Smart Wireless Gateways
The 21st Century modem
Frank Williams
May 1, 2007
© ELPRO Technologies
Think Wireless…Think ELRPO
NORCAL ISA
The Plant : A complex environment
Other
Computing
Devices
Plant
Servers
Courtesy: Apprion
hours
Business Management
Personal Computer
Network Manager
min
Adding wireless
Area Servers
secs
Control Stations
Plant
Network
Modules
Additional
CN Modules
Application
History
provides opportunities,
Module
Module
but
1 sec
msec
Archive
Replay Module
Network
Gateway
presents challenges
Process Management
Network
Gateway
Subnetwork Gateway
Other Data
Hiway Boxes
Network
Interface
Module
Multifunction
Controller
Extended
Controller
sec
Fiber Optics
Logic Manager
Field Management
Advanced
Multifunction
Controller
Transmitters
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Control Network
Extenders
PLC
Basic
Controller
LocalProcessors
PLC
Gateway
Think Wireless…Think ELRPO
Other
Subsystems
Process
Manager
Advanced
Process
Manager
Smartine
Transmitters
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The new competitive reality!
Global competition demanding higher productivity
More data, with more intelligence, yielded from more
points throughout the plant, or factory.
Basically, a new paradigm in productivity gain :
data availability when and where needed
we have seen this before
•
•
•
•
4-20mA  Hart
Marshalling cables  Foundation Field bus, Ethernet
Automation  DeviceNet, Profibus, etc
Alarm systems  Pagers, SMS, GSM, E-mail
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Andor
more
flexible
at
lesswireless
cost
Plant
Factory
has
more
Wireless
finds
new
applications
With
greater
reliability
Wireless I/O
Wireless Data
•Sensors
•PLC to PLC
•Analog / digital
•DCS to Remote
•Pulse / Freq
•PLC/DCS to HMI
•Pressure / Flow
•Protocol connectivity
Wireless Ethernet
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Plant & Factory Information hurdles
The largest constraint to collecting information is …
the cost/hassle of wiring
wireless
• $40/linear ft
• mobility
• downtime
The largest constraint to sharing information is…
data incompatibility
wireless gateways
• protocols
• speed
• network structure
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Wireless Network challenges
•
Reliable information (data) transfer with…
-
•
larger amounts of information demanded
more mobile, flexible and greater scalability
networked from different, and more places
Connectivity to and from high-speed industrial LAN’s
-
•
Profibus (12Mbit/s),DeviceNet (500kbit/s), Modbus (1Mbit/s), Ethernet (10/100Mbit/s)
Interconnectivity to different LAN’s - protocol incompatibility
Security (process as well as business side of things )
-
hackers, competitors and other perpetrators
jamming or unwanted messages into process
“malicious” damage?- e.g. disgruntled employees
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Think Wireless…Think ELRPO
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SMART Wireless Gateways
offer…
• Advances on traditional modem
• Protocol conversion - adds flexibility
• Faster by using efficient wireless protocol
• Better network bandwidth management
• Reliable and secure data transfer
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“Smart” Radio Modem
Gateways can act as “smart” radio modems to
overcome limitations of normal radio modems
Smart
Gateway
Data bus
Smart
Gateway
Data bus
Data protocol only on data bus side
Data is converted to a highly efficient
wireless protocol on the radio side
Smart
Gateway
Data bus
The Smart Gateway can now yield tremendous benefit to the User…
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Think Wireless…Think ELRPO
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LAN Speed Problem
Radio
Modem
Radio
Modem
Conventional Radio Modems
Normal radio modems handle data protocols
at 9600bit/s, 19.2kbit/s, etc – slow in today’s
information-hungry, high-speed environment
--- data bus speed must be reduced to match the speed of the radio
modem, affecting the pre-existing bus --© ELPRO Technologies
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LAN Speed Solution
profibus – 12Mbit/s
Modbus – 1Mbit/s
Ethernet – 10/100Mbit/s
wireless
Transfer at protocol speed
profibus – 12Mbit/s
Modbus – 1Mbit/s
Ethernet – 10/100Mbit/s
Wireless Gateways
Wireless Gateways connect to the LAN at full bus data rate
Existing LAN devices are not affected.
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Response Time Problems
Conventional
Radio Modem
X
Radio
Modem
High speed data protocols require fast response
- Profibus (11Mbit/s), DeviceNet (1Mbit/s) etc
Radio
Modem
Master sends a command to the slave - the
radio delays the command
Slave responds, but too late
Master device times out and comms stops
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A newer approach
Wireless Gateway
Master sends a command - the Gateway
responds, the Master does not time out
The SMART Gateway transmits the information - fast response is
maintained by exception reporting wireless protocol
The second SMART Gateway passes on the information:
Communications is successful and continues
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Network Structure Constraints
Radio
Modem
Radio
Modem
Radio
Modem
Conventional Radio Modems
Radio
Modem
The Wireless Network has the same network structure limitations
as the Host protocol - most are master-slave polling networks
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Network Structure Improvement
Wireless network is independent of the data protocol - peer to peer
• Multiple masters - no problems
• Slave to slave - easy&
addflexibility
User Scalability
• Path routing – flexible & quick
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Network Bandwidth Management
Radio
Modem
Radio
Modem
Radio
Modem
Conventional Radio Modems
Radio
Modem
Master-slave polling networks become slow as the network size increases
Radio network becomes busy as size increases
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Better Bandwidth Management
SMART Wireless Gateways
Gateways use a more intelligent wireless protocol
Based on exception reporting (transmitting on a change), plus transfers on demand
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Protocol Incompatibility
Radio
Modem
x
Radio
Modem
Profibus
Modbus
x
x
Radio
Modem
x
Modbus
Radio
Modem
DF1
Data bus interconnectivity
Normal radio modems can only connect the same protocol
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Protocol Compatibility
Profibus
Modbus
Modbus
Data bus interconnectivity
DF1
SMART Gateways use a “neutral” wireless protocol
- different data buses can be interconnected
© ELPRO Technologies
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SECURITY
Can Wireless Gateways help against:
•
•
•
hackers, competitors and other perpetrators
jamming or unwanted messages into process
“malicious” damage?- e.g. disgruntled employees
© ELPRO Technologies
Think Wireless…Think ELRPO
NORCAL ISA
Security
Conventional Radio Modems
Radio
Modem
Radio
Modem
Data bus
Any data can
be transferred
Data bus
Radio
Modem
• Security achieved by data encryption.
Data bus
• Unable to limit transfer of data or authenticate the transfer.
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Security
SMART Wireless Gateways
Data bus
Only known approved
data can be transferred
Data bus
Gateways can only transfer known data
• Firewall protection to level “7”
Data bus
• Blacklist/white list
• AES encryption routine
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Example - Tank Gauging
Profibus
Profibus
Ethernet
Profibus
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Example - Tank Gauging
Profibus
High level
switch
Ethernet
High level
switch
Add a High Level Switch
Most Gateways have capability for connection of
discrete, analog, and pulse I/O
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High level
switch
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“Wireless Information Backbone”
Profibus
Devicenet
High level
switch
Profibus
Ethernet
High level
switch
Profibus
High level
switch
Modbus +
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Internet
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Summary
Wireless Gateway = Smart Radio Modem
 Overcomes speed limitations with fast data protocols
 Allows connection at full bus speed
 Provides peer-to-peer networking for scalability / flexibility
 Better wireless network bandwidth management
 Secure data bus expansion – encryption & firewall
 Data bus interconnectivity - protocol conversion
 Internet connectivity - web enabled interface
 Allows formation of Wireless Information Backbone
© ELPRO Technologies
Think Wireless…Think ELRPO
NORCAL ISA
Thank you
Frank Williams
[email protected]
619.741.3574 – office
858.349.1346 – cell
© ELPRO Technologies
Think Wireless…Think ELRPO
NORCAL ISA