code that was read
object_instance	number	Object instance number
property_id	number	BACnet property ID that was read
value	any	The property value returned by the device
error	string	Error message (present only if the individual item failed)

Read Item Configuration

Each read item in the function is configured with:

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
name	String	Yes	—	Unique name for this item — used as the key in results
object_type	Number	Yes	—	BACnet object type code (e.g., 0 = AnalogInput, 3 = BinaryInput)
object_instance	Number	Yes	—	Object instance number
property_id	Number	No	85 (Present_Value)	BACnet property to read

Supported Object Types

Code	Name	Typical Use
0	AnalogInput	Temperature sensors, pressure sensors, flow meters
1	AnalogOutput	Valve positions, damper commands, setpoints
2	AnalogValue	Internal calculated values, configurable setpoints
3	BinaryInput	Occupancy sensors, switch states, alarms
4	BinaryOutput	Relay commands, on/off controls
5	BinaryValue	Internal binary states, mode flags
8	Device	The device itself (instance = Device ID)
12	Loop	PID control loops
13	MultiStateInput	Multi-position switches, fan speed states
14	MultiStateOutput	Multi-position actuator commands
17	Schedule	Weekly schedules
20	TrendLog	Historical data logs

Common Property IDs

ID	Name	Description
85	Present_Value	Current value — the most commonly read property
77	Object_Name	Human-readable name of the object
28	Description	Text description of the object
36	Event_State	Current alarm/event state
103	Reliability	Reliability status of the object
111	Status_Flags	Bitmask: in-alarm, fault, overridden, out-of-service
117	Units	Engineering units (e.g., degrees-Fahrenheit, percent)

ReadPropertyMultiple

The BACnet Read node uses the ReadPropertyMultiple service to read all configured items in a single BACnet request. This is more efficient than reading properties one at a time, especially when acquiring data from many objects on the same device. If a function holds more items than fit in the device's APDU size, the connector automatically splits them into multiple requests (and halves a chunk that still comes back too large), so large functions never fail outright — failed items are reported individually.

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BACnet Read Group Node

The BACnet Read Group node reads many objects from a single BACnet device across multiple read functions in one node — the efficient way to acquire hundreds to thousands of points without wiring a separate Read node per function. It supports selective function lists, a Read All mode, label-based selection, and parallel or sequential execution.

Each function's items are automatically split to fit the device's APDU size (see the Read node's ReadPropertyMultiple note above), and reads are bounded by the connection's Max Concurrent Reads setting so the device is never flooded.

Node Configuration

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
Connection	Selection	Yes	—	BACnet/IP connection profile
Read All	Toggle	No	false	When enabled, executes every bacnet.read function defined on the connection
Functions	Array of {functionId, alias}	When Read All is off	[]	List of specific functions to execute. Each entry requires a functionId; alias is optional and becomes the result key.
Execution Mode	Selection	No	parallel	parallel — functions run concurrently (bounded by Max Concurrent Reads). sequential — functions run one after another.
Continue on Error	Toggle	No	true	When enabled, the node continues executing remaining functions even if one fails
Debug Mode	Toggle	No	false	Enable detailed logging for troubleshooting

Functions can also be selected dynamically by label instead of a fixed list — useful when the set of points grows over time. Set the selection mode to by labels in the node and choose the label values to include.

Read All Mode

When Read All is enabled the function list is ignored. The node automatically discovers and executes every read function defined on the selected connection.

Function Type	Description
bacnet.read	Read Properties (ReadPropertyMultiple)

Input

The node receives the output of the previous node as input.

Output Structure

{
  "results": {
    "Floor 1 Sensors": {
      "value": {
        "Zone Temperature": { "object_type": 0, "object_instance": 1, "property_id": 85, "value": 72.5 },
        "Damper Position": { "object_type": 1, "object_instance": 10, "property_id": 85, "value": 45.0 }
      },
      "success": true,
      "duration": 48,
      "timestamp": "2026-01-15T08:30:00Z"
    },
    "Floor 2 Sensors": {
      "value": {
        "Zone Temperature": { "object_type": 0, "object_instance": 2, "property_id": 85, "value": 70.1 }
      },
      "success": true,
      "duration": 41,
      "timestamp": "2026-01-15T08:30:00Z"
    }
  },
  "_metadata": {
    "connectionId": "conn-123",
    "connectionName": "AHU-1 Controller",
    "total": 2,
    "successful": 2,
    "failed": 0,
    "totalDuration": 89,
    "executionMode": "parallel",
    "originalRequests": 2
  }
}

Each function result contains:

Field	Type	Description
value	object	The function's read results, keyed by each read item's name
success	boolean	Whether this function succeeded
error	string	Error message (present only on failure)
duration	number	Execution time in milliseconds
timestamp	string	ISO 8601 / RFC 3339 UTC timestamp

The _metadata object provides an execution summary:

Field	Type	Description
connectionId	string	Connection profile ID
connectionName	string	Connection profile display name
total	number	Total functions executed
successful	number	Count of successful executions
failed	number	Count of failed executions
totalDuration	number	Wall-clock time for the entire group (ms)
executionMode	string	parallel or sequential
originalRequests	number	Number of function configs submitted
keyCollisions	string[]	Output keys that appeared more than once (omitted when empty)

Output Key Resolution

Each function result is keyed in the output map using the first available value:

1. Alias — the custom alias set in the function entry
2. Function Name — the name defined on the connection function
3. Function ID — the unique function identifier (fallback)

Execution Modes

Parallel (default)

• Functions execute concurrently, up to the connection's Max Concurrent Reads limit.
• Fastest total execution time, and safe because the per-connection limit caps how many requests hit the device at once.

Sequential

• Functions execute one after another in list order.
• Lowest peak load on the device and the most predictable timing.
• When Continue on Error is off, execution stops at the first failure.

Tuning for the device

BACnet field controllers tolerate only a few simultaneous transactions. The connection's Max Concurrent Reads (default 4, range 1–16) is the ceiling on in-flight requests for both execution modes. If you see dropped packets or timeouts under load, lower it to 1–2; raise it only for robust controllers. See the BACnet connection Advanced settings.

Error Handling

Continue on Error	Behavior
true (default)	The node completes even if individual functions fail. Failed functions include an error field in their result. The node output remains successful.
false	The node fails as soon as any function fails. In sequential mode, remaining functions are skipped. The node result is marked as failed.

Validation Rules

• connectionId is required.
• executionMode must be parallel or sequential.
• When Read All is off, at least one function entry is required.

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Settings Tab

Setting	Type	Default	Description
Description	Text	—	Optional description displayed on the node
Timeout (seconds)	Number	Pipeline default	Maximum time the node may run before timing out
Retry on Timeout	Toggle	Pipeline default	Automatically retry the node if it times out
Retry on Fail	Toggle	Pipeline default	Automatically retry the node if it fails
On Error	Selection	Pipeline default	Error strategy: stop the pipeline, continue to the next node, or follow the error output path

When left at their defaults, these settings inherit from the pipeline-level execution configuration.