Wireless Challenges in the Industrial Environment
Wireless systems are becoming very popular within industrial installations. Nearly all factories, warehouses, and industrial building rely on wireless communications links to carry vital information for device control and data monitoring.
From periodic data monitoring updates to real-time manufacturing and process management, proper data delivery is crucial for reliable operations. Most of the information that is transferred in industrial settings requires relevantly little bandwidth or connection speed. Examples of this include actuator position readings, temperature monitoring, and liquid levels measurement. These kinds of devices can operate effectively using a 2.4 ghz transceiver. At the other extreme are wireless systems that require large file transmission. Examples of these systems include real-time control for PLCs during production, as it requires moving a lot of wireless data efficiently. Real-time systems can be extremely challenging for wireless transceiver modules since the latency requirements are low, and the wireless connection may become congested. If interference presents itself, it may introduce several delays into the system. However, there are some wireless protocols that are designed for this, and will work well enough if proper link budget is taken into consideration.
Regardless of the specifics of the wireless data being moved, all industrial communications share one critical component: Reliable delivery in a timely manner. Hardwired devices deliver data quickly and reliably but within the limits associated with cabling. Examples of these applications include ranges of several miles, or environments which would be corrosive to metal or plastic cabling. When installations need wireless delivery it can be difficult to find a comparable solution to wired installations, however, it does exist but it’s important to consider the type of system before selecting a wireless module.
