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Industrial Wi-Fi technology is 'world’s most advanced’
Published:  17 October, 2019

Emerson and Cisco claim to have developed the world’s most advanced industrial wireless networking technology. They say that their next-generation system “fundamentally transforms data management to improve plant productivity, reliability and safety”.

The technology marries Emerson’s expertise in industrial automation with Cisco’s innovations in networking, cyber-security and IT infrastructure. They say that manufacturers are accelerating investment in robust IoT sensor networks, combined with scalable analytics tools, to improve organisational collaboration and decision-making. In these environments, network performance and security are critical, but industrial locations are among the most challenging and hazardous environments for Wi-Fi.

Emerson’s wireless 1410S gateways and Cisco’s Catalyst IW6300 heavy-duty access points combine wireless technology with an advanced WirelessHart sensor technology. The next-generation access points provide the enhanced Wi-Fi bandwidth needed for real-time safety monitoring.

Emerson and Cisco say that their Wi-Fi technology is the most advanced for use in industry

“Products installed in industrial plants need to last for years, even decades,” says Bob Karschnia, Emerson’s vice-president of wireless. “This kind of longevity was a critical design and engineering requirement to ensure this new wireless access point was future-proofed to meet a rapidly evolving technology landscape.”