WCI Members Announce the Growing Momentum for ISA100 Family of Standards
Orlando, FL – February 9, 2010 – As major process automation product vendors, WCI (ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute) members are enthusiastically committed to the ISA100.11a industrial wireless standard. WCI is making significant investments to develop ISA100.11a-based products that will be available in 2010. WCI members are excited about implementing the ISA100.11a standard as a technology that works as designed, creating the foundation for an extensible, scalable and flexible industrial communication platform for the future.
The ISA100 family of standards is thoughtfully designed by industry experts to meet the growing needs of operators and wireless users in industrial process industries, providing:
- Uninterrupted communication in the presence of interference in harsh industrial environments
- Interoperability with a wide range of communications protocols and devices
- Low maintenance with maximized battery life from not requiring field devices to route data
- Scalability, supporting a high number of field devices per network gateway
- Fast response time from the time data is generated by a field device, to the time the data is viewed
- Coexistence with other wireless devices anticipated in the industrial workspace
Evolution of the ISA100.11a Standard
The ISA100 standards committee approved the ISA100.11a standard, "Wireless Systems for Industrial Automation: Process Control and Related Applications" in September 2009. This is a unique standard because requirements were determined by end users in an open consensus process, with twenty-three of twenty-four end-users voting to approve the standard.
The ISA100.11a standard defines the protocol suite, system management, gateway, and security specifications for low-data-rate wireless connectivity with fixed, portable, and moving devices supporting very limited power consumption requirements.
The Next Step
Suppliers and operators are encouraged to include the ISA100 technology in their 2010 product and procurement plans for wireless technology. ISA100.11a integration kits are available today to help suppliers develop ISA100 based products. Industry interest is high and as industry leaders we are making major investments in ISA100 based products and are committed to providing ISA100 based products this year.
To learn more about ISA100.11a products and technology please visit: www.isa100wci.org
About WCI
The ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute functions as an operational group within ASCI. The Automation Standards Compliance Institute (ASCI) is a non-profit organization incorporated by ISA in 2006 to provide a home for certification, conformance, and compliance assessment activities in the automation arena. Industry leaders from major manufacturing and automation control system users and suppliers have formed the organization to establish essential specifications and processes to be used in the testing and certification of wireless products and systems for the ISA100 family of wireless standards.
Current WCI members include: Apprion, BP, Chevron, Chong Quing University of Posts and Telecommunications, ExxonMobil Research & Engineering, Fuji Electric, Gastronics, Honeywell, Nivis, Proctor & Gamble, R3 Sensors, Shell Global Solutions, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Wilson-Mohr, and Yokogawa.
