Wireless Network

[tjmurf]

I didn't get much feedback from the PLC forum.

I would like install a wireless network, "ETHERNET/IP". I'll have 6 nodes, three of them will be wireless. What componets will I need for the wireless side of things. The hard wired end is pretty straight forward. The furthest distance is 550'.

I know this isn't much information, just looking to see if anyone has had any experiance with this sort of thing.

Thanks!

 

[ragudelo]

For an Office Environment, the answer is simple: get an Access Point and wireless cards for each node (802.11b should do fine). For range, antenna type and location are the keys. The farthest node is likely to require an external antenna.
Now, in an Industrial Environment, it may not be that simple. While it's not supposed to be harmful, it's RF and in a hazardous location may induce enough energy to produce ignition. Wavelenght is 12.5 cm; so most physical objects are big enough to pickup RF energy. It's also microwaves, so the energy will not get through walls, more likely will bounce on them and any object big enough to reflect them.
Also, it's not the same as a wired connection. Your transmissions will experience packet loss and delays. Your application must be smart enough to take care of it. Otherwise, you may find very nasty behaviors, especially in control systems not used to deal with packet loss.
Finally, remember microwave ovens work at the same frequency band, so a leaky oven may severely interfere your net.

RA

 

[GetTheLEDOut]

Try

http://www.data-linc.com,

they seem to make industrial modems that will work with your application.