wilamowski-b-m-irwin-j-d-industrial-communication-systems-2011

54
Wireless Communication
Standards
Tuan Dang
EDF Research and
Development
54.1 Introduction.....................................................................................54-1
54.2 A Wireless Standards Taxonomy..................................................54-2
54.3 Regulations and EMC.....................................................................54-2
54.4 Conclusion........................................................................................54-6
References....................................................................................................54-6
54.1 Introduction
There are a lot of books dealing with wireless communication principles and practice that one can
easily find their editors on the Internet. The purpose of this chapter is not to explain again and again
the wireless communication theories but to give the engineers a precise overview of the current wireless
communication standards so that they can choose the right technology for the right application.
Successful implementation of wireless communication in industrial environments requires the correct
understanding of the strengths and the weaknesses of each wireless technology. Industrial wireless
implementation is not quite as easy as one might hear. Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues,
bandwidth performance and cyber security requirements, battery autonomy, and interoperability considerations
are among the constraints that one has to take into account when implementing industrial
wireless solutions. Site assessment is often needed in order to understand the radio propagation conditions
so that a correct network topology can be deployed to ensure the optimal communication coverage
of the target facility. Be aware that the site environment may vary by time of day, depending on
what is happening in and around where the signals propagate. Wireless communication is not always
easy as it seems to be. The challenges concern the following topics:
• Robust physical layer that can guarantee a low bit errors rate (BER) without much processing
power.
• Medium access method that can offer an efficient use of the communication channel capability
while allowing deterministic access and low latency peer-to-peer transmission.
• Energy-aware route discovery strategy that helps to improve power conservation of the whole
network while being proactive to maintain permanent route between two network nodes.
• Cyber security without much processing power to preserve battery lifetime.
• Reliability that guarantees the message delivery within a predefined time interval. Adaptability,
frequency agility/hopping, and topology redundancy to avoid single points of failure are the
important features that need to be studied when deploying in some application.
• Scalability and density (number of network nodes inside an acceptable transmission range of a
transmitter node) are also important characteristics. How large and dense can the network get
before interferences or loss of performance?
54-1
© 2011 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC