Tridium Niagara N4 is the open building automation platform behind a huge share of modern commercial buildings — and the platform we specialize in. Originally developed by Tridium and owned by Honeywell since 2005, Niagara is a framework, not a proprietary controls system. It runs on JACE controllers and enterprise supervisor servers, speaks BACnet, Modbus, LON, KNX, MQTT, OPC and roughly 200 other drivers through the Niagara driver catalog, and gives building owners a single normalized data layer over equipment from dozens of manufacturers. That's the appeal, and that's also why most controls problems on a Niagara system are programming problems, not hardware problems. Vertex builds Niagara stations the way they should be built — clear point naming, documented sequences, durable graphics, and an architecture the next engineer can pick up cold.
WHAT WE DELIVER
Niagara station architecture and engineering
Site survey, controller count and sizing, network architecture (BACnet/IP routing, MS/TP trunks, VLAN planning), license sizing, point budget, and the JACE / Supervisor topology. Documented before we write a line of code.
Programming and logic implementation
Sequence implementation in wiresheets and Niagara modules, written against ASHRAE Guideline 36 where applicable. Reusable program blocks, consistent point naming, and version-controlled backups so every change is recoverable.
Custom HTML5 graphics and dashboards
Real graphics built in PX/Hx — floor plans, system schematics, equipment views, alarm consoles, and KPI dashboards. Mobile-responsive, accessible, and tuned for the way facility teams actually use a BAS.
Driver integration and device discovery
BACnet/IP and BACnet MS/TP discovery and addressing, Modbus mapping, LON binding, MQTT broker integration, OPC UA tag discovery, and proprietary driver work for legacy equipment.
Alarms, trends, scheduling, and reporting
Alarm class design with email/SMS routing, history extension configuration with retention policies, schedule hierarchy that holiday calendars actually obey, and BQL-based reports that send themselves.
Niagara Cloud and remote access
Niagara Cloud setup, secure VPN configuration, certificate management, user authentication, and role-based access so the right people see the right buildings.
HOW WE WORK
Five stages we run on every niagara n4 project — adjustable to your timeline, but never skipped.
Discovery and design
Walk the building, map the equipment, identify integration targets, and produce a Niagara architecture document with controller selections, network diagrams, and a sequence of operations review.
Station buildout
Configure the Supervisor or standalone JACE, lay out the device tree, build reusable program blocks, name points consistently, and stand up the alarm/trend/schedule infrastructure.
Integration and discovery
Bring devices online — BACnet IP/MSTP discoveries, Modbus point mapping, LON binding, proprietary driver work. Validate every point reads true value and every command writes through.
Graphics and dashboards
Build PX/Hx pages tied to real workflows. Floor plans for facility teams, system views for service techs, dashboards for ownership, alarm consoles for ops.
Commissioning and training
Point-by-point functional testing against the sequence, alarm scenario testing, schedule validation, then formal owner training and documented as-builts.
STANDARDS WE WORK TO
- ASHRAE Guideline 36High-performance sequences of operation. Our default reference for AHU, VAV, hydronic, and chiller plant sequences.
- ASHRAE Standard 135 (BACnet)The protocol Niagara is most commonly used to integrate. We program against it daily.
- Tridium TCPNiagara N4 Technical Certification Program — our engineers carry it.
- Niagara Driver FrameworkWe follow Tridium's recommended patterns for driver development and module packaging.
TYPICAL PROJECTS
Customer locked into a single-vendor BAS, paying inflated service rates and unable to expand. We install a Niagara N4 supervisor, gateway the legacy controllers onto BACnet, and migrate controller-by-controller without downtime. Owner ends up on an open platform with competitive service options.
Engineer-of-record specifies a Niagara-based BAS. We engineer the station, program every piece of equipment, build the graphics, integrate the chiller plant and packaged equipment, and commission with the CxA. Submittals, point-to-point checkout, and turnover documentation included.
Owner with multiple buildings on different controls systems. We deploy a centralized Niagara supervisor, normalize tags and graphics across sites, set up enterprise-level alarm routing, and stand up cross-portfolio energy dashboards.
Specialty equipment — generators, UPS, water leak detection, security, refrigeration — that doesn't natively talk to the BAS. We integrate via BACnet, Modbus, MQTT, or a custom driver when needed, so everything lives on one platform.
RELEVANT CASE STUDIES
Medical Office BAS Upgrade: 200,000 sq ft
Full controls retrofit of a 200,000 sq ft medical office building from proprietary DDC to Niagara N4 with BACnet integration. 32% energy reduction in year one.
Proprietary-to-Niagara Migration: Commercial Office
Incremental migration from a locked-in proprietary BAS to open Niagara N4 platform. No downtime, no rip-and-replace.