Smart Wireless Gateways

The 21st Century modem

Frank Williams
May 1, 2007

ELPRO Technologies

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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
k

etw
or
bn
Su

Multifunction
Controller
Extended
Controller

Basic
Controller

Transmitters

ELPRO Technologies

Logic Manager

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RK
WO

Field Management

Advanced
Multifunction
Controller

PLC
Gateway

Control Network
Extenders

PLC

NE T

LocalProcessors

Network
Interface
Module

L
TRO
CON

sec

Fiber Optics

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

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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 LANs

-

Profibus (12Mbit/s),DeviceNet (500kbit/s), Modbus (1Mbit/s), Ethernet (10/100Mbit/s)

Interconnectivity to different LANs - 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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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

Data bus

Smart
Gatewa
y

Data bus

Smart
Gatewa
y

Data protocol only on data bus side

Data is converted to a highly efficient
wireless protocol on the radio side

Smart
Gatewa
y

Data bus

The Smart Gateway can now yield tremendous benefit to the User
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LAN Speed Problem

Radio
Mode
m

Radio
Mode
m

Conventional Radio Modems

Normal radio modems handle data protocols
at 9600bit/s, 19.2kbit/s, etc slow in todays
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

Radio
Mode
m

High speed data protocols require fast response

- Profibus (11Mbit/s), DeviceNet (1Mbit/s) etc

Radio
Mode
m

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
Mode
m
Radio
Mode
m
Radio
Mode
m

Conventional Radio Modems

Radio
Mode
m

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
Mode
m
Radio
Mode
m
Radio
Mode
m

Conventional Radio Modems

Radio
Mode
m

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
Mode
m

Profibus

Radio
Mode
m

x
Radio
Mode
m

Modbus

Modbus

x
x
Radio
Mode
m

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
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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

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Security
Conventional Radio Modems
Data bus

Radio
Mode
m

Security achieved by data encryption.

Radio
Mode
m

Data bus

Any data can

be transferred

Radio
Mode
m

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

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Thank you
Frank Williams
frankw@elprotech.com
619.741.3574 office
858.349.1346 cell

ELPRO Technologies

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