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Wireless Networks for Industrial Automation, 3rd Edition
Dick Caro
Non-Member Price: $79.00
ISA Member Price: $69.00

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Product ISBN/ID:
978-1-9343943-6-6

Stock Status: In Stock

About

As commercial and residential networks rapidly go the wireless route, will industrial networks soon follow? This digital edition includes the increasingly popular wireless application Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and also provides a clear, unbiased view of the emerging wireless communications market. Author Dick Caro explores wireless communications from the factory and process automation viewpoint to help you make clear decisions on the timing and strategy for implementing wireless networks for automation projects. According to Caro, going wireless is more than just plugging in some wireless components to replace the wires. Residential networks are easily justified using today’s inexpensive wireless components to avoid costly or unsightly wire installations. Industrial use is not quite so clear due to privacy and security problems and the potential for signal loss in plant environments. Industrial use must have secure communications that never fails. However, the cost of industrial wiring is so high, that wireless can usually be justified.

This 3rd edition includes a general update of events that have occurred since the previous edition. Of significance is an overview of new technology, such as ISA100.11a, WirelessHART, and WiFi, including IEEE 802.11n.

For a full year, as updates become available, you will receive email notification and be able to download a new PDF file at no charge.

- Downloadable files require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Format: PDF File
Length: 109 pages
 Shipping Weight: .00 lb(s)
Copyright: 2008
Publisher: ISA

Spotlight Reviews

Automation is in the Air - Apr 24, 2008
Reviewer: Nicholas Sands
Wireless is one of the hottest topics in the automation industry. Dick Caro is just the person to write a guide for this leading-edge technology. Caro is an ISA fellow, former chairman of the ISA SP50.2 (Fieldbus) committee, former consultant at Arthur D Little and ARC, and current CEO of his own company, CMC Associates. Caro is knowledgeable and skilled in explaining technology.

Caro first explains the requirements for wireless automation networks. There is the challenge of overcoming noise and multi-path distortion. There is the desire for low power battery driven transmitters that can operate for years without maintenance. There is the choice of network architecture; between stars, trees, and the highly reliable mesh networks. There is also some description of antenna technology. Caro also covers the different wireless technologies. There is the ubiquitous Wi-Fi, the wireless A, B, and G technologies used at home and perhaps at work. There is Bluetooth, the short-range technology used for cell phone headsets. There is the low power ZigBee technology where transmitters may sleep 97% of the time. There is also the possibility of using the 3G cell phone technology for transmitters.

The final chapters cover the bleeding edge of technology, RFID, and the authors own suggestions for this technology. The bleeding edge includes WiMAX and Ultra Wide Band technologies. There are also several interesting possibilities for field powering transmitters. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) uses a range of technologies as well, from low power passive tags to high power data tags that hold the history of the entity.

Caro provides a view of the wireless landscape, from user needs to available technologies to politics. This book is only available in electronic PDF format because of the rate of change of this technology.