BACnet Europe

the test laboratory according to DIN EN ISO
17025 by DAkkS has been the first step. At
that point, we were active, and it was foreseeable
that such recognition would happen.
Visit from BI and BIG­EU representatives
The second component consists of a visit to
the test-laboratory by BI and BIG-EU delegates,
the BACnet Test Laboratories Acceptance
Committee (BTL-AC). This visit on the
premises of MBS GmbH already took place in
the summer of 2011. As part of this appointment,
we were able to clarify conformance
with all additional requirements successfully.
Round robin test
The third prerequisite for recognition by the
BIG-EU and BI is a Round Robin Test that
must be completed successfully. A device
with known bugs is submitted to all participating
laboratories, to be tested for conformity
Wie schätzen Sie den derzeitigen Bedarf an BACnet Konformitätsprüfungen
ein?
Da es immer mehr BACnet Geräte am Markt gibt, ist die Nachfrage sehr
hoch. Obwohl wir erst seit einem Dreivierteljahr testen, haben uns bereits
sehr viele Anfragen erreicht.
Was war die größte Herausforderung bei der Akkreditierung?
Die größte Herausforderung bestand für uns in der Abbildung der technischen
Prüfungen auf die Prozessbeschreibungen, welche die hohen
formalen Ansprüchen der Akkreditierungsstelle erfüllen mussten.
Haben Sie Tipps für andere Einrichtungen, die sich als Labor für
BACnet Konformitätstests akkreditieren lassen wollen?
Sie sollten den Aufwand nicht unterschätzen, vor allem in zeitlicher Hinsicht.
Sie sind jetzt das dritte Testlabor weltweit, das BACnet Konformitätsprüfungen
anbietet. Wie wird die Vergleichbarkeit der Tests sichergestellt?
Seit 2011 veranstalten BI und BIG-EU die oben beschriebenen Round-Robin-
Tests, bei denen alle Labore das gleiche Gerät testen und zu vergleich baren
Ergebnissen kommen müssen. Um den Dialog der Labore zu fördern, ist
zusätzlich ein jährlicher Workshop zum Informationsaustausch geplant.
with the BACnet standard. The test is carried
out under conditions similar to those of a customer
order. The test unit is subjected to a full
trial. Depending on the feature set of the device,
such testing takes several weeks. The
test results of all laboratories are compared at
the end of the experiment by the BIG-EU and
BI together. While this method is time consuming,
it is necessary to ensure the consistent
quality of the tests in all laboratories. The
Round Robin Tests are repeated for quality
assurance of laboratories regularly. Participation
in this Round Robin Test was completed
successfully by us.
5. Auditing of the employees of DAkkS
The successful audit of our laboratory by two
external staff of DAkkS finally took place in
November 2011, the official certificate of recognition
was finally delivered to us in March 2012.
Dialog­der­Labore­fördern
Promote­dialogue­between­laboratories
Nils-Gunnar Fritz im Gespräch mit der Redaktion des BACnet Europe Journals.
Nils-Gunnar Fritz in an interview with the editors of the BACnet Europe Journal.
6. First BACnet tests
Nils-Gunnar­Fritz
Leiter des MBS Testlabors
Leader of the MBS test lab
MBS GmbH
support@mbs-software.de
www.mbs-software.de
Anwendungen­Solutions
The whole process of work to build a testing
laboratory, thus, took well over a year to complete.
Since early 2012, the MBS GmbH has
now started work in their laboratory and already
tested several devices with a positive result in
respect of valid BACnet standard.
How do you assess the current demand for BACnet conformance
tests?
Due to increasing number of BACnet devices on the market, there is,
more than ever, a high demand. Although our tests started three-quarters
of a year ago, we are already getting a lot of inquiries.
What was the biggest challenge for the accreditation?
Our greatest challenge has been the mapping of the technical tests on the
process descriptions, which had to fulfil the high-level formal requirements of
the accreditation body.
Do you have tips for other organizations wishing to become
accredited as a test lab for BACnet conformance tests?
They should not underestimate the complexity, especially in terms of time
required.
You are now the third testing laboratory in the world that offers BACnet
conformance testing. How is the comparability of the tests ensured?
Since 2011, BI and BIG-EU organize the above-described Round Robin
Tests, in which all laboratories have to test the same device and have to
achieve comparable results. In addition, to foster dialogue between laboratories,
an annual workshop to share information is planned.
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