Phoenix Contact gives its Catan C1 a built-in KNX IP router

Phoenix Contact has introduced the Catan C1 building controller with a KNX IP router, putting the connection to an existing KNX installation inside the DIN rail unit. The controller is based on PLCnext and is designed to take extension modules as a project grows from one room to several building systems.

The built-in router handles the KNX connection. Bringing in systems that use BACnet, Modbus or MQTT is a separate matter, which Phoenix Contact describes in conjunction with software from its partner Symcon.

Keeping an existing KNX installation also preserves the way a building already handles commands such as a lighting override. The integration question is what happens when a local switch, a schedule and another supervisory system all try to change the same output. A router can carry the messages; which one takes precedence is set by the controls design. That is where the project work sits when a retrofit adds a new layer above a functioning KNX network.

The company lists secure boot, signed software and a trusted platform module to protect device identities. It plans to demonstrate the integration of its PLCnext Engineer environment with the Catan C1 at SPS in Nuremberg.

Sources: Phoenix Contact UK release