WirelessHART vs. ISA100.11a: The Format War Hits the Factory Floor

Abstract

The first decade of the new millennium has been a stage for the rapid development of wireless communication technologies for low-cost, low-power wireless solutions capable of robust and reliable communication [1]. IEEE Standard 802.15.4 for low-rate wireless personal area networks (WPANs) [2] has been the enabling technology for numerous applications within the field of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) [3], and more recently, wireless instrumentation. Although WSNs quickly found their way into a wide variety of applications, the adoption of wireless technology in the process automation and manufacturing industries has been slow.