What B-EWS 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-EWS (BACnet Elevator Workstation) is the day-to-day elevator operator interface, defined in Annex L of ANSI/ASHRAE 135-2024 (clause L.12.2) with limited capabilities relative to a B-AEWS. It is used for monitoring and basic control of an elevator system, but it does not support the configuration or advanced troubleshooting an advanced workstation provides.
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-EWS is an operator-side (client) profile: it initiates reads, writes, and COV (Change of Value) subscriptions 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-EWS fits the daily elevator operator who monitors status and issues simple commands.
- Elevator monitoring stations. A workstation where staff watch Lift and Escalator status, acknowledge alarms, and subscribe to live car data.
- Building operations desks. A console paired with a head end (the central BMS server) that presents elevator events and trend data.
- Basic elevator front ends. A station that displays calendars and schedules and performs simple setpoint adjustments.
Required Services
The table below is the exhaustive service set required by the B-EWS 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. A service can appear under two capability areas when two different BIBBs use 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 | ReadPropertyMultiple | DS-RPM-A | Yes | - |
| Data sharing | WriteProperty | DS-WP-A, DS-EM-A | Yes | - |
| Data sharing | WritePropertyMultiple | DS-WPM-A | Yes | - |
| Data sharing | SubscribeCOVPropertyMultiple | DS-COVM-A | Yes | - |
| Data sharing | ConfirmedCOVNotificationMultiple | DS-COVM-A | - | Yes |
| Data sharing | UnconfirmedCOVNotificationMultiple | DS-COVM-A | - | Yes |
| Alarm and event management | ConfirmedEventNotification | AE-N-A, AE-EAVN-A | - | Yes |
| Alarm and event management | UnconfirmedEventNotification | AE-N-A, AE-EAVN-A | - | Yes |
| Alarm and event management | AcknowledgeAlarm | AE-ACK-A | Yes | - |
| Alarm and event management | GetEventInformation | AE-AS-A | Yes | - |
| Alarm and event management | GetAlarmSummary | AE-AS-A | Yes | - |
| Trending | ReadRange (trend-log view) | T-V-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 | - |
| Device and network management | DeviceCommunicationControl | DM-DCC-A | Yes | - |
| Device and network management | TimeSynchronization | DM-MTS-A | Yes | - |
| Device and network management | UTCTimeSynchronization | DM-MTS-A | Yes | - |
The view and modify BIBBs add no wire service beyond the rows above. DS-EV-A (Elevator View) and DS-EM-A (Elevator Modify) read and write elevator-object properties; AE-EVM-A adjusts elevator event and fault parameters; SCHED-VM-A views and modifies schedules and calendars; DM-ADM-A enumerates objects; DM-ANM-A adjusts alarm routing by writing Notification Class recipient lists. Each is carried by the ReadProperty and WriteProperty rows above.
Related Profiles
| Profile | How it differs from B-EWS |
|---|---|
| B-AEWS | Advanced Elevator Workstation: a step up. Adds object creation, event-log modification, and backup and restore |
| B-ED | Elevator Display: one step down. Presents elevator status and events with no scheduling, trending, or summarization |
| B-EC | Elevator Controller: the device side. It generates the elevator events a B-EWS handles and serves the live data it subscribes to |
What Chipkin Provides
B-EWS 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-EWS operator interface.