Years ago, Johnson Controls sold a building control system called Metasys Companion. It is a surprisingly flexible system, able to control a variety of environmental and electrical systems. The only interface…a VT100 terminal via an RS-232 serial cable.

To avoid meeting in a dark sauna or a freezer, the facilities person often must adjust the building controls before a meeting. Try working with a VT100 terminal on your phone via GoToMyPC. It’s fun.

Enter Python

I’ve been itching to learn Python and practice some software development skills like test-driven development and continuous integration. I think this might be just the thing!

Here’s the big idea: Write a Python library that exposes the Metasys Companion UI through a friendly API. Then write a CLI or a web interface, so that the facilities person can control Metasys from a web page on his phone!

Follow along

I’m just starting out on this project, but I am excited to see where it leads. Follow along on Github! I’ll post updates here as I make progress.

Who knows, maybe other orgs have a stuffy old Metasys Companion UI that could use a pretty web interface!