SNAP-PAC-R1-W OPTO 22, SNAP-PAC-R1-W Datasheet - Page 3

• Manufacturer Part Number: SNAP-PAC-R1-W
• Description: Programmable Controller Wireless
• Manufacturer: OPTO 22

Specifications of SNAP-PAC-R1-W

• Accessory Type: Programmable Automation Communication
• Signal Input Type: Ethernet, RS-232
• Rohs Compliant: Yes
• For Use With: SNAP PAC System
• Lead Free Status / RoHS Status: Lead free / RoHS Compliant

The best solution is to look for a manufacturer whose
wireless line encompasses a large array of reliable I/O
and requires very few extra components. Ideally, look
for a manufacturer whose I/O line is independent of
network type.
Necessity of Choosing Solutions
Up Front
Another concern of automation engineers in using
wireless technology stems from the availability and
cost issues just discussed: if the wireless version of
their vendor’s product line is different, engineers must
choose at the beginning of a project whether to use
wired or wireless communications. They must specify
components and commit to a networking method
up front.
Having to commit to a network in the early days of a
project sets in stone portions of the system design, from overall
approach to details of field connections.
If the chosen method proves disappointing, changing it means
significant additional time and expense not only to buy, install, and
configure new components, but also to redesign.
And these additional costs often include more than just I/O and
network hardware components; they may also include software costs
for licensing, training, and programming wireless I/O.
Ideally, wireless I/O from automation manufacturers would act more
like the typical laptop computer, which includes both wired and
wireless capability and can therefore adapt to a wired or wireless
network, while offering the same functions and using the same
software with either method. Long after you purchase the laptop, you
can choose the network type or change from wired to wireless as
circumstances dictate.
Addressing Wireless Concerns
Automation manufacturers could go a long way toward addressing
engineers’ concerns about wireless if they could do just four things:
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•
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Include broad support for wireless standards—not just
802.11b—to give engineers options to improve individual system
reliability.
Include support for the best available security standards.
Offer a full range of wireless I/O—ideally the same product line
used for wired networks—and reduce the number of extra
components or adapters needed for a wireless installation.
Wireless PACs and I/O in Industrial Automation
•
Let’s see what this improved wireless system would look like.
Broad Support for Wireless Standards
Including broad support for wireless standards, manufacturers could
go beyond 802.11b and give automation engineers additional options
to address their individual wireless applications.
If support were included for all three of the most commonly used
wireless standards in the world today—IEEE-802.11a, b, and g—
engineers could use wireless access points, routers, and repeaters from
nearly any vendor to build their wireless networks.
Depending on system needs, they could choose the higher 5 GHz
band to avoid interference from other devices, or they could choose a
faster standard for higher throughput. They could also choose
between ad hoc and infrastructure modes to suit the size and design
of the network.
Support for the Best Available Security
For system security, WEP is no longer sufficient, and even WPA is less
than ideal. WPA2 encryption algorithms with 802.11i AES provide the
robust protection industrial wireless applications normally require.
However, since some applications may use an older standard or not
require highly secure transmissions, support for all three standards—
WEP, WPA, and WPA2—should be included for backwards
compatibility.
Design controllers and I/O that can communicate with both wired
and wireless Ethernet networks, as needed.
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