CAS BACnet Explorer
CAS BACnet Explorer:
Available as a free tool for discovering, browsing, and testing BACnet devices.
Discover, test, monitor, and debug BACnet networks.
CAS BACnet Explorer is a free utility for engineers, technicians, commissioning agents, OEM developers, and facility teams who work with BACnet® networks. Discover devices, browse objects and properties, monitor live values, write to points, inspect BACnet activity, generate reports, and test BACnet clients with the built-in simulator.
Free. No license key required. Commercial use is allowed.
INTRODUCTION
CAS BACnet Explorer is built for discovering, exploring, monitoring, debugging, testing, and documenting BACnet networks and devices. One download covers the day-to-day workflows needed by systems integrators, commissioning agents, OEM developers, and facility operations teams.
Discover
Automatically find BACnet devices, objects, and properties on the network.
Monitor
Track devices and objects in real time with auto-refresh and monitor lists.
Debug
Inspect decoded BACnet requests, responses, errors, and abort reasons.
Test
Write to BACnet points, override outputs, trigger alarms, and validate priority arrays.
Report
Generate offline documentation, EDE files, CSV exports, JSON, and Markdown reports.
Simulate
Run a configurable BACnet server simulator without field hardware on the bench.
Video Walkthrough
See BACnet Explorer in action. This walkthrough demonstrates BACnet/IP device discovery, network scanning options, object browsing, monitoring, BACnet commands, activity logs, report generation, and troubleshooting workflows.
Downloads
Please read the BACnet Explorer License Agreement before downloading this utility.
Windows Installer
For Windows 10 and newer.
Linux AppImage
For Ubuntu 18.04 and other modern Linux distributions.
macOS Coming Soon
Contact Chipkin if you would like to be notified when the Mac build is available.
What's New in BACnet Explorer v4.18.0
The latest release adds major improvements for BACnet/SC, diagnostics, and day-to-day BACnet troubleshooting workflows.
- BACnet/SC improvements including certificate-based authentication, password-protected private keys, and portable
.bacnetscconfiguration packages. - Advanced Activity Log with decoded BACnet request/response inspection, search filtering, inline message viewing, and copy-to-clipboard support.
- Expanded BACnet Commands catalog for testing, troubleshooting, and validating BACnet services.
- Updated BACnet data including current vendor identifiers and refreshed enumeration tables aligned with the latest BACnet specification.
- Improved user interface with redesigned settings, property panels, object labels, and device tree filtering.
Supported BACnet Networks and Services
Network types
- BACnet/IP
- BACnet/SC (Secure Connect) with certificate-based authentication
- BACnet MS/TP
Core capabilities
- Discovery of BACnet devices, objects, and properties
- Custom rendering of BACnet properties
- Auto-refresh and live monitoring
- Report generation for offline documentation
- Support for BACnet protocol revision 23
BACnet commands
- Who-Is, I-Am, Who-Has
- Read-Property and Read-Property-Multiple
- Write-Property and Write-Property-Multiple
- Read-Range and Subscribe-COV
- Create-Object and Delete-Object
- Time-Synchronization and Device Communication Control
- Confirmed and Unconfirmed Text Message
- Register-Foreign-Device
- Reinitialize-Device
- BBMD, BDT, and FDT management
- I-Am-Router-To-Network
Feature Highlights
Automatic Device Discovery
Send Who-Is broadcasts and watch devices populate the tree in real time. Open any device to enumerate objects and read properties. When a device does not support Read-Property-Multiple, Explorer falls back to per-property reads so legacy and modern equipment populate the same tree.
BACnet Commands Catalog
Common BACnet services are exposed through guided dialogs with editable parameters, datatype-aware inputs, enumeration dropdowns, required-field validation, and a raw preview before sending.
Live Monitor List and Auto-Refresh
Pin devices or objects into the Monitor List and poll them on a configurable cadence. Custom columns, saved layouts, Auto Refresh, Last Updated status, and color-coded health rendering make changing values easier to see.
Advanced Diagnostics and Activity Log
The Activity Log records BACnet requests and responses with search, decoded packet details, inline inspection, and copy-to-clipboard support. This helps technicians and developers see exactly what happened on the wire.
Decoded BACnet Errors and Abort Reasons
BACnet errors and abort responses are decoded into readable messages and shown in the Notifications panel. Each entry includes device, service, reason, and timestamp details that can be copied into a support ticket.
Reports, EDE, and QuickServer Exports
Generate a timestamped report bundle with JSON, Markdown, per-device CSV object lists, BACnet EDE 2.3 CSV, and a QuickServer configuration export with BACnet-to-Modbus mapping documentation.
Write to Points and Verify Behavior
Override binary outputs, write setpoints, trigger alarms, and validate priority-array behavior. The Write Property dialog supports BACnet datatypes, enumeration dropdowns, DateTime pickers, and standard priority values.
Built-In BACnet Server Simulator
The embedded configurable BACnet server appears on the network with sample objects so you can discover, read, and test without physical field hardware. Load object and property lists from JSON to mimic devices for demos, training, and client-development testing.
BACnet/SC Secure Connect
Connect to BACnet/SC networks using certificate-based authentication, password-protected private keys,
and portable .bacnetsc configuration packages. BACnet/IP, MS/TP, and SC use a consistent network-layer UX,
with health badges, PCAP capture toggles, and statistics.
System Requirements
- Windows: Windows 10 and later. x86 and x64 are supported.
- Linux: Ubuntu 18.04 or later. Other modern Linux distributions may also work.
- Storage: 10 MB of free disk space.
- Memory: 4 GB RAM minimum.
- BACnet MS/TP: Requires an RS485 port. A USB-to-RS485 converter is recommended, such as the Abacus USB to RS232/RS485 Converter.
- BACnet/SC: Requires network access to the BACnet/SC hub and valid certificates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CAS BACnet Explorer really free?
Yes. CAS BACnet Explorer is free to download and use on personal, commercial, commissioning, integration, and OEM development work. There is no license key required.
Does it support MS/TP, or only BACnet/IP?
It supports BACnet/IP, BACnet MS/TP, and BACnet/SC. MS/TP requires a USB-to-RS485 converter connected to the laptop.
Is there a Mac version?
Not yet. A native macOS build is in development. Contact Chipkin if you would like to be notified when it is available.
Can I use it without real BACnet hardware?
Yes. The built-in BACnet server simulator provides a configurable BACnet device for demos, training, and client-development testing.
Can I export discovery results?
Yes. Reports include JSON, Markdown, CSV object lists, BACnet EDE 2.3 CSV, and QuickServer configuration exports with mapping documentation.
Does it capture packets for Wireshark?
Yes. BACnet/IP, MS/TP, and SC can use PCAP capture toggles so captured traffic can be opened in Wireshark or TCPDump-compatible tools.
BACnet for Field Technicians (Free!)
Learning about BACnet? Want to update your BACnet knowledge? This free eBook is a practical guide for technicians installing, commissioning, and troubleshooting BACnet systems in the field.
History
Chipkin originally released CAS BACnet Explorer v2.00aA in 2002 as a simple tool for discovering BACnet devices and objects on a network and validating present values. It has been updated many times since its initial release with new features requested by customers.
BACnet has changed substantially since 2012, including COV, BBMD, Network Port objects, Elevator objects, and the introduction of BACnet/SC in Annex AB. BACnet/SC uses WebSockets and TLS encryption in a hub-and-spoke architecture.
Chipkin updated the CAS BACnet Stack to support BACnet/SC, and CAS BACnet Explorer gives users a practical way to discover, validate, and troubleshoot modern BACnet/SC devices.
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Chipkin™ is a building and industrial automation protocol expert. We develop, configure, install, and support gateways (protocol converters), data loggers, and remote monitoring and control applications. Founded in October 2000, Chipkin provides expert solutions for converting BACnet®, Modbus®, LonWorks®, and many other protocols for HVAC, fire, siren, intercom, lighting, transportation, fuel systems, and industrial automation applications.
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