Research and Markets issues report on wireless industrial automation communications

Cooperation is the name of the game, but the large number of competing wireless protocols can make this difficult. ZigBee, Ultrawide Band, and 802.11n are the leaders, and the number of companies offering industrial automation communication systems based on them are almost more numerous than the number of companies that might buy their products. Research and Markets, a leading business research firm, sorts it all out with its report, “Wireless Communications in Industrial Automation: Directions.” On the competition between the various wireless protocols, the report argues that while none appear dominant at the moment, “only ZigBee showed commercial success in this segment” so far.

The report, which costs EUR 4,065 ($5,206), is aimed at a wide population of research, technical, and sales staff involved in the development of industrial automation communications services and products for the SCADA, construction, and oil and gas industries. Among the common needs identified were:

[MICHAEL: BULLET POINTS BELOW]

[BEN: THIS SEEMS IMPORTANT BUT ORIGINAL LANGUAGE IS STILTED AND TECHNICAL. CAN YOU CLEAN IT UP?]

1. Strict requirements on equipment environmental characteristics

2. Requirement to support specification in the condition of severe multi-fading

3. Requirement of a battery life for several years (per node)

4. Requirement to low latency

5. Tendency to increase data rate and transmission range

6. Requirement to support secure communications.

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