Product category:
Plant- and Machine-Wide Communications
News Release from: Amplicon | Subject: NPort W2150+ and NPort W2250+
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 01 October 2007
Wireless servers support three standards
Amplicon's NPort W2150+ and NPort W2250+ support all three mainstream wireless standards: 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g.
Amplicon has released the NPort W2150+ and NPort W2250+, the world's first wireless device servers to support all three mainstream wireless standards, namely, 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g Wireless device servers allow serial (RS232, RS422 and RS485) devices such as bar code scanners, PLCs and sensors to connect to a wireless network, allowing mobility and cable-free operation of the end devices
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 22 Feb 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
"Plug and Play" PCI Analogue Output Boards
The PCI224 and PCI234 PCI bus analog output boards are high performance plug and play boards costing less than most comparable "low-cost" boards.
Large displays offer 50 or 100mm high LEDs
Designed to enable displayed data to be read over long distances, the BDF series are large four or six digit displays with 50 (2in) or 100mm (4in) high LEDs.
As both versions of the wireless servers support 802.11a, the W2150+ and W2250+ can operate in either the 2.4 or the 5GHz band.
802.11 is a robust standard but operation in the 5GHz band can provide an extra level of resiliance to the data link, in environments where much of 2.4GHz spectrum is already being used by other devices.
The W2150+ and W2250+ provide one and two selectable serial ports respectively.
They can connect directly to each other in a wireless "ad-hoc mode", providing a similar solution to a pair of radio modems.
Alternatively, they can connect directly to access points in "infrastructure" mode, which is useful for adding serial devices to existing wireless networks.
To ensure a secure connection, the NPort W2150+ and W2250+ support WEP, WPA and WPA2 encryption standards and optional SSL encryption provides end-to-end security of transmitted serial data.
The ability to move or "roam" between access points can be managed on the W2150+ and W2250+ using profiles with different connection rules.
This is useful for wireless communications to cranes, forklifts and moving gantries which can roam based on signal strength or priority.
If the wireless connection goes down, the W2150+ and W2250+ are designed to continue operating, with serial data saved in an integral 10Mbyte port buffer.
The data will be transmitted once the wireless connection is restored.
This is an important feature for mission-critical applications where data cannot be lost.
Troubleshooting is also made easier through the serial data log feature.
David Evans, Data Communications Product Manager said "Wireless networks are inherently less predictable than their wired counterparts but with features such as 802.11a support and port buffering, there is now a very compelling argument for wireless enabling RS232 and RS485 equipment".
• Amplicon: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Engineeringtalk email newsletter
• Engineeringtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
