Friday, 24 May 2013

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Going Wireless in Automation Industry

By Todd Smith


Recently the clamor for wireless technologies has been growing rapidly, including in the automation industry. There are that many potential applications in producing that the sheer options can become overwhelming. The key is having a sound method for wireless applications, realising that some systems benefit from hard-wiring, and that hard-wiring also makes an excellent 'back up ' plan for when a wireless system goes down.

There are several common applications for wireless technology in the automation industry. One is straightforward monitoring. This regularly gets shot of the necessity for a human eye. Over time that may save a company money. Think about inventory control as a good example, including remote inventories. Especially in substantial companies this becomes a difficult task for employees doing it by hand. Having a wireless, automated application simplifies everything and also provides greater accuracy.

Another excellent application for wireless monitoring is for identifying issues with energy consumption and management. By spotting variables in say gas use a company can then find ways to lower consumption (again saving money). The same sort of monitoring applies to pipeline instrumentation. The wireless automated system can track remote information consistently.

Having asserted all that, there are limits. Some control processes simply aren't suited to underlying wireless net necessities. The key here is how speedily the wireless system provides response, and what response time is needed. In these time delicate circumstances, hard-wiring remains the right way to go.

The best way to know definitely if your automation systems suit the wireless world is by checking your current infrastructure. What needs to be added to that infrastructure to handle the wireless service insuring proper performance? Those elements need to be part of your budget and your planning process. Think about this like laying a foundation to a building. Each proverbial stone needs to be solid and placed in the specified order, especially if you selected mesh networking. The great part of this design is that each device communicates with every other device in the network, and can also become a router if it's required. As you expand the number of sensors in this system, the daddy your wifi network stretches.

What about overall guidelines for wireless technology in automation? there were strides made here as well. The industry standards is called WirelessHART. These standards provide customs for a wide-range of wireless communications. While this is no means a unified standard, it's a start.






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