Subject: [NEXTEL-1] John Rinaldi, President Real Time Automation

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 05 Feb 2003 21:46:54 -0500

Sensor Magazine Guest Editorial
February, 2003
Wireless Déjà Vu

John Rinaldi, President Real Time Automation

My eyes and legs don't work as well as they used to, and my hair -
well, where'd it go? The main factor mitigating this creeping
obsolescence is my memory. And I am thankful for it because it
lets
me recognize trends and predict outcomes accurately.

If you, too, remember the days before the sensor bus wars of the
1990s, you'll recall that today's pervasive web of factory floor
micros started out as large Boolean logic modules that offered few
logic functions and required great care to render the simplest
control. Then we progressed through second-generation modules with
as many as eight Boolean functions each. Finally, 4- and 8-bit
microprocessors, bus-based backplanes, and serial UARTs appeared,
providing the environment where serial communications could enter.
Except for the exceptional forethought that opened Modbus to users
everywhere, proprietary serial solutions ruled the day.

I am hearing echoes of the past. In fact, I am hearing the
identical claims of superiority that I heard concerning
proprietary models
that have since become commodities.

Prior to the acceptance of open communication standards, many
major industrial automation vendors told us that proprietary pipes
and protocols were far superior to the new open bus systems. Some
of their rallying cries included the following:

Performance. Our specially engineered (read: high-margin)
communications products are faster, more noise immune, and more
reliable than the proposed open solutions.

Hassle-Free Integration. Our high-performance communications
solutions are integrated with our entire product line. If
you need it, we'll build it and make sure it all works together
for you.

Support. Our products are supported worldwide by our own highly
trained specialists. Who is going to support your open-solution
products?

These arguments were crafted to protect the customer base. The
not-so-well-concealed plan was to lock Mr. or Ms. Customer into a
highly profitable proprietary solution.

My bus-war memories have been awakened recently because, once
again, I am hearing these same arguments. In the course of my work
assisting customers to plot a communications strategy, I have
lately been asked about wireless options. And as I talk with
vendors I am hearing startlingly similar claims of superiority for
their particular protocols. "802.11? Absolutely not; our solution
has better noise immunity. Bluetooth? Not designed from the ground
up for the factory floor, like our system. Zigbee? Inferior
technology. Let me tell you about the performance we get."

Meanwhile, Loews Hotel is equipping its entire chain for 802.11
wireless Internet access. Starbucks is equipping a large number of
shops around the country with wireless access. Bluetooth is
growing like crazy. Intel is spending $150 million on Wi-Fi
(802.11) over the next two to three years. The Yankee Group is
forecasting nearly 5 million users of Public WLANs by 2007.

Many of the vendors disparaging open wireless communications are
also critical of the new mesh networks (see page 38) introduced by
companies such as Ember and MeshNetworks. These networks, although
not entirely open, eliminate the need for expensive and
time-consuming site surveys, expedite wireless deployment, and
reduce the number and associated costs of wired access points.

The historical trend toward open systems and open communications
is clear, and there is no reason to believe that wireless
technology won't follow it. We can expect increasing levels of
integration, with today's innovative technologies becoming
tomorrow's commodity products. We've seen single Boolean modules
become bit-slice microprocessors and then ARM processors with
Ethernet MACs (Media Access Controllers). It is not hard to
imagine future systems with all the communications MACs you might
need and an integrated RTOS containing all the standard
communication protocols. Nor is it hard to imagine that these
systems will include wireless MACs and associated software.

I'm betting that some open version of mesh networking will find
its way into these systems. With it, any embedded application
could be dropped onto the factory floor and immediately form a new
node of the mesh network. With prices expected to drop as low as
$5.00 per node and with no need for pre-installation planning or
attention to physical location, this technology looks like a real
winner.

Proprietary solutions are wonderful if you're the one using them
to protect your customer base and your margins. Me, I'll roll my
eyes and enjoy the improved integration and lower cost of open
wireless solutions.

John Rinaldi is President, Real Time Automation,  Wauwatosa, WI;
414-453-5100, [email-masked].

http://www.sensorsmag.com/articles/0203/6/

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