Glossary · Automation fundamentals, platforms and components
Wireless I/O
Also known as: Wireless input/output, Wireless sensor network
German: Wireless I/O
In industrial automation, wireless I/O is the transmission of input and output signals between field devices and controllers over radio instead of cables, using technologies such as WirelessHART (IEC 62591), ISA100.11a (IEC 62734), IO-Link Wireless, Bluetooth or WLAN.
- Automation components
In one sentence
Wireless I/O transmits field device input and output signals by radio instead of cable, for example via WirelessHART, ISA100 or IO-Link Wireless.
Example
Tank temperature transmitters on a remote tank farm send their values via WirelessHART to a gateway, saving several hundred meters of cable.
How it applies
- Engineering: Wireless I/O suits monitoring, hard-to-reach or rotating equipment and retrofits. Update rates, Latency, battery life and radio coverage must be planned; a site survey helps.
- Safety and control: Wireless links can be interrupted, so the controller must detect lost connections (for example with a Sign of life (heartbeat)) and avoid acting on Stale data. Wireless for safety functions requires suitable safety protocols and a specific assessment.
- Documentation: Document the radio technology, frequency band, network IDs and security settings, battery replacement intervals and the behavior on signal loss. Radio equipment in the EU also falls under the Radio Equipment Directive.
Wireless I/O vs. wired I/O
Wired I/O offers deterministic timing and power over the cable. Wireless I/O saves cabling and allows mobility, but with variable latency, possible interference and additional security requirements.