The time will eventually come when your operation will need to upgrade its control and communication network, an event many dread because of the perceived complexity and expense.
To decrease the complexity, many operations schedule network upgrades during plant shutdowns. Unfortunately, circumstances often get the better of them, and the upgrade gets pushed back because other tasks take a priority.
The biggest complication then becomes the need to maintain network operations with minimum downtime during the upgrade. Older networks also often present unforeseen complications, such as broken hardware and older software compatibility, that will need to be resolved.
Upgrading industrial wireless networks presents other challenges, as well. Common issues can include updating the communication interface (generally moving from a legacy serial interface to Ethernet), adjusting the timing on the control hardware or ensuring downward compatibility in the wireless hardware.
An ESTeem industrial wireless network can resolve many of these issues by allowing for a systematic network upgrade.
One factor that enables this systematic approach is downward compatibility. ESTeem strives to ensure all of its radios are downward compatible with previous generations. As a result, radio hardware can be updated at the same time as the control hardware at remote sites. Since all new radio hardware isn’t required at all sites at the same time, the network upgrade can proceed one site at a time, allowing for minimal downtime.
An ESTeem network also simplifies the upgrade process because all ESTeem radioshave dual interfaces – one for serial and one for Ethernet. Most of their products can run serial and Ethernet at the same time, allowing for a systematic switch-over from serial to Ethernet. Again, all new radio hardware isn’t required at all sites, so the old control system with a serial interface can operate at the same time as the newer Ethernet network hardware.
ESTeem designed all of these advantages with one goal in mind – to help customers develop a network upgrade plan that works with their schedule and their budget. With ESTeem radios, modules can be replaced one at a time, providing plenty of opportunity for adjusting the timing on control hardware and resolving unforeseen complications.