ISA100.12, WirelessHART Convergence Subcommittee

Scope and Purpose

Task 1 – Evaluation 

o         Evaluation of the WirelessHART specification and the ISA100.11a specification (most recent version of each) to provide a technical differential analysis and identify associated user benefits/detriments for each difference.

Task 2 – Short-Term Recommendations

o         Given that both WirelessHART and ISA100.11a-R1 are installed in the same area, at the same time, identify and document user actions to allow successful coexistence options for both networks in a single plant environment.

o         Identify, document, and recommend possible vendor/profile options that allow installed WirelessHART and ISA100.11a networks to be converged in the future when a converged standard is available. 

o         Obtain an ISA reformatted WirelessHART 7.1 specification for use by this subcommittee.

Task 3 – Long-Term Recommendations, Convergence 

o         While providing best efforts to preserve the user benefits of both WirelessHART and ISA100.11a, offer a phased converged specification recommending technical changes necessary to converge the WirelessHART specification and ISA100.11a Release 1 standard identifying the necessary changes to both technologies to assure compatibility and interoperability at the device level.

o         Assure that the converged standard enables devices built to the WirelessHART and ISA100.11a pre-convergence standards to continue to work with networks built to the converged standard. (Backwards compatibility)

o         Identify and report any intellectual property (IP) required to implement the converged specifications that would be held by the HART Communication Foundation (HCF) and specifically required for compatibility and interoperability at the device level.

o         Conduct this convergence effort completely independent to the ISA100.11a standard development, with no affect on ISA100.11a schedules, or any other ISA100 standards development efforts.

If you are interested in joining ISA100.12 or would like additional information, please contact Linda Wolffe, ISA Staff, at (919) 990-9257 or  lwolffe@isa.org