What B-LOD 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-LOD (BACnet Lighting Operator Display) is a basic lighting operator interface, defined in Annex L of ANSI/ASHRAE 135-2024 (clause L.9.2) with limited capabilities relative to a B-ALWS. It could be used for wall-mounted display devices, simple web-server gateways to lighting devices, displays affixed to devices, handheld terminals, or other very simple control stations.
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-LOD is an operator-side (client) profile: it initiates reads, writes, and group commands to other devices. 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-LOD is the simple lighting display and command surface.
- Wall-mounted lighting displays. An LCD that shows lighting status and lets a user set levels or recall scenes.
- Lighting gateway front ends. A simple web-server display paired with a head end (the central BMS server) that presents and commands lighting devices.
- Handheld lighting terminals. A service tool that reads lighting objects and issues WriteGroup commands.
Required Services
The table below is the service set required by the B-LOD 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-LV-A | Yes | Yes |
| Data sharing | WriteProperty | DS-WP-A, DS-ALO-A | Yes | - |
| Data sharing | WriteGroup | DS-WG-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-LV-A (Lighting View) BIBB presents lighting-object values and folds onto the ReadProperty row; the DS-ALO-A (Advanced Lighting Output) BIBB commands standard lighting and value properties and folds onto the WriteProperty row. The profile has no alarm, scheduling, or trending requirement.
Related Profiles
| Profile | How it differs from B-LOD |
|---|---|
| B-ALWS | Advanced Lighting Workstation: the full interface. Adds alarm management, trending, object configuration, and backup and restore |
| B-LCS | Lighting Control Station: a fixed command device that writes Lighting Output objects without the display side |
| B-LD | Lighting Device: the device side. It hosts the Lighting Output objects a B-LOD reads and commands |
What Chipkin Provides
B-LOD is an operator-side profile: its initiating 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-LOD operator interface.