ProSoft Technology 802.11n Industrial Hotspot Radios resolve tough wireless problems

New ProSoft Technology 802.11n Industrial Hotspot solutions provide premier performance for high-capacity networks and offer a wireless solution to applications with moving, and obstructed environments that are traditionally difficult to solve with wireless technology, company says.

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ProSoft Technology 802.11n Industrial Hotspot solutions (RLXIB-IHxN) - The RLXIB-IHxN series of radios provides enterprise-class technology, optimized for rugged industrial performance and easy wireless deployment in the field using one webpage setup.

The RadioLinx 802.11n family provides reliable I/O message delivery, industrial temperature range and hazardous location ratings, as well as Radiu security for centralized management of security policies, VLANs for network traffic segmentation, and quality of service (QoS) for data prioritization and dual radio functionality, the company says. The radios leverage the latest technology to provide greater flexibility and performance to a broad range of manufacturing and production applications. The 802.11n Industrial Hotspots improve performance for high-bandwidth video/voice applications and high packet-rate control applications. They also provide better signal sensitivity and range in environments like mobile factory settings, ProSoft Technology says. Options are available to suit the application, including Single (RLXIB-IHN), Dual (RLXIB-IH2N), and Watertight Dual (RLXIB-IH2N-W) Industrial Hotspots.

The radios use MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output), a technology which uses up to three antennas to enable high-speed data rates up to 300 Mbps, providing advanced performance in industrial environments. Where concerns about network crowding exist, the radios can operate in the 5GHz Band, which contains 23 non-overlapping channels. 5 GHz also provides an alternative to the popular 2.4 GHz Band, which may have limited availability if already used in existing installations.

Each product has two radios in one unit and only requires one Ethernet connection. The dual radios can be used in lieu of a repeater to extend the range of your wireless network without sacrificing speed.

Easy to configure and monitor
ProSoft Technology RadioLinx WirelessN Discovery Tool is a configuration and monitoring tool for the RadioLinx 802.11n Industrial Hotspot radios. Use RadioLinx WirelessN Discovery Tool to view your network topology, assign IP addresses to radios for configuration, monitor network diagnostics, update radio firmware and detect the presence of other vendors' 802.11 radios on the network. ProSoft Technology's free OPC Server allows for HMI-based wireless network diagnostics. User selectable automatic or manual network configuration (can be prioritized or fixed) with self-healing network and master redundancy for reliable large networks (such as SCADA).

RLXIB-IHN includes the industrial features of RadioLinx products including hazardous location certifications (UL1604 Class I Div 2, ATEX Zone 2 Category 3), extended operating temperature range, high vibration/shock resistance, DIN-rail mounting, Power over Ethernet and simultaneous bridge / repeater / access point mode.

In addition to the advantages cited above, Harry Forbes of ARC Advisory Group noted, "These new ProSoft Hotspots are among the first to bring 802.11n technology to industrial automation networks."

www.prosoft-technology.com

Read more from Control Engineering about:
- Advantages of using IEEE 802.11n wireless ;
- Wireless networks: Adding cellular technology to the industrial toolbox ;
- Transparent Wireless at Cano Petroleum;
- www.controleng.com/wireless - wireless feature articles

- Edited by Mark T. Hoske, editor in chief, Control Engineering www.controleng.com.