Six key findings on mobility, Ethernet, wireless

With the 2014 Mobility, Ethernet, and Wireless Study, Control Engineering identified the following six trends regarding integration, use, and spending for mobility, Ethernet, and wireless technologies.

By Amanda Pelliccione July 2, 2015

With the 2014 Mobility, Ethernet, and Wireless Study, Control Engineering identified the following six trends regarding integration, use, and spending for mobility, Ethernet, and wireless technologies and how they help users of automation, controls, and instrumentation to be more productive. These technologies are key components in plant to enterprise integration, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Internet of Things (IoT), and big data analytics and optimization.

  1. Respondent profile: Nearly half of respondents have 20 years or more of industry experience; 71% have 10 years or more. A diverse range of industries and company sizes are represented in the study.
  2. Technologies, services: Key products that use or connect with mobility, Ethernet, or wireless technologies include programmable logic controllers (PLCs) or programmable automation controllers (PACs, 67%); computers, industrial PCs, or PC-based control (62%); and human-machine interface (HMI) hardware, operator interfaces, or control panels (58%).
  3. Interfacing with technologies: Plant floor and reaching into the enterprise are the most common areas of interface; information technology (IT) rules are most often used for security by a large majority.
  4. Increased use, productivity: Use of mobility, Ethernet, and wireless devices continues to increase, and there remains a strong correlation between spending and productivity in these areas.
  5. Mobile device permissions: Seven in 10 respondents’ facilities have plant networks, and 74% of them allow mobile devices on the networks.
  6. Technology benefits, concerns: Data access remains the most common benefit to each technology, while security issues are a major concern.


Author Bio: Amanda is the Research Director and Project Manager of Awards Programs for CFE Media and its publications.