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Industrial Wireless Troubleshooting: When Wi-Fi Gets the Blame

We’ve all gotten that phone call: “The Wi-Fi isn’t working!”

But what does that actually mean? Is it poor wireless coverage, RF interference, a roaming problem, or something completely unrelated to Wi-Fi?<...

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On with Episode 28!!

Who is MP Antenna?

MP Antenna, based in Elyria, Ohio, designs and manufactures patented multipolarized antennas engineered for reliable connectivity in challenging RF environments. Its antennas are particularly well suited to mobile and industrial applications, including autonomous veh...

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On with Episode 27!!

Every successful industrial wireless network has one thing in common, and it isn’t just great RF design. Behind every reliable deployment is a foundation of thorough documentation, consistent layouts, and disciplined engineering habits that often go unnoticed but make...

In this round table episode of the Industrial Wi-Fi Shop Podcast, Scott, Jeremy, Justin, and Troy dig into the real-world challenges that come with designing, troubleshooting, and securing wireless networks in industrial environments. The discussion covers the difference between industrial Wi-Fi and enterprise Wi-Fi, how harsh plant conditions affect wireless performance, why OT priorities differ from IT priorities, and where newer technologies like Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7, private LTE, and Wi-Fi HaLow fit into the picture.

Industrial wireless is rarely a one-size-fits-all problem. In manufacturing and other OT settings, teams have to think about uptime, reliability, roaming behavior...

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Why specialized industrial wireless clients?

IWS Episode 24 Show Notes – Clip, Click, Survey: Modern Tools for Industrial Wireless

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Jeremy – I got a 20 minute talk at WLPC, Common Industrial WLAN Deployments

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IWS Episode 23 – What’s on the Bench?

Links to all of the interesting things we were talking about!

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Jeremy – I got a 20 minute talk at WLPC, Common Industrial WLAN Deployments

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Keith Jones CEO of Prism Systems has provided 2 license codes for the PrismStats Live software (iOS) a URWB commissioning tool. Helpful for spot checking, parsing, and troubleshooting Cisco URWB  Fluidity deployments...

IWS Episode 19 Show Notes –  C-URWB Appeal!

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Keith Jones CEO of Prism Systems has provided 2 license c...

IWS Episode 18 Show Notes –  The Magic of BLE!

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METAGEEK UPDATE NEWS:

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Winners! 

IWS Episode 15 Show Notes – What’s the Frequency Kenneth?

Last Call! 

CWIDP Guide Giveaway WINNERS There are two copies of the Certified Wireless IoT Design Professional (CWIDP) study/reference guides IT Winner – Phil LaFontaine, Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN area OT Winner – James Mifsud, Brisbane, Australia Wi-Fi Explorer Pro 3 – The Definitive User Guide Giveaway details There are two copies of the Wi-Fi Explorer Pro 3 – The Definitive User Guide by Nigel Bowdenand Adrian Granados  Winners will be drawn randomly  ONE winner will be from IT ONE winner will be from OT Click the link below to enter the drawing! (One entry per person) —>   https://forms.gle/mxBummi96eAz15G2A    ← (its a google forms entry) But wait...

CWIDP Guide Giveaway details There are two copies of the Certified Wireless IoT Design Professional (CWIDP) study/reference guides Winners will be drawn randomly on episode 15 (episode title TBD) ONE winner will be from IT ONE winner will be from OT Click the link below to enter the drawing! (One entry per person) —> https://tinyurl.com/4nbz3rkv   ← (its a google forms entry)

Welcome to the 1 Year Anniversary episode of the IWS!!

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Advantech CVE

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/critical-vulnerabilities/

Wireless and 5g impact on smart manufacturing

https://iebmedia.com/technology/industrial-5g-wireless/industrial-wireless-impact-on-smart-manufacturing/

Cisco CURWB CVE’s

https://thehackernews.com/2024/11/cisco-releases-patch-for-critical-urwb.html

Mobility Field Day 12 Announcement

WiFi and CURWB simultaneously

Drones in manufacturing

Siemens

Contact the guys at the Industrial Wi-Fi Shop!
Scott – [email protected]
Jeremy – [email protected]

R-Coax Deep Dive

High Level

CWISA Guide Giveaway detailsThere are two copies of the Certified Wireless IoT Solutions Administrator (CWISA) study/reference guidesWinners have been drawn at randomThe winner from IT is: Hiten Thakkar from Santa Cruz, CAThe winner from OT is: Jace Allen from Kaysville, UT(WEST Coast BIAS!!!) Congratulations!! I have your email addresses and will be reaching out for shipping information! Let’s dive into the environment firstOutside of the office spaces, what’s it like down in the dark and dirty spaces?Heat?Humidity? Dust, dirt and grime. To that end, is the dust more metallic and if so does that caus...

CWISA Guide Giveaway details There are two copies of the Certified Wireless IoT Solutions Administrator (CWISA) study/reference guides Winners will be drawn randomly on episode 10 (episode title TBD) ONE winner will be from IT ONE winner will be from OT Click the link below to enter the drawing! (One entry per person) —>  https://forms.gle/eE4rYtixhbppyMti8  ←- (Link now inactive) WiFi6 and Mobile Robots:  AS/RS, Conveyors, AGVs, AMRs, Automotive Skillet Lines, Electrified Monorails…. All have one thing in common:  THEY ROAM….  A lot! Challenges going to WiFi6 The OT traffic is different than IT. Instead of pushing big-huge file...

CWISA Guide Giveaway details There are two copies of the Certified Wireless IoT Solutions Administrator (CWISA) study/reference guides Winners will be drawn randomly on episode 10 (episode title TBD) ONE winner will be from IT ONE winner will be from OT Click the link below to enter the drawing! (One entry per person) —>  https://forms.gle/eE4rYtixhbppyMti8  ←- (link now inactive) Let’s talk security – Owning your industrial airspace Three things you need to consider Situational awareness of your site Understanding the current RF landscape Securing your wireless assets Situational awareness Where is your site Is it in an industrial...

Wi-Co event Event was held in Chapel Hill NC on June 12th Lots of great presentations 2 hour hands on industrial wireless lab Participants got to physically wire up 24v power supplies and the corresponding industrial radios Full configuration lab followed the physical wiring Great people there from all over NC and even the Washington DC area! https://wi-co.org/ Wi-Fi 6 comes to Industrial radios! Will the expanded spectrum (6GHz) find a home in the industrial universe? While spectrum use is up in the air, I know the enhanced stability of the ax protocol is sure to make a difference Phoenix...

The Basics

Geek Stuff

Wireless network design can be very challenging. However there are distinct differences in design depending on the environment. This is part two of a round table discussion of four wireless engineers, two who work primarily in the enterprise realm and two from the world of industry and manufacturing.

The discussion covers the differences and similarities across multiple topics, including:

We discuss many of our favorite tools, most of which are linked below:

https://www.hamina.com

https://www.metageek.com...

Wireless network design can be very challenging. However there are distinct differences in design depending on the environment. This is part one of a round table discussion of four wireless engineers, two who work primarily in the enterprise realm and two from the world of industry and manufacturing.

The discussion covers the differences and similarities across multiple topics, including:

We discuss many of our favorite tools, most of which are linked below:

https://www.hamina.com

https://www.metageek.com...

WirelessHART and ISA100.11a are two wireless protocols designed specifically for industrial applications. Based on the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless standards and utilizing Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum, these protocols provide robust and reliable low data rate wireless communications for a variety of industrial sensors and sometimes even controls.

While I dont have captures of these two protocols specifically, I do have several examples of what Frequency Hoping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) and DSSS looks like in spectrum analysis. The images below are examples of FHSS and DSSS from several different device deployments. While these are FHSS and DSSS, they are...

Jim Palmer came into the shop to talk about Radio Frequency (RF), how antennas work and propagate RF energy. Jim packs quite a bit of knowledge into this conversation and I had to take notes!

The conversation gets fairly deep into Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power, or EIRP, which is the total radiated power from a transmitter antenna times the numerical directivity of the antenna in the direction of the receiver, or the power delivered to the antenna times the antenna numerical gain.

At one point in the discussion, we talk about the Tacoma Narrows bridge...

Episode 2 brings Jeremy Baker into the shop to talk with me about industrial wireless safety and mobility. From theme park rides to heavy industrial equipment, we cover a lot of material so be sure to pay attention.

One of the places we discuss is Kelly Slaters Surf Ranch. If you would like to see what that place is like, check out the link: https://youtu.be/AXtVnLe2SUc?si=W4iOo17xdmDXcsOX

If you would like to connect with Jeremy on LinkedIn and know more about his employer, Prism Systems, see below:

Jeremy...

In this first episode, I joined by Justin Shade from Phoenix Contact to discuss the importance of wireless assessments in industrial and manufacturing and how they should be an essential part of any new wireless projects.

Justin can be found on LinkedIn at – https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-shade-a44817b/

If you would like to learn more about Phoenix Contact and their line of industrial wireless gear, check them out at https://www.phoenixcontact.com/en-us/products/industrial-communication/industrial-wireless

Thanks for listening and I hope you hang around for the next episode!

Manufacturing and industrial environments provide their own unique challanges for wireless communications. Harsh conditions, both indoors and out, create a daunting task for engineers work through. This is where we come to discuss those challenges, share ideas and help one another out. My name is Scott McNeil and welcome to the Industrial Wi-Fi Shop