What B-ED Is
A BACnet device profile is a standardized capability level: a checklist of things a device must be able to do before it can wear the label. B-ED (BACnet Elevator Display) is an elevator interface for the indication of elevator events and status, defined in Annex L of ANSI/ASHRAE 135-2024 (clause L.12.3). It is used for displaying the status of an elevator system, targeted at the operator and user who need to view basic elevator status.
The checklist items are BACnet Interoperability Building Blocks (BIBBs), each a named unit of capability such as “can send a read request” (DS-RP-A). B-ED is an operator-side (client) profile: it initiates reads and writes against other devices, and it receives event notifications rather than generating them. A device documents its profile claim in its PICS (Protocol Implementation Conformance Statement); to verify a claim, ask for the PICS and check the profile line.
Where It’s Used
B-ED is the fixed elevator indicator rather than a full workstation.
- Lobby elevator displays. A screen that shows Lift and Escalator status and presents elevator events to occupants and staff.
- Elevator status panels. A panel paired with a head end (the central BMS server) that indicates car position and events.
- Remote indication points. A simple display that presents elevator object data and acknowledges events at a satellite location.
Required Services
The table below is the service set required by the B-ED BIBBs. Initiates means the device sends the request or notification; Executes means the device receives and acts on it (responding, for confirmed services). BIBB codes encode the same split: a -A BIBB is the initiating side, a -B BIBB the executing side. A - means the profile does not require that direction; a device may still support it.
| Capability area | Service | Required by BIBB | Initiates | Executes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data sharing | ReadProperty | DS-RP-A, DS-RP-B, DS-EV-A | Yes | Yes |
| Data sharing | WriteProperty | DS-WP-A | Yes | - |
| Alarm and event management | ConfirmedEventNotification | AE-N-A, AE-EVN-A | - | Yes |
| Alarm and event management | UnconfirmedEventNotification | AE-N-A, AE-EVN-A | - | Yes |
| Alarm and event management | AcknowledgeAlarm | AE-ACK-A | Yes | - |
| Device and network management | Who-Is | DM-DDB-A, DM-DDB-B | Yes | Yes |
| Device and network management | I-Am | DM-DDB-A, DM-DDB-B | Yes | Yes |
| Device and network management | Who-Has | DM-DOB-B | - | Yes |
| Device and network management | I-Have | DM-DOB-B | Yes | - |
The DS-EV-A (Elevator View) BIBB presents elevator-object values and folds onto the ReadProperty row, so the profile adds no new wire service beyond it. B-ED has no scheduling, trending, or alarm-summarization requirement, which is what separates it from the elevator workstations.
Related Profiles
| Profile | How it differs from B-ED |
|---|---|
| B-EWS | Elevator Workstation: a step up. Adds COV subscriptions, alarm summarization, scheduling, and trending |
| B-AEWS | Advanced Elevator Workstation: the full interface. Adds object creation, event-log modification, and backup and restore |
| B-EC | Elevator Controller: the device side. It generates the elevator events a B-ED displays |
What Chipkin Provides
B-ED is an operator-side profile: its initiating and notification-receiving behavior is implemented in Chipkin’s BACnet test tooling rather than the shipping device stack, which targets the server-side profiles. Talk to us about building or integrating a B-ED operator interface.