EC: AWK-1131A-US 802.11a/b/g/n industrial wireless AP/client

Network Integration — Wireless Products: The brand new AWK-1131A is a tiny but mighty 802.11a/b/g/n wireless access point and client with the ability to support speeds of up to 300 Mbps, while still maintaining a compact, rugged form factor. This is a Control Engineering 2015 Engineers’ Choice finalist.

By Control Engineering October 20, 2014

The AWK-1131A has several advances that are not typically seen in wireless products but make the unit exceptionally well-suited for industrial applications. The first advance is the addition of galvanic isolation on all interfaces. The benefit of this is that it breaks ground loops to help prevent unwanted current caused by different ground potentials from entering the device. This allows the AWK-1131A to be better protected from voltage or other electrical surges, for much higher overall reliability. This isolation will protect the units up to 500 V.

In addition, Moxa has increased the electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection on the AWK-1131A’s power inputs and antenna ports to Level 4 isolation, helping to prevent damage from external environmental sources. Amazingly, this has been achieved within a form factor that is still one of the smallest in the industry, measuring at a tiny 2.29 in. wide, 4.53 in. tall, and 2.76 in. deep.

The AWK-1131A also includes software features that give it enhanced flexibility for various types of applications. Moxa’s Turbo Roaming allows the units (while in client mode) to roam almost instantly between access points. This helps ensure a nearly constant wireless connection for applications such an automatic guided vehicle (AGV) navigating through a warehouse. In addition, Moxa’s MAC clone technology allows the AWK-1131A to pass the MAC address of a connected device through to the network. This solves an issue for SCADA systems where end devices such as PLCs are on Layer 2 networks, and both the device and the MAC address must be seen for proper communication.

All of these features come together to make the AWK-1131A one of the most unique products on the market today for industrial wireless connectivity.

Moxa Inc., www.moxa.com