Integrations
What is a BAS?
A BAS (building automation system) is the network of controllers, sensors and actuators that runs a building's HVAC, lighting and access control automatically. In most of the world, the same system is called a BMS.
A building automation system (BAS, also called a BMS or, in EU regulation, a BACS) is the network of controllers, sensors and actuators that operates a building's heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, lighting and, increasingly, its access control and life-safety systems. It senses conditions, applies control logic and drives equipment to keep a building comfortable, safe and efficient.
What a BAS controls. A typical BAS supervises HVAC (air-handling units, chillers, boilers, heat pumps), along with lighting schedules and, on larger sites, access control, fire alarms and lifts. Field controllers run the local logic close to the equipment; a supervisor pulls them together into one operator interface.
The core components. Sensors and actuators sit in the field. Programmable controllers (DDC) run the control loops that turn a reading into a command. A supervisory front end is where an operator sees values and changes setpoints. A network protocol ties it together, most often BACnet, with Modbus and OPC UA where older or industrial equipment is involved.
BAS vs BMS. The two names describe the same system. BAS (building automation system) is the term used more in North America; BMS (building management system) is the term used more in Europe and the Nordics. Some vendors try to draw a line between them, BAS as HVAC and lighting only, BMS as the wider package, but the distinction doesn't hold consistently across the industry. If it runs a building's plant, people call it one or the other depending on where they trained.
| Term | Stands for | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| BAS | Building Automation System | Runs a building's HVAC, lighting and access control. Term more common in North America. |
| BMS | Building Management System | The same system; term more common in Europe and the Nordics. |
| BACS | Building Automation and Control System | The EU regulatory term (EPBD); same scope, defined in law. |
| SCADA | Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition | A different domain: industrial process control (plants, refineries), not building comfort systems. |
The protocols it speaks. Most BAS installations run on BACnet, with Modbus common on meters and older plant, OPC UA where industrial-grade equipment is involved, and oBIX where a Tridium Niagara station exposes its data as a web service. A single portfolio frequently runs more than one.
How FrostLogic Explore fits. FrostLogic Explore reads a BAS over its native protocol, BACnet, Modbus, OPC UA, or a vendor API, without taking over control of it. The connection is read-only by default: Explore adds a decision layer on top of whatever's already installed, turning the telemetry a BAS produces into a ranked queue of what to fix first. See how that works across a wider estate on our BMS analytics platform page, or read our software, controls and vendors behind a BAS for the fuller picture.
Before you ask
BAS, the common questions.
Building automation system, the network of controllers, sensors and actuators that runs a building's HVAC, lighting and access control automatically. Some regions call the same system a BMS or, in EU regulation, a BACS.
In practice, none. BAS is the term used more often in North America, BMS more often in Europe. Both describe the system that runs a building's HVAC and controls.
Sensors and actuators in the field, programmable controllers that run the control logic, and a supervisory front end where an operator views values and changes setpoints. A network protocol connects the layers.
Most often BACnet, with Modbus common on meters and older plant, OPC UA on industrial-grade equipment, and oBIX where a Niagara station exposes its data over the web.
Not from the BAS itself, it's built to control, not to analyze. A read-only analytics layer like FrostLogic Explore turns its telemetry into a ranked list of what to act on.
No. Explore reads it read-only and adds a decision layer on top. It doesn't take over control of equipment or replace the system underneath it.
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