Why Wireless I/O? Many companies have geographically scattered assets, so they need sensor data at a central point. In the past, the only available option included digging trenches or running conduit and pulling wire to acquire the signals. Today, many wireless I/O applications offer simple, cost-effective measurement of monitoring points to eliminate manually collecting field data, thereby improving labor productivity. In more sophisticated applications, wireless I/O enables users to extract full diagnostic data and predictive intel-ligence from the devices that will automatically notify the appropriate personnel of the precise problem before a costly asset, unit or plant shutdown occurs. Foundation of Wireless I/O and I/O Expansion The foundation of wireless I/O and I/O expansion is license-free 900MHz spread spectrum radio technology designed specifically for integration into remote assets and SCADA systems. This technology has been used reliably in field automation for almost 20 years. Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) uses pseudo-random hopping patterns that are proprietary to the radio manufacturer, making industrial FHSS radios inherently secure and less prone to interference. This makes FHSS the preferable choice for industrial wireless I/O applications, such as simple analog and digital signals. Advantages Compared to Wired Options: In addition to the labor and material costs associated with hard-wiring instrumentation, one of the other advantages is deployment speed. Wired systems can take days or weeks to be installed, isolated and commis-sioned. Wireless I/O networks generally require only the end points to be installed an`d configured, saving substantial time for projects with aggressive schedules. In the event of a communication failure, communi-cation link alarms let the user know if a loss of signal between an I/O slave and the I/O master is halting data transfer from the instrument. The I/O slave will control its outputs based on the fail-safe default condition that was pre-programmed in the radio during system configuration.
