ISA100.11A Protocol – The Standard for Industrial Wireless Automation

When considering a wireless solution for industrial process control, scalability and investment protection are extremely important. Today, two major wireless automation protocols exist: HART Communication Foundation’s WirelessHART specification, and the International Society of Automation’s ISA100.11a standard.

WirelessHART, part of the HART 7 specification, is an open communication standard for transmission of HART messages over wireless instead of a 4-20 mA or RS484 medium, and uses the same command structure found in 4-20 mA-based HART devices.

By contrast, the ISA100.11a protocol represents a comprehensive industrial wireless approach that serves a broad, facility-wide wireless network for both process and discrete manufacturing. The technology is designed to meld various specifications such as FOUNDATION Fieldbus, Modbus, Profibus, HART and Common Industrial Protocol (CIP). It supports a wireless platform for diverse operations on the plant or factory floor and enables an open and interoperable application environment, while at the same time providing a robust backhaul to the Process Control Network (PCN). It can emulate legacy application layers for any wired fieldbus, and integrate with existing control systems. You can reuse proven tools and interfaces to reduce development and testing time—resulting in faster and less expensive implementations.

The user-driven ISA100.11a standard handles a much higher volume of process data, and ensures interoperability between wireless field instruments from different vendors. Honeywell’s OneWireless was built from the ground up to support the ISA wireless protocol to safeguard your wireless investment.