Glossary · Industrial wireless and positioning
WirelessHART
Also known as: Wireless HART
German: WirelessHART
In process automation, WirelessHART is a wireless mesh network protocol for field instruments that uses the HART application layer over IEEE 802.15.4 radios in the 2.4 GHz band with time-synchronized channel hopping. It is maintained by the FieldComm Group and standardized as IEC 62591.
- Industrial wireless
- Standards
- Process industry
In one sentence
WirelessHART (IEC 62591) is a wireless mesh protocol for field instruments that uses the HART application layer.
Example
Temperature transmitters on a rotating kiln send their values via WirelessHART to a gateway, avoiding slip rings.
How it applies
- Engineering: WirelessHART devices form a self-organizing Mesh network managed by a network manager in the gateway. Because the application layer is HART, existing HART tools and device descriptions can be reused.
- Commissioning: Devices join with a network ID and join key. A good mesh needs several neighbors per device; planning guidelines of the manufacturer apply.
- Operation: Typical update rates are seconds to minutes, balanced against battery life. WirelessHART is mostly used for monitoring; control applications need careful analysis.
- Documentation: The documentation team documents join procedures, update rates, battery life under stated conditions, gateway integration and radio approvals.
WirelessHART vs. ISA100 Wireless
Both use IEEE 802.15.4 radios and mesh networking. WirelessHART uses the HART application layer; ISA100 Wireless uses IP-based networking and tunnels other protocols. They aren't interoperable.