Trane BCU serial to ethernet

Trying to integrate a 7 year old Trane BCU with my ethernet network. My current thought is to connect an rs232 to ethernet converter to the ea232 terminals in the bcu. Then I would assign an ip address to the converter and put an ethernet card in my Tracer Summit computer. Voila! (I think), a networked BCU. The serial to ethernet device I am looking at is a Moxa DE211.

A few questions:

1. Has anyone done this before so I don't have to go it alone?

2. Does anyone have a diagram or technical doc of the BCU. I have Trane document BAS-PRC001-EN, but that is for the newer BCUs. I belieive I may be looking for document BAS-PD-3. I would like to specifically know the functions of the circuit board connectors.

3. Any ideas on how Tracer Summit would handle the situation?

4. Do you think that there would be BACNet issues in doing this?

A BTMS can be ethernet, all you need is an ethernet card for it. As for IP address a BTMS is not capable of accepting and address, a BTMW is. If you are residing on the same subnet you may not need an address at all the workstation will "find" the BCU on the net.

This leads to a couple more questions:

How do I tell which model BCU I have? Again, I am looking for docs.

What brand/model Ethernet card can I use?

If I can't assign an address to the ethernet card, Is that because I have to use the ARCNET/BACNET protocol to talk to the card? I am better off running TCPIP if I cannot route out of my subnet otherwise.

A BTMW or a BTMS? look at the model # on the data tag.

Trane makes an ethernet card for the S but I have heard of some people using a non-OEM with success.

Ethernet cards do not accept an IP the mother board does.
You can get an IP router for a BTMS and assign an IP to that if you need to cross subnets. If you do that you will want at least one workstation on the direct link with the BCU to maitain a current data base. The BTMS is not capable of "finding" a data base, in the case of data base failure, through an IP router. This strictly applies to a BTMS.Just about forgot you will have to have the correct chip on the BTMS for it to accept ethernet. Check with your local TRANE office for that info.

A BTMW will accept a static IP and will route accross subnets with no problems.

At 7 years old it will be a BMTS BCU. Chip U18 must be a rev 4 to communicate ethernet and only two ethernet cards are officially supported since the cards are "plug and play" and the BCU only contains enough programming to use those cards. The ones Trane supplies are made by either SMC (older) or Allied Telesyn (current). The U18 chip is the key.

Etherent will not work reliably without that upgrade.