Siemens: Wireless I/O, module IWLAN, saves time, money

Simatic ET 200pro IWLAN from Siemens Industry Inc. saves communication cabling and installation costs by delivering wireless connectivity from any distributed I/O station.

December 1, 2009

Simatic ET 200pro IWLAN from Siemens Industry Inc. saves communication cabling and installation costs by delivering wireless connectivity from any distributed I/O station.

The Siemens Simatic ET 200pro IWLAN from Siemens Industry Inc. saves significant communication cabling and installation costs by delivering wireless connectivity from any distributed I/O station, the company says. Compatible with Siemens line of ET 200pro I/O and specialty modules, the rugged IP67-rated IWLAN interface can be directly mounted on a machine, eliminating the need for installation inside an electrical enclosure, the company says.

Also read : Wireless Communications for Industry , supplement to the November 2009 Control Engineering print edition, which contains:
-Wireless Enables Huntsman Project Zero
-Wireless Technology as a Work in Progress
-Plant Deployment Demonstrates Wireless Standard
-Transparent Wireless at Cano Petroleu

 

Based on IEEE 802.11 WLAN standards, the innovative wireless design supports deterministic iPCF (Industrial Point Coordination Function) for critical industrial Ethernet communications using standard Profinet protocol. This reliable, wireless I/O connectivity allows plants to access machines and process systems as well as mobile equipment that previously could not be reached using a cabled network.

The ET 200pro IWLAN includes a complete wireless network interface with removable antenna interface unit, standard ET 200pro connection unit for adding modular I/O devices, diagnostic LEDs and a built-in Ethernet port for local programming or network trouble shooting. An industry standard 7/8 inch plug-in connector provides the power connection and each ET 200pro station can be vertically or horizontally installed without restrictions. Optional antennas including omni-directional antennas are available for direct or remote mounting and higher gain signal transmission over longer distances or through obstructions.

Wireless radio frequency is selectable for either standard 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz and includes support for IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/h/e/i transmission standards. The maximum wireless data transmission rate is 54 Mbits/s with a typical send cycle time of 32ms.

Each device includes a built-in web server with HTML pages for editing configurations, setting security access and viewing important diagnostic information. Separate configuration software is not required, which enables easy access to each ET 200pro IWLAN through a secure Ethernet access point connection over the LAN or Internet/Intranet.

The product has built-in compatibility to all Siemens Scalance-W wireless access points for easy networking to Host controllers, industrial PCs or programming terminals. It also supports rapid roaming capability for moving equipment between multiple wireless access point ranges without interruption. All ET 200pro IWLAN products are designed in a rugged IP67 case and are certified with industry standard agency approvals, including cUL US, CSA and CE compliance.

www.sea.siemens.com

Also read the On-Machine Controls article from Control Engineering .

Control Engineering www.controleng.com