MCAA has customer wireless needs for breakfast

The Measurement, Control & Automation Assn. (MCAA) hosted a breakfast briefing at October’s ISA Expo in Houston, at which Revathi Advaithi, Honeywell Industrial Measurement & Control’s general manager, and its business director, Dave Kaufman, discussed results of a customer input study aimed at helping instrumentation manufacturers address the needs of customers for wireless technology.

According to Honeywell, the key findings in that feedback are:

• Security and safety are critical
• Network communications must be robust and reliable
• Uptime relies on predictable power management in all environments
• A need for one multi-functional, multi-speed wireless infrastructure investment to minimize installation, training, and security costs
• Scalable, control-ready architecture that connects to existing systems to protect investment
• One global open industry standard for trusted, open, cost-effective choices

Kaufman reviewed seven customer goals for wireless device networks:

1. Cost containment for capital expense, operational expense, installation/maintenance and power management.
2. Compatibility and interoperability/shared infrastructure, worldwide usability, capacity and scalability.
3. Performance measures for reliable communication, adequate reporting rates, closed-loop requirements.
4. Quality of Service attributes should be timeliness/successful throughput, delivery ordering, and recovery action.
5. All-or-none security in non-messaging aspects of network security, messaging security and pedigree.
6. Local wireless access to field devices.
7. Coordination with other bodies/system management to conserve effort and time synchronization.