SAUTER: Building automation controllers, field devices and management software

SAUTER supplies building automation, control devices and management software, with modulo 6 controllers and protocol-specific modules.

Best for: Building automation with explicit field-bus and application-integration choices.
Less suited to: Assuming every modulo module supports every system protocol or requiring a complete building controller for a simple standalone meter.
Deployment: Model-specific field equipment connected to the matching collection or automation system.
Data in: Measurements and statuses through the exact documented model interfaces.
Pricing: Current project pricing was not established in the reviewed sources.

Overview

SAUTER supplies building automation across field devices, controllers and higher-level management. Its modulo 6 architecture uses BACnet/IP as the system backbone and supports integration of other building buses through the appropriate controller or module. That system description should not be read as a promise that every individual module implements every protocol.

For an energy project, the relevant role is often collecting meter information alongside HVAC control and building operating data. A controller can provide context and automation, but the installed meter still determines what is measured. The point mapping and engineering units remain separate commissioning tasks.

Offering

The modu680-AS is a modular automation station with an integrated web server. Its specification names an RS485 interface for Modbus RTU/ASCII and separate IP networks for operational and information-technology connections. It is a concrete selection for comparing controller interfaces rather than relying only on the modulo family name.

The communication-module catalogue separately identifies modu620-CM for Modbus RTU over RS485 and modu630-CM for M-Bus. This distinction matters when connecting utility meters: an M-Bus meter is not simply another RS485 instrument. Select the correct bus module and observe its engineering limits and meter addressing requirements.

Technology

The modu680-AS page lists MQTT broker/client and REST API interfaces, alongside BACnet/SC and the web server. These are different integration roles: publishing telemetry through MQTT, serving application data through an API and participating in a building-automation network require separate configuration and access decisions.

The modulo 6 overview describes using MQTT to exchange information with cloud systems while retaining local automation. The existence of that path does not mean a cloud subscription is required for every control function. A design should identify which logic stays on the controller and what information must continue to be available if an external connection fails.

Markets

SAUTER’s company description combines building automation, room automation, management and services. The modulo 6 system addresses coordinated building functions rather than only meter logging. That breadth is useful where energy data needs to be considered alongside plant schedules, temperatures and control states.

For a smaller metering-only installation, compare the engineering and maintenance effort of a building controller with a dedicated meter interface. For a larger automation project, compare controller capacity, field-bus modules, integration interfaces and responsibility for the application program. The named modules provide a more reliable starting point than assuming that a common brand removes the need for protocol planning.

Company

The official company page places the SAUTER Group in Basel, Switzerland and traces its history to 1910. The site’s Fr. Sauter identity and building-control focus distinguish this supplier from unrelated businesses using the same surname. Regional product pages are used here for technical evidence, not as a substitute corporate identity.

The company describes a network of subsidiaries and partners providing building-related products and services. Actual delivery and support responsibilities may therefore sit with a local organisation. The profile keeps the global company facts separate from the exact modu680-AS and communication-module specifications used to explain the engineering choices.