Honeywell recently introduced the latest version of its OneWireless industrial mesh network solution for manufacturing facilities. OneWireless R120 features the process industry’s first redundant wireless system gateway (WSG), a critical prerequisite for wireless process control.
The new WSG manages data between wireless field instrumentation and the plant’s process control network (PCN). It serves as a backup gateway to ensure that data is always delivered even if the main gateway malfunctions or fails. Paired with existing OneWireless redundancy features, this approach creates the first industrial wireless system with complete hardware and radio-frequency redundancy from the field instrument to the PCN connection. Additionally, unique failure recovery features help prevent data loss and the network can recover in less than two seconds from any field hardware failure.
"Many plants today are only using wireless for non-critical applications, but that will undoubtedly change in the future as the trust in and adoption of wireless technology grows," said Jeff Becker, global wireless business director. "Plants will control critical processes over wireless networks, which must be as reliable as wired networks. OneWireless is ready for these new demands with built-in features that enhance data availability and system reliability."
