What are "Devices"?

Because Motion is designed to be compatible with multiple protocols (the list of supported protocols will continue to grow with time), we needed a generic term to represent, generally, all of the controllers, controls, sensors, data gatherers, thermostats, lights, HVAC units, widgets, etc. that we might be controlling and/or monitoring. To represent the entire spectrum of possible things with which a Motion Hub might communicate, we use the word device to represent any single one of those things.

To be specific, devices are the physical items that have readable and/or writable data/control points. For example, a BACnet thermostat can be a device because it has points that we can use BACnet to manage and monitor a temperature zone, like set point, current temperature, fan status, etc. But more complicated items like entire BASes (building automation systems using BACnet—think Tridium, Siemens, Trane, etc.*) may be considered devices in Motion Platform as well since they, too, can have sets of readable and writable points (even if those points are representative of points belonging to other equipment).

Here are some examples of items in a building that become devices in Motion Platform:

• Thermostats

• Boiler controllers

• Refrigeration controllers

• Relay-controlled lighting

• Rooftop HVAC units

• Variable air volume components (VAVs)

• Existing building automation systems (BASes) with BACnet modules enabled

* Motion is not affiliated with any of the brands mentioned on this page. Those brands simply represent some of the brand-name systems with Motion is frequently integrated.