Many more useful measurements could be taken in discrete manufacturing and process plant applications without the expense and labor related to wire and cables for some hard-to-reach applications. Wiring in manufacturing or process-plant settings, with the accompanying complex supporting infrastructure and labor, drops from high ceilings or trenching can add 10-fold or more to installation costs. It doesn’t have to be that way. Industrial wireless technologies can provide cost-effective reliable communications. Key considerations and application examples will be discussed by Dan Capano, owner and president of Diversified Technical Services Inc. Mark T. Hoske, content manager and editor with Control Engineering, will explain wireless trends based on Control Engineering research and will moderate the webcast.
2. Speakers for this webcast
2
Daniel E. Capano, CWNA
Owner and President, Diversified Technical Services
... has more than 30 years of experience providing instrumentation
and electrical consulting services to municipalities and clients in
the private sector. He has been published extensively, including
a textbook, “Network Cabling for Contractors,” in 2000, and
contributing to “The Instrument Engineer's Handbook,” providing
chapters detailing the use of proprietary data buses and
wireless networking technology. Capano is owner and president
of Diversified Technical Services Inc., of Stamford, Conn.,
providing technical services and staffing to the water treatment
industry since 1997. He also serves as the president of the New
York Section of the ISA and vice-chair of the Stamford Water
Pollution Control Authority. He is a Certified Wireless Network
Administrator (CWNA).
Moderator: Mark T. Hoske
Content Manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media
3. Control Engineering research, November 2013
Mobility, Ethernet, and
Wireless Study:
Wireless results
Mark T. Hoske
Content Manager
Control Engineering, CFE Media
4. Executive summary: Wireless research
Control Engineering identified the following trends about integration, use, and spending
for wireless technologies and how they help users of automation, controls, and
instrumentation to be more productive.
• More than 25% of respondents use, specify, or expect to specify five wireless
products; 46% do so for routers. Eighty-one percent of respondents have some
familiarity or consider themselves to be experts with wireless devices.
• Most used wireless protocols: IEEE 802.11n (WLAN) (58%), Bluetooth (50%), and
IEEE 802.11g (43%); 20% or more use eight wireless protocols.
• A strong correlation exists between wireless spending and productivity. Just over half
of respondents expect their wireless products and services spending to increase next
year and expect that productivity resulting from wireless will increase.
• More than half of respondents reported that wireless is either somewhat or highly
integrated with their controls, automation, and instrumentation at their locations. Only
23% felt wireless integration was easy; more than one-third called it difficult or worse.
• Greatest wireless benefit is data access (59%); also important are productivity
increases (41%), followed closely by cost savings, time savings, and ease of use.
• Challenges are security, no capital budget, lack of training to support adoption or
integration, need for use cases, and no integration or services budget.
12. Pervasive computing means:
WIRELESS IS EVERYWHERE
Network coverage will vary.
Wide area networks – WAN
Metropolitan area networks – MAN
Local area networks – LAN
Personal area networks – PAN
Users demand mobility and access!
13. Mobility
BYOD – bring your own device
Mobile data access is a way of life.
Mobile devices are getting smaller and ubiquitous.
14. Wi-Fi then
In 1997 Wi-Fi was:
• Slow and unreliable
• An unsecured network segment – open to hackers
and denial of services
Today:
Wi-Fi still suffers from the stigma of being untrusted.
15. Wi-Fi now
By 2012, Wi-Fi was:
Fast and reliable
Secure and protected
Capacity and coverage are the next challenges.
16. Projections
By 2015:
• 80% of all data and voice will be carried by the
wireless medium
• Home appliances will be wirelessly connected
• Cars will be wirelessly connected
• Wired telephones will be nearly extinct
• What's a fax machine?
17. Wireless applications
Data – internet, email, messaging
Voice – cellular/Wi-Fi convergence, VOIP (voice over
Internet protocol)
Video – streaming anywhere
Surveillance – cameras, home awareness
Tracking – real time location services
Inventory – radio frequency identification (RFID), barcode
Process monitoring and control, SCADA
High density multimedia delivery
Providing connectivity in difficult applications: historic,
finished, sensitive.
18. Where can Wi-Fi be used?
Short answer: Everywhere!
• Offices: replace/enhance existing wired network
• Warehouses: stock inventory and tracking
Retail: customer tracking, targeted marketing
Auditoriums: multimedia/lecture notes
Stadiums: multimedia/advertising/services
Classrooms: course material/textbook delivery
Hotels: widespread use as a value-added service
Hospitals: patient, equipment and billing updates
Nursing homes: patient tracking and monitoring
Auto rental/dealers: track fleet on and off lot
Dormitories: Internet and email, communication
Public spaces: public Wi-Fi, targeted marketing.
19. What exactly is Wi-Fi?
Uses radio frequency (RF) spectrum as
transmission medium
An “unbounded” medium as opposed to
a wired “bounded” medium
There are many different and competing
technologies:
Ethernet – traditional wired computer network
Bluetooth – short range, low power technology
Z-Wave – mesh network used for home automation
ZigBee – IEEE standard, not widely adopted.
IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi has become the de facto
networking standard.
20. IEEE standards
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
Standardizes features and functionality
Provides a framework for development and
enhancement
Allows for a common set of capabilities,
eliminating proprietary operation
Promotes interoperability.
21. Evolution of Wi-Fi
• The IEEE 802 project: begun in February 1980.
• It was responsible for developing computer
networking standards.
• Wi-Fi standard is 802.11, released in 1994.
• First standard was slow and sloppy.
802.11a/b released in 1997 – fast and slow
802.11g released in 2004 – fast
802.11n released in 2010 – very fast
802.11ac released in 2012 – lightning fast.
22. Wi-Fi Alliance
... is the other big player in the wireless industry.
• Provides certification testing to confirm
standards compliance and interoperability
• Provides the Wi-Fi certified logo to devices that
comply with standards of interoperability.
23. Speed
The first big hurdle:
IEEE 802.11 operated at 2 Mbps
802.11a operates at 54 Mbps
802.11b operates at 11 Mbps
802.11g operates at 54 Mbps
802.11n operates at 450 Mbps
802.11ac will operate at 7 Gbps
802.11af (White-Fi) will operate at 570 Mbps
802.11ad (WiGig) will operate at 7 Mbps.
24. Security
The biggest obstacle to wireless deployment
The wireless network segment was untrusted.
It was vulnerable and open.
Now, it is secure and reliable.
25. Network reliability
• Good design makes for a reliable network.
• Good design balances coverage and capacity.
• Users need mobility and portability.
• Delivery of quality data and multimedia demand
a high quality of service (QoS).
More users = More traffic =
Network congestion = POOR QoS
Multiple channels and wireless access points (APs)
make a reliable wireless network possible.
26. Inflection points
Security: IEEE 802.11-2007
802.11i – robust security networks
Mutual authentication key concept
Fixed the early security flaws
Speed: 802.11g/n/ac
5x – 10x throughput
QoS enhancements
Wider bandwidth
Use of multiple radios and data streams
Wireless will surpass wired speeds by 2015.
27. Radio spectrum
Wi-Fi operates in unlicensed spectrum
ISM band - Industrial, Scientific and Medical:
2.4-2.5 GHz
UNII band – Unlicensed National Information
Infrastructure band: 5.1-5.8 GHz
ISM band is typically used for local connection,
UNII band is used for backhaul or long haul.
28. ISM band channels
The ISM band allows 11 channels in U.S.,
13 in Europe and Israel, 14 in Japan
Channels 22 MHz wide
Only three non-overlapping channels – 1, 6, 11 – Channels must
have 25 MHz separation
Co-channel interference results from radios on same channel
Adjacent channel interference results from overlapping channels.
29. UNII band channels
UNII band allows 23 non-overlapping channels
Channels are 20 MHz wide
Four separate sub-bands: UNII-1,2,2e,3
Lower, lower middle, upper middle, upper
UNII-2&2e use TPC (transmit power control) and DFS (dynamic frequency
selection) to avoid interference with commercial and weather radar
Power is limited by band.
30. Network architectures
Autonomous:
• Independent access points (APs)
• All intelligence resides in the AP
Ad hoc:
• Wireless device to device
• Wireless device-to-device connection without AP
• Personal “hotspot”
Controller based:
• Uses a central controller to manage network
• Uses “lightweight” AP at network “edge”
• Single point of failure
Cooperative:
• Distributed management, “cloud based” and off-site
• Intelligence sharing among APs
• De-centralized management.
31. Multipath: The last frontier
Multiple signals arrive at the receiver at different times
because of reflections
Reflections cause data corruption – echoes and ghosts – results in
increased data overhead
IEEE 802.11n radios combine signals either constructively or
destructively to increase reliability
Pre-IEEE 802.11n radios suffered from multipath problems.
32. MIMO: Multiple in, multiple out
The cure for multipath is to use IT.
• MIMO uses combinational algorithms to utilize multipath
• Can increase throughput by sending multiple “spatial streams”
3x3:3 = 3 transmitters + 3 receivers using 3 separate radio links
(chains, or “spatial streams”)
IEEE 802.11n is 4X4:4; 802.11ac will eventually be 8X8:8.
33. Comparative costs: Wired vs. wireless
Wired: requires cable ($), conduit($), routers ($),
installation($$$), termination($$), configuration($), testing($),
long-term maintenance($), costly replacement/upgrade($$$) =
($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$)
Wireless: requires access points (APs)($$), mounting of
APs($), plug in Ethernet to one AP($), configuration($) =
($$$$$)
There is a real potential of 50-75% savings in installation
costs alone
ROI (return on investment) is faster than physical
infrastructure network
Long term costs – very low cost of ownership
Replacement or upgrade costs negligible
No maintenance costs.
34. Ironically, wireless still needs wires
At least one access point (AP) needs to be connected to
the wired infrastructure
Wired/fiber distribution system (WDS) still needed for
enterprise network connectivity
After root AP is connected, WDS can be achieved
without additional wiring using a wireless management
system (WMS)
Mesh systems form self-routing and healing networks,
greatly improving speed and reliability – scalable up or
down as required
Wireless bridges connect physically separated WDS
Most facilities have existing wired backbone.
35. APs still need power
• Access points still need to be powered
• AC power is an option where available, but not
essential
• Using Power over Ethernet – PoE – power can
be sent over existing CAT5/6 to power devices
• Delivers 30 W@48 V dc dynamically configured
• PoE eliminates the need for providing ac power
at the remote location
• Dramatic savings in cost, especially for remote
locations.
36. Cost estimate for wire and conduit in a 300 ft trench
Excavation 140 yards: $6500
Saw cut 300 ft pavement: $3000
Stone base: $1000
Backfill: $4500
Patching: $3500
Conduit and cable: $500
Router and accessories: $600
Electricians: 5 worker days @ $1120/day = $5600
Grand total: $25,200*
*Does not include design services, appurtenances, management and IT configuration; costs
can increase depending on conditions, other utilities, and environment.
Maximum distance for data/PoE is 330 ft because of restrictions on length
of Ethernet segment.
37. Cost estimate 300 ft wireless outdoor link
Design/site surveys: $2500
Access points (APs): 2@$800 = $1600
Labor (mounting APs, attaching cables): $1120 (1 day)
IT configuration: $1200
Grand total: $6420
• Additional coverage only requires additional AP
• Only one AP needs to be physically networked
• Distance restriction is not an issue – Theoretically unlimited
range with multiple APs.
• APs can use PoE, local power, battery or solar
• Unlimited number of wireless devices can access the
medium without “plugging in.”
38. Cost analysis summary for a 300 ft link
Wired link: $25,200
Wireless link: $6420
A savings of $18,780, or about 4:1,
resulting in a
74.5% savings on installed costs.
39. Wireless hotspot deployment
Coverage model is based on
coverage, not capacity
Use of a captive portal provides
access control and revenue
User security not provided
Users are transient
Commonly used as a marketing tool
by retailers.
40. Auditorium/ stadium deployment model
Coverage and capacity are primary design goals
Many access points (APs) are required to keep the
user/AP ratio as low as possible
Requires use of directional antennas to control AP use
Attenuation from bodies becomes a factor
Security is mandatory; system must prohibit device to
device connectivity
Fosters “augmented reality.”
41. Classroom deployment model
Coverage is primary design goal,
capacity close second, but crucial in
terms of multimedia
Attenuation from bodies becomes a
large factor in AP placement
Radio frequency (RF) must be
contained in classroom to avoid
adjoining classroom interference
Directional antennas and
transmission power control required
Allows for scalable and flexible
options for educators: new students
and devices easily accommodated.
42. Bridging and point-to-point links
Connects networks in
different physical locations
Connects multiple buildings
without trenching or
overhead wiring
Connects a wired direct
sequence (DS) to a wireless
DS or vice versa
Connectivity to areas where
wiring is cost prohibitive
Theoretically no limit to
length of wireless link.
43. Case study: Stamford WPCA
Proposed solution for replacement of aging and unreliable wired plant
using a wireless network
Delivery of data, voice and video to process locations
Scalable architecture, low cost for expansion
Short and long term cost savings for maintenance, communications, labor
ROI immediate – savings in labor offsets equipment costs
Flexibility in process measurement design
Integration into supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems
Wireless communication can be “sculpted” to match fence line to avoid
spillover to surrounding businesses
Wireless and instrument vendors provided equipment for proof of concept
WirelessHART technology key to instrument interface
Project started in April, will run for three months.
47. Site survey
Predictive vs. manual survey
Predictive done off site, manual on site
Planning software: GIGO – garbage in, garbage out
Manual surveys will identify sources of interference and other
networks
Interference is the chief cause of network connectivity and
capacity problems
Attenuation of common items:
Concrete: -10 dB to - 30 dB, stair towers, elevator shafts
Sheetrock: -3 dB, partition walls
Windows: -3 dB to -6 dB
Free air: -60 dB at 100 m (330 ft)
Human body: -3 dB to -6 dB.
48. Pre- and post-deployment surveys
• Pre-deployment surveys can be either predictive or
manual
• Post-deployment are always manual surveys used
to check predictions and to tweak the network
• Post-deployment should be done under actual
business conditions, not on a Sunday
• Surveys are essential for good design and
performance
• Periodic survey/audit should be performed yearly –
conditions change.
49. Future of wireless
IEEE 802.11ac: Multi-Gigabit, wide bandwidth, will
eventually surpass wired networks
802.11ad: 60 GHz spectrum, multi-Gigabit, wide
bandwidth, very short range
802,11af (White-Fi), uses the white space in TV
transmissions for high rate long distance
transmission.
50. Speakers for this webcast: Q&A session
50
Daniel E. Capano, CWNA
Owner and president
Diversified Technical Services
dcapano@sbcglobal.net
917-940-8235
Moderator: Mark T. Hoske
Content Manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media
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