Mesh sensor networking demand increasing

San Diego, CA - Demand for wireless sensor networking in manufacturing is increasing largely because of users anticipating increased reliability and scalability of mesh networking, according to a recent study by ON World Inc. With thousands of nodes per network likely to be commonplace within five years, the research firm projects that 168 million nodes could be deployed in 2010, which it says would constitute a $5.9-billion end-user market.

'High return on investment, low replacement costs, and ever-increasing pressure to cut costs, make wireless sensor networking suitable for industrial systems,' says Charlie Chi, a senior analyst at ON World.

Besides potentially reducing wiring costs 50-70%, ON World adds that wireless sensor networks enable real-time data sharing throughout a facility, and increase industrial efficiency and productivity. The company reports that replacing wired systems, such as DeviceNet, Modbus and other fieldbuses, with wireless sensor networking can deliver advantages, such as larger-scale networking, real-time monitoring, and enabling new applications.

ON states that wireless sensor networking can give users and their application a competitive advantage via cost savings, maximized equipment lifecycles, process optimization, and prevention of unplanned downtimes. ON claims that many users can save up to 10 times their initial wireless networking investment per year.

Mesh’s advantages
By further increasing reliability, robustness and flexibility, while reducing overall costs, mesh wireless sensor networking also promises to revolutionize wireless networking in the fault-intolerant world of industrial process automation. Mesh networking can ease adoption of real-time process equipment monitoring and distributed networking. The major benefits of wireless sensor networking are reduced wiring costs and eliminating connectors. Mesh networking’s other advantages often include:

• Improved installation and self-configuring/healing networking capabilities;
• Easier maintenance for increased reliability; Improved flexibility allowed by widespread remote monitoring and improved control; and
• Large scale networks enabled by thousands of potential nodes per network.

Control Engineering Daily News Desk
Jim Montague, news editor
jmontague@reedbusiness.com

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