Honeywell has announced enhancements to its OneWireless offering that will give industrial facilities more options to tailor wireless networks to best fit their needs. OneWireless R200, which is now fully compliant with the ISA100.11a standard, will allow plants to design a wireless network with different types of wireless coverage. Depending upon application requirements, plants can now design networks that provide either wireless coverage for field instruments only, or coverage for both field instruments and Wi-Fi devices. This provides plants with more flexibility while reducing the total cost of ownership.
Additionally, OneWireless R200 introduces features that can reduce the installation and maintenance costs of wireless field instrument networks by up to 50%. These features simplify how industrial facilities install and expand their wireless networks and help to maximise field transmitter battery life.
“Many process manufacturers are looking for smaller, tactical wireless networks for specific field instruments, but they also want something that will expand to support more comprehensive, plant-wide wireless solutions,” said Norm Gilsdorf, president of Honeywell Process Solutions. “The latest version of OneWireless gives plants freedom to design a network that meets their site requirements both now and in the future. It decreases setup time, as well as the lifecycle costs of their wireless solutions.”
OneWireless is a universal wireless mesh network solution. It allows plants to use a single wireless network to accommodate thousands of wireless field devices that perform a wide range of functions, from asset monitoring to non-critical process control.
OneWireless R200 allows plants to create field instrument networks using the new Field Device Access Point and Wireless Device Manager features. The Field Device Access Point is designed to support ISA100.11a field instruments by assuming message-routing duties, enabling users to connect wireless field instruments to the process control network and route data from the field. Plants can also take advantage of field instrument routing options that allow them to create a network of battery powered field instruments that communicate with each other, and route messages from neighbouring field instruments – including ISA100.11a devices from other vendors – to process control applications.
The Wireless Device Manager manages field instrument networks by serving as a gateway system and security manager, and ensuring all communication between the field instruments and plant network is secure. It also gives users a sleek, intuitive, web-based interface that allows process and field instrument engineers with basic IT knowledge to quickly set up their ISA100.11a networks. It reduces time required to commission, monitor and troubleshoot a wireless field instrument network.
“The features of the OneWireless network pair the cost saving benefits of wireless field instrument networks with wired like performance,” said Vimal Kapur, vice president of strategy and marketing, Honeywell Process Solutions. “Through improved instrumentation transmission range and extended battery life to lowered installation and maintenance costs, this new release illustrates the value add that OneWireless networks brings to users.”
For more information contact Debbie Rae, Honeywell Southern Africa, +27 (0)11 695 8000, [email protected], www.honeywell.co.za
© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved
printer friendly version