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| Frequently Asked Questions |
| Everything You Need to Know
about IWLAN for Cranes and Heavy Industry |
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 | Migrating crane applications to
industrial wireless |
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| Q: | The communication
cable between the controller end and actuator
end is not durable and needs to be replaced
frequently. Can wireless technology help? |
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| A: |
Yes. Industrial wireless technologies can enable cable-free communication for crane applications so the associated costs, such as installation and maintenance, can be significantly reduced. |
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| Q: |
How can we deploy wireless connections on a moving carne? |
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| A: | Wireless
technology is the best solution for any moving
vehicle. Unlike data cable limitations, the
connection remains active even if the distance
or position varies. |
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| Q: |
We've adopted a specially-made radio transceiver for wireless communication. How is your solution
different? |
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| A: |
Moxa's solution is based on the sophisticated IEEE802.11 standards that deliver many benefits. |
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| a. |
More cost-effiective |
| b. | IEEE 802.11 standards use the license-free
bands. You do not need to apply for extra
radio
licenses. |
| c. | It provides a higher data rate of up
to 54 Mbps for high bandwidth-demanding
applications. |
| d. |
The technology is more stable and future-proof because it is developed based on open standards,
instead of proprietary specifications. |
| e. |
It can be easily integrated into Ethernet or other TCP/IP networks. |
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| Q: | Installing
cables in the field is a very critical issue.
Is there an easer way to distribute APs and
save more cabling costs? |
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| A: | Moxa's
dual-RF solution provides you with two types
of advanced wireless network architectures: |
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| a. |
Wireless bridge network: Dual RFs can create two-way cascade links to form a bridge by running the
same device in both master and slave modes. This optimizes the cost-effectiveness and reliability of
each wireless unit while maintaining a stable throughput. |
| b. | Mesh Network: Mesh technology provides
host-spot-style service; one RF is used
to automatically join a self-configuring
trunking network and the other one is
used to serve local clients simultaneously. |
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| Q: | We were
told that a proprietary radio solution has FH
(Frequency-hooping) technology to guard against
interference. Does Moxa have an interference-proof
solution? |
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| A: | Unlike
the conventional FH, advanced SS (Spread Spectrum)
technologies, including FHSS and DSSS, are also
configured in IEEE 802.11 standards to increase
the reliability of wireless communications.
Moxa's WLAN solution adopts more advanced technologies
to effectively prevent interference: |
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| a. |
Redundant wireless connections |
| b. | In addition to standard 2.4-2.5 GHz, 5.15-5.35
GHz, and 5.47-5.825 GHz bands, Moxa provides
tailor-made RF band service for special
band utilization that can effectively
prevent interference problems. Moxa's
tailor-made RF band service includes:
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2.272 GHz to 2.4 GHz frequencies (Europe ETSI) |
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4.9 GHz to 5.1 GHz frequencies (public safety band) |
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5.825 GHz to 6 GHz frequencies (special application band) |
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| Installation (durability and flexibility) |
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| Q: | My
application has many moving objects that may
block wireless links. What should I do? |
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| A: | The
combination of Turbo Roaming technology and
a distributed wireless infrastructure (consisting
of two or more AP units to form redundant paths)
provides rapid failover from path-blocking to
increase availability. |
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| Q: |
The
installation environment for crane applications
is usually complex and critical. Since LOS (Line
of Sight) and NLOS (No Line of Sight) paths
may not always be available, can I still use
IEEE802.11 technology for WLAN links? |
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| A: |
A
w ireless bridge network can extend your wireless
connections, especially the point-to-point links
along LOS and NLOS paths. Unlike WDS, Moxa's
wireless bridge network can maintain high communication
performance without a reduction in throughput
when the number of AP nodes is increased. |
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| Q: |
There
are so many troublesome conditions in heavy
industry environments. Can the AWK series withstand
these environmental obstacles in the field? |
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| A: |
AWK products can withstand environmental vibration
and shocks, and are also IEC61000-4 certified
at high levels and even IEC6100-6 certified
for critical EMC/EMI in heavy industrial environments.
In addition, outdoor AWK models, such as the
AWK-6222, provide an IP68-rated housing for
resistance to water, dust, and oil in more challenging
outdoor environments. |
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| Q: |
Cranes often work in even more critical outdoor environments where wet and salty air will ingress and
erode. Can Moxa products operate in these environments? |
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| A: |
Moxa's
IP68 and anti-erosion solutions harden our outdoor
AWK's housing to withstand corrosive effects
and guarantee continuous operation. The metal
case is made of ADC-12, with 96-hour chromating
and power coating. In addition to the highest-level
water/dust-proof testing, a 168-hour salt spray
test is conducted to verify anti-corrosiveness. |
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| Q: |
We
deploy our cranes and equipment in a vast area.
I am afraid that IEEE 802.11 standard coverage,
which supports a 100 to 200 meter transmission
range, cannot meet the strict crane operating
environment requirements. |
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| A: |
To overcome the limitations of standard IEE802.11 protocols, Moxa has optimized the algorithm and
protocol to extend your application range. Our products are capable of long-distance data transfer over
a couple of kilometers. |
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Reliability of WLAN communications |
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| Q: |
There
is so much interference, such as high EMS noise
from motors, conductors, and other equipment
at plant sites. I am worried that a wireless
link will be frequently interrupted. |
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| A: |
In
response to this question, consider the following: |
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| a. |
In fact, not all EMS noise causes interference.
Only noise in the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band
will affect wireless transmissions. |
| b. |
The anti-interference technologies,
such as FHSS and DSSS, can effectively
reduce damage and interruption caused
by unexpected radio interference. |
| c. |
Advanced solutions, such as special-band
utilization and redundant wireless with
dual-RF design, provides further protection
to avoid the impact of environmental or
malicious radio interference. |
| d. |
Even when facing unavoidable and large-scale
interference, higher-level failover technologies
offered by Moxa, such as Turbo Roaming,
self-healing mesh, and Rapid Spanning
Tree Protocol (RSTP), can enhance system-wide
reliability and make your wireless network
run non-stop. |
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| Q: |
I want to use my wireless network for video surveillance. However, I am worried that video and audio
streams may be affected by other data traffic because they are so sensitive to packet delay or loss. |
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| A: |
Moxa's
AWK series supports WMM (WiFi Multi Media) for
IEEE 802.11e and helps optimize your wireless
communication with better QoS. You can prioritize
the mission critical or delay-sensitive data
for more efficient data traffic management and
emergency control. |
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| Q: |
I will deploy APs to form a wireless network infrastructure to serve clients installed on the cranes. Can
I utilize other services on this existing wireless network? I am worried that unforeseen events, such as
broadcast storm or hacking, will affect the existing implementation. |
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| A: |
It
is a good idea to integrate your network application
by extending the existing wireless network.
To avoid unexpected events or security problems,
all services should be properly managed in independent
VLANs of a well-planned network. Based on the
SSID, two or more clients can be added into
a VLAN and grouped into the same LAN segment
regardless of geographical locations or specific
applications. In addition to VLAN, you can also
enable a QoS mechanism to secure the main service
and make sure the network runs smoothly. |
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| Q: |
I plan
to set up a wireless distributed backbone network
by using AP devices to serve client devices
and controllers. The backbone is very critical
so it must be absolutely reliable. |
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| A: |
Moxa's
mesh technology not only helps form a self-configuring
wireless backbone, but also offers redundant
self-healing links when the AP link status is
changed or broken. |
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| Note: After Q4 of 2010 you can get Moxa's
mesh network support with a free firmware upgrade. |
