LonTalk: a language that everyone can speak

In the late 80s, the Echelon corporation began the development of the Lonworks platform with the belief that it would become a universal standard for control networks. A Lonworks control network uses the LonTalk protocol to complete those tasks. Lonworks technology has become a universal standard for control networks and literally thousands of companies develop products based on these standards today.

Standardization started from the bottom and has been going up. First were the wiring networks and systems that linked the sensors with the control devices, which then opened the way to open protocols. Much has been said about the unification of languages as a first step for standardization, but ultimately it can be said that this is a difficult result and that what is aimed at is an IT solution that will allow many subsystems to share information on a common front or server.

It should not be ignored that the industry's attention is concentrated on both BACnet and LonTalk, especially in recent years. Both communication protocols have become the most prominent tools for delivering interoperable solutions for commercial building control systems.

Since its birth LonTalk established different types of rules with other languages of considerable recognition such as BacNet, ModBus, Zigbee and its parameters are based on three already recognized differentiators.

Each protocol offers its advantages and is being guided by different associations that seek in a certain way the universality of communication; for example, BACnet emerged as a proposal of the ASHRAE to encompass in the same communication channel the different suppliers of control systems for air conditioning, leaving an open protocol between suppliers; so also LonTalk, takes the concept of the industrial protocol as the Modbus and adds features that make it unique and improve the operation and interaction of devices in a control network. Currently the 'wireless' technology is flooding the markets and new protocols have already appeared under this technology and will be the one that proposes the new solutions for building automation.

To further clarify the issue, it can be said that communications between controls are very similar situations to communications between nations. Translators who are accurate, reliable and fast are needed. Any communications platform must be translated to communicate with any other platform. This is not the problem, the real issue is the cost and complexity that comes with doing so.

LonTalk has evolved to become a standard adopted by many industries. With the belief that the future for this type of language can still be adopted for many years, there is nothing left to ask ourselves about our region and the adoption of language in our countries. Our interviewees helped us to discern from a very close point of view, what Latin America can expect in the future.