C-Bus is an Australian based effort on creating a control protocol for building automation.
C-Bus protocol works either on Cat5 twisted pair or wireless. It does not offer powerline datalink layer.
C-Bus protocol specification is available free of charge but is subject to license restrictions via C-Bus Enabled program. Clipsal, the company behind C-Bus, claims some patents on the way status updates on devices are handled without central database or lookup tables. Essentially, devices broadcast their status on a prearranged window based on a synchronized clock pulse.
C-Bus is compatible with TCP/IP, AMX and Crestron.
Created: 10. Aug 2008, 14:10 CET (Juha Lindfors)
Last Modified: 10. Aug 2008, 14:11 CET (Juha Lindfors)
C-BUS should be viewed as a Twisted Pair, Low Voltage protocol that we should eventually interface with. It support addressing and programming during commissioning. OR would then be a programming environment much like it would be for KNX.
The resulting installation can work without the ORC brains in the case of a fully integrated, one-vendor, environment or a multi-vendor environment (KNX panel to CBus devices for example) with the presence of an ORC.
I agree C-Bus looks interesting to integrate with. I didn't take much time to look into it but by brief glance looked like decent developer resources/documentation was present. The talk of patents is unwelcome though.
Juha Lindfors, OpenRemote
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