The difference between WiFi and Industrial Wireless
In this article, you will learn the difference between a typical wireless network such as WiFi and an industrial wireless network.
After reading this article, you will be able to easily explain the difference between a typical wireless network that we use at home or in the office, such as WiFi and an industrial wireless network. So when it comes to wireless networks, we can think of two main types of networks:
– Wireless networks that we use at home or office such as WiFi, Bluetooth and 5G.
Industrial wireless networks such as IIoT or the Internet of Things that we use as automation engineers in industrial environments such as power plants, oil refineries or refineries.
WiFi vs. industrial wireless
These two main types of wireless networks differ in the amount of data they typically send and receive, the battery life of the devices used in these networks, and the importance of data reliability to the user.
1) Data volume
Typical wireless network data volume
The main difference between a typical wireless network and an industrial network is the amount of data that is usually sent and received between devices. What do I mean by that now? Well, let’s look at WiFi as an example of a typical wireless network. A WiFi network is designed for devices that send and receive large amounts of data. Examples of this large volume are data packets, videos available on the Internet, images, web pages, and so on. These are the things we consider large data packets.
Industrial wireless network data
In contrast, an industrial wireless system is designed for devices that only need to send and receive small amounts of data. For example, it gives a small amount of data that a gas pressure sensor in an industrial process needs to send to the controller. The data exchanged may simply be a label name and process variable. It shows just a few words of data that are sent wirelessly from a device in this area to a controller in the control room every few seconds. So in an industrial wireless network, we send small packets of data about the state of an industrial process in a relatively short time.
2) WiFi battery life vs. industrial wireless Normal wireless network battery life
Because a typical wireless network, such as WiFi or Bluetooth, is designed to send and receive large amounts of data, devices used in these networks, such as laptops or smartphones, consume large amounts of battery power in a relatively short period of time. کردن. For this reason, depending on how much you use the device, you should charge these devices every few hours or days. Larger cases lead to more use of the device battery and the need to charge the device more.
Industrial wireless battery consumption
But this is quite different from devices used in an industrial wireless network. An industrial wireless network is designed to send and receive small amounts of data. Because of this, devices used in these networks, such as wireless sensors and actuators, consume very little battery power over a relatively long period of time. As a result, these industrial wireless devices can often operate for years without the need for battery charging. This is a fundamental difference, in terms of battery life, between a device used in a typical wireless network such as WiFi and a device used in an industrial wireless network such as IIoT. And this is not a coincidence! These industrial wireless devices are designed to have longer battery life. Why do you ask? Because often, they are installed in areas that are not easily accessible. Therefore, it is not very easy to supply or charge these devices easily, for example, a normal smartphone.
3) WiFi reliability against industrial wireless
Reliability of a typical wireless network When you use your smartphone on a regular wireless network such as WiFi, disconnecting from time to time is not a problem. For example, you are in the middle of a video call and you lose the other person for a second or two. I know, this can be very annoying, but it is only something that happens periodically.
Industrial wireless reliability
But when it comes to an industrial wireless network like IIoT, this is not acceptable. Why? Because in an industrial wireless network, the reliability and accuracy of the data sent and received is critical. Take the wireless sensor mentioned earlier as an example. As mentioned, this sensor must send or report the gas pressure every few seconds to inform the controller of the work process. Right? Now, in a large industrial process, we often have hundreds of these sensors. Based on this input data, the controller, which can often be PLC or DCS, sends the data to an output device such as a valve. Now if the data sent from this wireless sensor is interrupted, the controller that acts as the system’s brain will not be provided with the required input data to be able to send a correct output command to the output device such as a valve. , Right? The controller needs the correct and safe input data to be able to send a correct and safe output command to the output device. Disconnection of wireless communications, in a strategic industrial environment such as a power plant or oil refinery, can lead to process failure, which can have other serious consequences. This is why the reliability and accuracy of data in an industrial wireless system is so important, and in most cases, there is little room for error or data disconnection. Disconnection of wireless communications, in a strategic industrial environment such as a power plant or oil refinery, can lead to process failure, which can have other serious consequences. This is why the reliability and accuracy of data in an industrial wireless system is so important, and in most cases, there is little room for error or data disconnection. Disconnection of wireless communications, in a strategic industrial environment such as a power plant or oil refinery, can lead to process failure, which can have other serious consequences. This is why the reliability and accuracy of data in an industrial wireless system is so important, and in most cases, there is little room for error or data disconnection.
Conclusion
In summary, there are three main differences between a typical wireless network such as WiFi and an industrial wireless network such as IIoT:
In a typical wireless network, we usually send and receive large amounts of data such as video files, images and web pages. However, in an industrial wireless network such as IIoT, we usually send and receive small amounts of data such as gas pressure or liquid level in an industrial process.
Devices that operate on a typical wireless network, such as smartphones, are designed to process large amounts of data and therefore have a relatively short battery life. By comparison, devices running an industrial wireless network are designed to process small amounts of data, so their battery life can be several years without the need for a single battery charge.
– In a normal wireless network, there is no problem that data is sometimes interrupted. But this is not acceptable in an industrial wireless network. The reliability and accuracy of the data is very important here. Now, you have a very good understanding of the difference between a typical wireless network and an industrial wireless network.
ISA100 Wireless
One of the safest and most accurate industrial wireless protocols you can use to build your own wireless wireless network is the ISA100 Wireless. This industrial wireless protocol is developed and maintained by the ISA International Automation Association, an organization responsible for developing standards and certifications for the industrial automation industry worldwide. The thing we particularly like about the ISA100 protocol is that it is a protocol designed to work with all wireless devices from all major manufacturers such as Honeywell, Flowserve, Yokogawa and Spirax-Sarco, to name a few. This simply means that when you use ISA100 as your industrial wireless network, you are not connected to a single vendor solution and can be supported by a wide range of vendors.
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