Honeywell Learns Lessons Abt. Ind. Wireless

Honeywell Industrial Measurement & Control (www.honeywell.com/imc) discussed lessons learned from more than four years of user feedback on industrial wireless solutions at a networking event held by the Measurement, Control, & Automation Association (www.measure.org) last month at ISA Expo in Houston. During the session, Revathi Advaithi, the division’s general manager, and Dave Kaufman, business director, made the case for wireless technology to a group of executives from instrumentation companies.

According to Honeywell, it has installed a vast array of wireless solutions over the past four years, which has provided insight about user needs in regard to industrial wireless. Honeywell cited the following as key results of its feedback from users of industrial wireless solutions:
• Security and safety are critical
• Network communications must be robust and reliable
• Predictable power management is required in all environments for uptime
• One multi-functional and multi-speed wireless infrastructure investment to minimize installation, training. and security costs
• Architecture must be scalable, control-ready, and connect to existing systems to protect investment
• One global, open industry-standard for trusted, open, and cost-effective choices

At the event Kaufman reviewed seven typical customer goals for wireless device networks:
1. Cost (capital expense, operational expense, installation/maintenance, and power management)
2. Compatibility & Scalability (interoperability/shared infrastructure, worldwide usability, capacity, and scalability)
3. Performance (reliable communication, adequate reporting rates, closed-loop requirements)
4. Quality of Service Attributes (timeliness (latency)/successful throughput, delivery ordering, and recovery action)
5. All or None Security (nonmessaging aspects of network security, messaging security, and pedigree)
6. Wireless Worker (local access to field devices)
7. Coordination with Other Bodies/System Management (conservation of effort and time synchronization)

Honeywell is a charter member of ISA’s SP-100 committee and has offered its technology as that body builds a standard protocol. Honeywell’s protocol is based on wireless mesh networking.