November 19, 2012
PROFIBUS and PROFINET are involved in three of the four kinds of wireless. (Yes, wireless is not one monolithic thing: Wireless or Wireless.)
My take on the four kinds:
- Long-distance like to RTUs
- Process instrument networks like WirelessHART (PI cooperated with HART Communication Foundation and Fieldbus Foundation to standardize this: Simplified Wireless Communication)
- Discrete sensor and actuator networks like PI’s FA WSAN
- Backbone like PROFINET uses (WiFi and Bluetooth)
There is some confusion as to why we need a separate standard for discrete sensors and actuators – why can’t we use the process standard? I think the answer is mostly speed – discrete sensors and actuators need faster response times. But there are other different requirements, too, as this chart that we provided to Control Engineering shows (Sensor-actuator wireless industrial network technologies):
–Carl Henning