PlugFest Interoperability Workshop October 2025

What is PlugFest?

PlugFest is an interoperability workshop where manufacturers can bring their BACnet products and test them with BACnet devices from other manufacturers. It is a friendly and neutral environment, and the goal is to improve the overall quality of BACnet products in the market. The workshop includes multiple testing sessions with both one-on-one and round table testing, and networking events to build industry relationships.

Who is this workshop for?

PlugFest welcomes all developers at any stage of their product engineering. Many industry veterans attend and are willing to help newer engineers understand the standard's esoteric history. We are all aligned to the same purpose of achieving interoperability between the products.

Who, specifically, from each company should attend?

Companies should send engineering and product development staff and QA Analysts. This could include hardware, firmware, software developers, and testers as well as technical product managers.

Why should companies participate in PlugFest?

PlugFest provides an unequaled opportunity to test product functionality with other manufacturers to ensure the core purpose of BACnet: interoperable networks. It is an open and friendly environment dedicated to mutual success. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from experts, potentially shortening their product development learning curve and gaining exposure to helpful tools. Further, this type of interoperability testing is a great way to lower the cost of BTL Testing and Certification by finding and fixing errors earlier in the development cycle.

What if companies have intellectual property they don’t want to share?

Companies are only required to share information necessary to interoperate with other products and diagnose any issues that arise. To protect sensitive information all attendees are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement designed to ensure information shared at PlugFest remains confidential. 

Why do you offer both one-on-one and round-table testing?

In one-on-one testing, or pairing, companies can test in-depth with a specific manufacturer. In round table testing attendees arrange their equipment on a larger Local Area Network (LAN) and test with multiple manufacturers simultaneously. This provides a more robust simulation of the interoperability environment that products will encounter in the field.

What products are brought to Plugfest?

Anything BACnet! From devices with the latest data link (BACnet/SC) to devices on MS/TP. From Protocol_Revision 6 to 26. B-SS devices to B-XAWS front-ends. Products from lighting, access control, and other domains. Brand new devices with the latest technology and operating systems to mature products that continue to receive attention. Some attendees bring mainstream building controllers while others bring niche market hardware and software solutions. Basically, everything BACnet.

How do I guarantee I can test with a specific vendor?

With limited one-on-one testing sessions, it is impossible to provide a one-on-one pairing session with every other vendor. To improve your chances, each vendor has the opportunity to select what other vendors they would like to test with. The round table also provides an opportunity to test with many different vendors. Finally, the last test session of Plugfest is an open session allowing you to request testing time with any vendor.

How can people find out more about PlugFest?

Visit the PlugFest main event page to get more information, updates, and to register for the workshop.

Host Hotel: Hampton Inn & Suites Portsmouth Downtown

Host Hotel Address:

23 Portwalk Place
Portsmouth, New Hampshire 03801

The Hampton Inn & Suites Portsmouth Downtown is located in the quaint town of Portsmouth, NH. Downtown shops and dining, and waterfront views of the New Hampshire Seacoast are a 10-minute walk from the hotel.

Please note: Accommodations are at the Hampton Inn & Suites Portsmouth Downtown. The PlugFest Event will occur at the University of New Hampshire's InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) in Durham, NW (20 - 25 minutes / 12 miles from the host hotel). A shuttle will be provided to take attendees to and from the UNH-IOL and the host hotel—see agenda for shuttle schedule. Note that spaces are limited, so ensure to reserve a spot on your registration form.

Book Online: Book for BACnet International PlugFest

Room Rate: 2 Queens Nonsmoking- USD 269.00/night plus applicable state and local taxes (currently 9%)

Free WiFi & Breakfast are included with the group rate

*** Please note that a hot and yummy breakfast buffet will also be offered at the PlugFest Venue each morning

Hotel Phone Number: (603) 430-3033

Check-In: 3:00 PM 

Check-Out: 11:00 AM

Self-parking is NOT available at the hotel; valet only. The cost for valet parking is USD 45.00/night.

BOOK NOW

Flights:

The major airports near Portsmouth, NH are Portsmouth International Airport at Pease (PSM/KPSM) (5 miles), Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT/KMHT) (49 miles), Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) (55 miles) and Portland International Jetport (PWM/KPWM).

Transportation from the airport to the hotel will be on your own. However, we provide a shuttle service to Boston Logan International Airport on Thursday after the event. The shuttle will depart at 1 pm, and space is limited. Please email the Event Coordinator, Kelsey List, at kelsey@bacnetinternational.org to reserve a spot on this airport shuttle.

PlugFest participants who are shipping equipment to and from the University of New Hampshire-InterOperability Lab (UNH-IoL) must cover all shipping and customs/duties costs. Failure to do so will require the UNH-IoL Team to bill your company for any outstanding shipping and customs/duties charges plus a $100.00 handling fee. Carriers suggested to receive/ship are FedEx and UPS.

Storage space at UNH-IoL is limited. We request that all products be shipped one week prior to the event.

Notes regarding luggage and customs:

For customs, international attendees will need a proforma document filled out by your customs broker or company's shipping handler. This provides a declaration of the value of the product, the destination (IoL's address), and that the product is being used for testing and will be returning to your country. It is suggested to put your product in your checked luggage. If your product is small enough to do so, you might want to bring a spare controller that way. If you do bring one in your baggage, you still need a proforma for it. 

If your product does not make it in time, we will adjust the schedule to accommodate you in other ways.

• Hub / switch large enough to connect all of your products and laptops and to connect to the other team’s hub/switch.
• Laptops and tools needed to configure and debug your product setup (such as WireShark, your configuration tools, and possibly your development environment).

DOWNLOAD PACKING LIST

For shipping larger products, please be aware that:

• Crates must not exceed the dimensions of the UNH-IOL loading dock area, which is 56 inches wide x 90 inches high (1.4m x 2.28m). Each crate should not exceed 4,000 pounds (1,814 kg). If a crate shipped is larger, we may have to de-crate the equipment in order to bring it into the lab.
• The loading dock includes a dock leveler, and a liftgate is not required for delivery vehicles. Please note, it is an alley dock and it may be difficult for larger trailers to access. The recommended maximum trailer length is 48 feet.

Shipping Address Information

ATTN: BACnet PlugFest/Company Name
UNH-IOL
21 Madbury Rd., Ste 100
Durham, NH 03824-4716

Tel: +1-603-862-0090

• You may register yourself and additional colleagues to your team(s). Each attendee must agree to the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) electronically when registering or in writing if being registered by someone else before you are allowed to enter PlugFest.
• Corporate Members of BACnet International in good financial standing are eligible for the member rate discount. If your Corporate Membership Renewal Invoice is open, you will be billed at the non-member rate and refunded once your membership invoice is paid.
• If your company or a team member is not in our database, please register them separately as guests or email the Event Coordinator, Kelsey List, at kelsey@bacnetinternational.org requesting the unique promotional code to receive the correct rate.
• If you, or anyone you are registering, is a member of the BACnet International Board of Directors or an active volunteer on a committee (Education, Marketing, or BTL-WG), please email kelsey@bacnetinternational.org requesting the unique promotional code to receive an additional $50.00 discount off each registration.
• Remember, after successfully registering for the PlugFest Interoperability Workshop, you should receive an event confirmation email. If you do not receive confirmation, we did not receive your registration.