The Smart Buildings Academy Podcast | Teaching You Building Automation, Systems Integration, and Information Technology

In my last podcast episode, I explained what IP BAS controls are.

In this episode, I'm going to be diving even deeper down the rabbit hole and exploring how to design IP control systems. This episode is perfect for technical and non-technical folks. By the time you finish listening to this episode you will have a solid understanding of exactly what you need to know about designing your own IP BAS controls system.

In this episode you will learn:

• The big difference between IP and non-IP designs
• The different physical architectures of IP controls
• A step-by-step plan for designing wireless and wired IP control systems
• The key criteria you need to consider when designing wireless systems
• The exact questions you should ask before you ever design an IP control system

IP controls are one of the hottest trends in the building automation world right now.

Yet for many folks in the BAS profession, IP controls are a mystery. Despite the prolific marketing by some of the largest BAS brands there still is a ton of confusion as to what IP controls are and what they can do!

That's why I created what may be my best podcast episode yet. In this episode, and over the next couple episodes, I am going to dive deep into the topic of IP controls. In this episode

In this episode you will learn:

• What are IP enabled controls?
• How are they different than normal BAS controls?
• What are the use cases for IP Controls?
• Do IP controls cost more?
• What are the pros of IP controls?
• What are the cons of IP controls?
• How do IP controls affect the design process?

You can master networking...

But you need to start now! In this episode, I give you 7 tips that have been immensely helpful to me over my career in BAS.

That's it... No fluff just tons of valuable insight around networking. You won't want to miss this one!

You will learn:

• Why you must understand the first four layers of the OSI Model
• How Ethernet and IP are not the same
• The difference between Frames and Packets
• Understand Physical vs Virtual Lans
• Why Broadcast domains are vitally important
• How Subnets and Default Gateways work
• The importance of Trunking and QoS

What is a building automation server?

What does it do?

Should I cloud host my server? Should I use a desktop or server class platform?

If you've ever wondered these questions then this episode is for you!

In this episode, I unpack the topic of BAS servers. I dive deep into the topic of BAS servers. You will learn:

• What a server is and how it works?
• Why you shouldn't use your server as a client
• When you should cloud host your server (and when you shouldn't)
• Why your choice of server architecture can make or break your BAS installation
• And much, much more!

In last weeks podcast episode, I talked through how you can enter the building automation field. But what if you are already in the field?

More specifically, what if you are trying to build your own building automation group?

If you've ever wondered how to build a building automation team or how to run an existing building automation team then this is the episode for you!

In this episode I discuss:

• The two main types of BAS work
• How to organize a project focused BAS team
• Whether or not to have an in house BAS group or an external BAS group
• What the future holds for BAS teams and what skills you should hire right now
• How cloud and IoT tie into your BAS business
• Why you should shift your business to a residual income model

Do you want to have a career in building automation systems? Does it seem like every job interview ends in a salary that is too low or you being told you don't have enough experience? If this sounds familiar then this is the episode for you!

In this episode I discuss:

• The three skills that make up a BAS professional
• The four paths for entering the BAS field
• Why most folks believe they can't move into the BAS profession (and why they are wrong)
• How you can get a job working with BAS, WITHOUT a pay cut
• The future of BAS and how it will change who we hire
• The three ways you can "future proof" your BAS career or business

I recently went through a 3-day power outage. It was utterly debilitating. Our well pump wouldn't run leaving us without water and we ended up loosing all our food. The good thing is we were prepared with backup food and water. Yet, many of our neighbors weren't and it was amazing how fast all of the surrounding stores sold out of basic goods.

So why do I tell you this?

The reality is so many BAS professionals are sitting on time bombs. There are facilities across the world that have put zero thought into how to keep their BAS operational after a disaster. The good news is that if you follow what I teach you in this episode you will be massively more prepared for when, not if, disaster strikes!

In this episode you will learn:

• The three kinds of disasters
• My four-step plan for disaster planning
• How to find the Goldilox zone (not over prepared but not under prepared)
• Why you must test your disaster plan

Man, I am so stoked for this episode. I've got to say out of all the episodes I've recorded I think this is the most value packed episode of them all!

As you may or may not know, at the time of this recording I'm into my second IT for BAS class and the questions I've received have been phenomenal! What I wanted to do in this episode was to share with you some of the questions I've received from my students and share with you the answers I provided. I think you will find this episode eye opening as I really dive into some great topics.

In this episode you will learn:

• How IP controls and IT are coming together
• How to properly segment your IP controls
• What VPN's, DMZ's, and proxy servers are, and how that affects your ability to remotely connect to your BAS
• Why understanding databases is critical to your career
• Why API's aren't all they are hyped up to be
• What the deal is with all these goofy IT cyber security terms
• And sooo MUCH MORE.

I've gotten a lot of questions from my subscribers about BAS networks lately. I actually find this interesting as there is a definite uptick.

I get it, networks can be ultra confusing and most folks are having to deal more and more with IT. IT naturally is asking very detailed questions about how these protocols work.

And that is why I recorded this episode.

In this episode you will learn:

• The four layers of BAS networks
• How encapsulation and decapsulation work and why you should care
• The difference between BACnet MS/TP, Ethernet, and IP
• The life of a BACnet Message

Naming standards.

As you know I'm a bit of a standard fanatic.

The reality is most of the BAS problems I have experienced have come from when people went off into left field and created designs that just don't make sense.

And there is no other better example of this than in the area of naming. Zone temp, space temp, room temp. They all mean the same thing...

Or do they???

In this episode unpack what makes naming standards good and what makes them not so good..

By the time you finish this episode you will know:

• The three keys to good naming standards
• How to create a naming standard
• How to push through the overwhelm of applying a naming standard to an existing building