Siemens Apogee P2 (ALN) Driver

Overview

Covers PXC Compact 16, 24, and 36, PXC Modular, Power MEC, and MBC panels, together with the TEC, ATEC, BACnet TEC, LonMark TEC, and unitary controllers attached below them. Each panel presents its own field devices, so no separate driver or extra wiring is needed to reach them. Discovered points arrive with their description, engineering units, decimal precision, and the panel's own state labels, each mapped to the matching Niagara point type, numeric, boolean, or enumerated, read-only or writable. Updates are event-driven rather than polled, so the driver generates no background traffic and stays comfortable on panels carrying hundreds of points. A write commands the point and holds it against the panel's PPCL program, so the value is not undone on the next scan. Writing a null value releases the hold and returns the point to PPCL control. The driver runs equally well on a JACE or a Supervisor. Licensing is perpetual and bound to the Niagara Host ID.

List of FAQs

Do I need the P1 driver or the P2 driver? P2 if the site still has Apogee field panels. It joins the panel network and reaches every panel plus the terminal equipment controllers beneath them, which covers a whole site from one place. P1 is for going straight at TEC and unitary controllers on a floor-level bus, which is the right choice when the panels are being removed or when there is no panel worth working through. Most Apogee retrofits with panels still in place want P2. Which panels does it work with? PXC Compact 16, 24, and 36, PXC Modular, Power MEC, and MBC. This is the Ethernet form of P2, so the panels need to be on the building network. Older panels that only offer the serial form of P2 are not covered. Do I need a second driver for the TEC controllers under a panel? No. The panel presents its field devices to Niagara, and the driver lists them as sub-devices with their own points. TECs, ATECs, BACnet and LonMark TECs, and unitary controllers all come through the parent panel, with no extra wiring and no separate licence. What does it bring into Niagara? Live point values and control, with the metadata that makes points usable straight away: descriptions, engineering units, precision, and the panel's state labels. Alarms, schedules, and panel histories are not imported at present. If a project needs them, get in touch and we will discuss it. Will writing from Niagara fight the panel's control program? No. A write is commanded so that the panel holds it rather than overwriting it on the next scan of the PPCL program. When you want the panel back in charge, write a null value to the point and the driver releases the hold. Nothing is left stuck. Can it run alongside an existing Siemens workstation? Usually, but check it on site. Some panel firmware revisions accept only one connection of this kind at a time, so a workstation already holding it can block the station, and the other way round.