Wireless Fast Facts

Is Wireless Reliable?

Yes. Emerson’s Smart Wireless solutions use mesh technology that is self-organizing and self-healing. The intelligent mesh protocol dynamically optimizes the best route to the wired network, mitigates interference and ensures high network capacity.

Is Wireless Secure?

Yes. Emerson’s Smart Wireless solutions go beyond the basic use of authentication and encryption to ensure secure communications. Emerson provides “Defense in Depth” to secure your network against all known forms of wireless intrusion.

What is the difference between a Wireless Plant Network and a Wireless Field Network?

Wireless field networks are focused on process applications like measurement or sensing, process control and diagnostics.
Wireless plant networks implement applications like video, mobile worker, and location tracking. Each has unique technical requirements.

Can my wireless field and plant solutions coexist?

Yes. Emerson’s Smart Wireless standards-based architecture addresses radio frequency interference between wireless solutions by using mesh network technology and other proven methods to provide high levels of communication reliability at both the field-network and plant-network levels.

Are wireless field applications interoperable with wireless plant applications?

Yes. Wireless field and plant networks are seamlessly joined together. The WirelessHART gateway communicates via well-known process industry Ethernet protocols such as Modbus TCP, OPC, HART TCP – all of which additionally support SSL protected communications. The wireless plant applications utilize IEEE standards-based protocols that share the same Wi-Fi network.

Is a site survey required?

A site survey is not required for wireless field applications because they use self-organizing WirelessHART technology, making wireless signals immune to possible obstacles or barriers. However, a professional site assessment is critical to the successful implementation of a wireless plant solution. POND Technical and Emerson wireless experts offer a comprehensive site assessment.

Can wireless solutions be deployed in a hazardous environment?

Wireless field devices are ATEX Zone 0/Class 1 Div 1, and the Smart Wireless Gateway is ATEX Zone 2/Class 1 Div 2.

Wireless plant mesh access points are ATEX Zone 2/Class 1 Div 2. Solutions that require ATEX Zone 1/Class 1 Div 1-mesh access points are available as an engineered solution.

Should I start with a wireless plant solution or with a wireless field application?

Emerson’s Smart Wireless solutions allow you to start anywhere. Simply start with the wireless application(s) you require. If you only need wireless field instrumentation for a specific process unit in your plant, you do not need to set up Wi-Fi coverage for plant network applications – and vice versa.