BACnet Simulator in 5 Minutes with SPX: Quickstart

This is a hands-on quickstart. For a technical overview of BACnet capabilities, scenarios, and automation workflows, see BACnet Simulator.

Simulation timeline for the “HVAC Startup & Control” scenario — spx_hvac_flexit_nordic. The model emulates a Flexit Nordic HVAC unit and publishes realistic operating states and sensor values, allowing you to validate live updates, mode transitions, setpoint changes, and downstream automation behavior during dynamic heating and ventilation conditions.

In this quickstart you’ll launch a realistic BACnet device simulation in about five minutes using SPX. The flow is intentionally simple: get your product key, run the setup wizard, start the local stack, open the SPX UI, launch a ready-made BACnet instance, and verify it with a standard BACnet client tool. The result is a repeatable “virtual device lab” you can use for integration testing, demos, and regression baselines — without building a physical lab.

Tip #1 - Install SPX and select Smart Building Pack

1. Get your Product Key + installer package

   1. Log in and open Product & Keys: https://www.simplephysx.com/keys

   2. Copy your SPX Product Key

   3. Download the installer package (e.g. spx-examples-<version>.zip)

2. Extract the ZIP

   1. Unzip the package into a dedicated folder (e.g. spx-examples-<version>/). You should see platform launchers like spx-setup.*.

3. Run the Setup Wizard (spx-setup.*)

   1. From the extracted folder, start the launcher for your OS:

      1. Windows: double-click spx-setup.bat

      2. macOS: double-click spx-setup.command

      3. Linux desktop: double-click spx-setup.desktop

      4. Terminal (macOS/Linux): ./spx-setup.sh

4. In the wizard: select Smart Building Pack + paste your key

   1. Select Smart Building Pack (ENTER accepts recommended defaults)

   2. Paste your SPX Product Key when prompted

   3. Review the summary and choose Start the stack now

5. Verify it’s running

• SPX UI: http://localhost:3000

Note: For full, always up-to-date installation instructions, see:

https://docs.simplephysx.com/getting-started/installation-guide

Tip #2 - Open the SPX UI

Open: http://localhost:3000

SPX web UI (localhost:3000): Smart Building Pack instance catalog — choose a ready-to-run simulator such as spx_weather_gateway_wago_pfc200_vaisala_wxt530_mqtt.

You should see the SPX interface with a list of available instances from the Smart Building Pack.

Tip #3 - Start the BACnet simulator instance

• From the list of available instances, select:

  spx_hvac_flexit_nordic_bacnet

From the Smart Building Pack list, select spx_hvac_flexit_nordic_bacnet and click Open/View Instance to access the instance details and controls.

• Open the instance and confirm:

  • Status: Running

  • BACnet connection details (host/port) (as shown in the instance view)

  • Object/attribute view (values visible; if the model is dynamic, they may change over time)

Tip: If the model includes physics-driven behavior or scenarios, values will evolve realistically — not just remain static.

Instance details for spx_weather_gateway_wago_pfc200_vaisala_wxt530_mqtt — status, MQTT connection info, live attributes, and scenario controls (e.g., Summer Storm*) in one place.*

Tip #4 - Verify it with a BACnet client tool

Option A: Inspect with YABE (free open-source)

To validate that the simulator is alive, connect using any BACnet client or discovery tool, for example:

• BACnet Browser / Explorer tools of your choice

• Your BMS / gateway software

Use the BACnet connection details from the SPX instance view (host + port + network settings if applicable).

What to verify:

1. Discovery works — the simulated device appears in the network scan

2. You can browse objects and read properties

3. You can observe changing values (or trigger a scenario to force changes)

4. (Optional) Write a property and confirm the change is reflected

Option B: Use the included Home Assistant dashboard

Open the preconfigured Home Assistant UI:

• http://localhost:8123 login: admin pass: spx-examples
  

Device panel view of the Flexit Nordic HVAC simulator connected via BACnet, showing live operating status, setpoints, and sensor readings for quick end-to-end integration validation in Home Assistant (HA).

This dashboard is set up specifically for testing. You can immediately observe how the simulator affects sensors, entities, and automations — without building any HA config yourself.

---

Expected outcome (what “done” looks like)

You can discover the device, browse objects, and read live values — confirming the simulator behaves like a real BACnet device.

---

Next: customize and extend (coming next)

Next we’ll take this same instance and:

• Tweak the model in the editor and reload it

• Generate a new variant via an LLM workflow

• Run scenario-driven tests and capture reproducible baselines