Bacpulse

Put your laptop on the trunk.

Bacpulse is a BACnet diagnostic tool for Windows laptops. It joins an MS/TP trunk like any other controller, finds the devices on it, reads their points and tells you in plain English what’s likely wrong with the wire. It works on BACnet/IP networks too.

Email me at launch See pricing

On sale January 2027, with a free 30-day trial. Windows 11, sold in the US and Canada.

COM338400 baudMAC 100
  1. RXPoll-For-Masterfrom MAC 4
  2. TXReply-To-PFMto MAC 4
  3. RXTokenfrom MAC 4
  4. TXWho-Isbroadcast
  5. TXTokento MAC 1
  6. RXI-AmMAC 1, 2, 3, 4

What it does on a job

From landing on the trunk to handing over the report, in the order you’d do it on a service call or a commissioning job.

  1. Land on the trunk

    Plug a USB RS-485 adapter into the trunk and start a capture. Bacpulse finds the baud rate (9600, 19200, 38400 or 76800), joins the token ring at MAC 100 by default, clear of a supervisor at MAC 0, and takes its turn on the token like any other controller. Its reads and writes go out on its own turn instead of blind.

    On a BACnet/IP network it picks the wired adapter before Wi-Fi, registers with a BBMD as a foreign device, and finds the MS/TP networks behind an IP router. Plugged straight into a panel with a 169.254 address, it tells you what static IP to set.

  2. Find the devices on the trunk

    Controllers show up from the token pass and are confirmed with Who-Is and I-Am, with vendor, model and firmware. Scan All reads every device’s objects and properties, with ReadPropertyMultiple where the device supports it, paced so a busy trunk isn’t swamped. Click a point for its live value, trend, priority array and properties.

  3. See what’s wrong with the wire

    Token cycle time and how steady it is, who holds the token too long, CRC errors, retries and timeouts per device, Poll-For-Master overhead, and a 0 to 100 health score. Twelve MS/TP checks say what they found and what to check: CRC patterns that point to wiring or termination, duplicate device instances, a Max_Master set too high, devices dropping out, and a device that may have its A and B wires swapped.

    The last 5,000 frames stay in a live list you can filter, pause and export to CSV.

    Trunk health722 warnings
    • MAC 12 has dropped off the bus 2 time(s). Check wiring and power to this device. Inspect wiring to MAC 12. Look for loose splices, intermittent shorts, or power supply issues.
    • PFM overhead at 22% (expected under 5%). 12 devices on bus but polling up to MAC 127. Lowering max_master to 102 would reduce overhead. Set on all controllers.
    Example diagnostics, worded as the app words them. The Max_Master it suggests leaves room for Bacpulse at MAC 100.

  4. Command points and run tests

    Write and release points at priority 7 to 16, on one device or the same point across many. Functional tests run on one VAV or forty: write, wait, read, check, pass or fail. They release what they commanded when each device finishes, even if you cancel, and tell you if a release fails. Built-in tests cover VAV cooling-only and reheat, electric heat, damper and valve stroke, AHU start-up, 4-pipe fan coils and VFD speed sweeps, or you can write your own.

    PID loop tuning runs a step test that stops and tries to restore the old value if the process drifts too far or comms drop, suggests gains three ways, and puts the old gains back with one click.

  5. Hand it over

    Print or email a test report (HTML or PDF) with a sign-off block, or export an Excel workbook or a points list with every point’s 16-slot priority array. Jobs save on the laptop by project, panel and trunk, and if a crash cuts a capture short, the next launch offers to recover it, frames included.

It tracks the points you command.

A point left commanded after you leave is tomorrow’s callback. When you command a point from the point view, Mass Command, a functional test or a PID step test, Bacpulse saves the command to disk, so it knows what it has in hand.

Stop the capture or close the window with points still commanded, and Bacpulse lists each one by device, point and priority, with Release and stop as the default button. If the app or the laptop dies first, the next launch shows a banner with Release All.

It writes at priority 7 to 16 only. Priorities 1 to 6 are refused, releases included: 1 and 2 are life safety, 5 and 6 are critical equipment control and minimum on/off, and 3 and 4 are often used by controller logic, so Bacpulse leaves all six alone. The block sits in the engine, not just on the screen.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  • Slots 1 to 6: Bacpulse won’t write or release them.
  • Slots 7 to 16: open to Bacpulse. Functional tests default to 8.
  • Slot 8 here: a command you sent, tracked until it’s released.

The list covers Present_Value commands. Writes to other properties, such as Out_Of_Service, aren’t on it, and you put trial PID gains back from the tuning page. A release can fail, for example when a controller is offline, and Bacpulse tells you which ones did. It is not a life-safety controller. You are still the engineer on site.

3 points are still commanded

Bacpulse commanded these this session and they’re still active. Once the capture stops, Bacpulse can’t reach the bus to release them.

DevicePointPriority
VAV 2-14 (21014)MAC 14Damper Command8
VAV 2-15 (21015)MAC 15Zone Temp Setpoint8
AHU-1 (10001)MAC 3Supply Fan Command10
What Bacpulse shows when you stop a capture with points still commanded. Its buttons are Cancel, Keep them and stop, and Release and stop.

No signal in the mechanical room? It doesn’t need one.

Bacpulse activates on the laptop without going online, and it never checks your license after that. There’s no account and no telemetry. Captures, projects and reports stay on your laptop.

The only thing it asks the internet for is a version number when it starts:

GET https://bacpulse.com/version.json

{
  "version": "0.3.0",
  "downloadUrl": "https://bacpulse.com/",
  "releaseNotes": "…"
}

That request carries no license key, no machine ID and nothing about your jobs. Like any web request, it shows our server your IP address. With no connection, it skips the check and starts anyway. When a newer version is out, a banner says so; you choose when to install it.

Pay once per laptop. The license never expires.

Each license includes 12 months of updates and email support. After that, the version you have stays yours; renewing is optional and never charged automatically.

Free for 30 days

Everything works except writing to devices: discovery, MS/TP and BACnet/IP capture, diagnostics, point reads, projects and reports. Point commands, functional tests and PID step tests write to devices, so they unlock with a license. One laptop, no card.

Email me when the trial opens
License Laptops One-time price Per laptop Update renewal, optional
TechnicianYour own laptop. 1 $349 $349 $129 a year Email me at launch
Branch 5One company, five laptops. 5 $1,395 $27920% less $499 a year for all 5 Email me at launch
Branch 10One company, ten laptops. 10 $2,495 $249.5028% less $899 a year for all 10 Email me at launch
11 or more laptops, or several branches A quote from us, with PO and invoice billing if you need it. Ask for a quote

Prices in US dollars. Sales tax, where it applies, is added at checkout. On sale January 2027 in the US and Canada. Until then, each button here starts an email to support@bacpulse.com, and we’ll write back at launch, or sooner with your quote.

In every license

  • BACnet MS/TP trunks and BACnet/IP networks
  • Functional tests and PID loop tuning
  • 12 months of updates and email support
  • Use on any customer’s site
  • New laptop? Email us and we move the license.

What 12 months of updates means

  1. Month 0 to 12

    Every new version we release, bug fixes included, and email support.

  2. After month 12

    The last version you got stays yours. No lockout, no check-in, and the license never expires.

Renew when you want the next version: $129 a year for Technician, $499 for Branch 5, $899 for Branch 10. Renewing early adds 12 months to your end date, so you lose nothing.

Questions techs ask

Does it need the internet on site?

No. After install it runs fully offline, with no account and no license check-ins. The only request it makes is the version check when it starts, and it skips that when there’s no connection.

Installing on a PC that doesn’t have Microsoft WebView2 yet (rare on Windows 11) needs a connection once, because the installer downloads it.

What hardware do I need?

For MS/TP, a USB-to-RS-485 adapter that shows up in Windows as a COM port. We test with the FTDI USB-RS485-WE. Other adapters may work; try yours on the trial first. On FTDI adapters Bacpulse tries to set the latency timer to 1 ms for steadier token timing, which needs administrator rights. Without them it carries on; you can set Latency Timer to 1 ms yourself in Device Manager.

For BACnet/IP networks over IPv4, your laptop’s Ethernet or Wi-Fi port. Windows Firewall has to allow inbound UDP on port 47808.

Which versions of Windows does it run on?

Windows 11, 64-bit. We haven’t tested Windows 10 yet, so we don’t promise it; the trial is the way to check. There is no macOS or Linux version.

What can I do on the free trial?

Everything except write to devices, for 30 days on one laptop, with no card. Capture, discovery, diagnostics, point reads, projects and reports all work. Point commands, functional tests and PID step tests need writes, so they unlock when you buy a license.

If you need more time to get to the right job, email us.

What happens when my 12 months of updates end?

Your license never expires, and you keep every version released during your 12 months. Renew if you want the newer ones.

Renew within 60 days of your end date and it’s the normal renewal price ($129, $499 or $899), with the new 12 months running on from your old end date. After 60 days, reinstating costs $179 for Technician, $699 for Branch 5 or $1,249 for Branch 10, includes every version you missed, and the 12 months start the day you renew.

Will you charge my card automatically?

No. A renewal is something you buy when you want it. We email you before your updates end, and that’s all.

I got a new laptop. Can I move my license?

Yes. Email support@bacpulse.com and we move it. One license is one laptop at a time, so take Bacpulse off the old one.

Can our branch move licenses between techs?

Yes. A Branch license belongs to your company. When a laptop changes hands, email us and we move the license. A company with several branches can buy a pack for each branch, or ask us for a quote.

Questions before January?

support@bacpulse.com

Quotes for more than 10 laptops, laptop moves, or a question about your trunk.