While the JACE can receive or route MS/TP traffic over one of its serial ports, handling the intensive overhead of the BACnet MS/TP token passing protocol burdens the JACE's CPU and reduces its performance. This results in increased system resource usage that could be used for other functions such as trending, alarming, and graphics/ dashboards.
The JACE CPU resource usage can be improved by offloading the task of MS/TP token passing to external BACnet MS/TP to BACnet/IP routers. This is especially important if you require the JACE to be connected to multiple MS/TP segments, where signal quality issues may arise. The use of BASrouter or BASrouterLX routers allows you to segment your BACnet network by using a router on each MS/TP segment and routing the traffic to IP. Use an Ethernet switch to interconnect the BACnet routers. The JACE then receives all traffic from all MS/TP segments through its Ethernet port.
Contemporary Control's BASrouters – BACnet® Multi- Network Router and BASrouterLX – High-Performance BACnet® Router, provides the solution. These routers offer stand-alone routing between BACnet/IP, BACnet Ethernet, and BACnet MS/TP networks — allowing the system integrator to mix BACnet network technologies within a single BACnet inter-network.