Track Overview

Wireless for Controls & Monitoring

Track Leader:  Mun Yew Loh
Wednesday 15 November 2006

As wireless mesh networks become implemented in buildings, homes, transportation and around people and other venues, it is important to look at the fundamentals of this subject and how it is evolving. This track will explore this subject from a number of perspectives with the help of key wireless mesh experts, vendors and integrators with experience in implementing wireless. Audience: System integrators, as well as product and service providers.

Low-Power Wireless

11:00 - 12:00

The use of wireless for controls and monitoring requires a good understanding of the need for low-cost, low-power, low-bandwidth wireless technology. This technology is most suitable for devices that require extremely long battery life where the amount of data is small or infrequent. Also included in this session is a discussion on wireless devices without power, including RFID. This session will present the landscape of this category of wireless and the deployment status worldwide.

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Long Range & Higher Bandwidth Wireless

12:00 - 13:00

A significant number of applications of wireless control and monitoring require longer range communications typified by the GPRS class of technology. With the introduction and widespread use of new wireless technologies such as WI-Fi and WiMAX, the opportunities and realities of wireless control and monitoring of all manner of devices wherever they are is becoming a reality. This session will explore the applicability of these technologies for controls and monitoring.

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Wireless Standards - Important or a Luxury?

14:30 - 15:30

Key to the wide deployment of many communication technologies is the adoption of standards; the Internet itself is an example of how a standard network protocol has enabled a plethora of products and services all working in concert. This session will discuss the need for standards in wireless mesh networks area, from radio technologies to product design and application layer interoperability issues.

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Open Discussion: Can Wireless be as Robust as Wires

16:00 - 17:00

The number one question for most potential adopters of wireless for control and monitoring is reliability, especially in harsh applications such as industrial and commercial buildings. Without knowing this answer, most adopters will be hesitant to use wireless. This session is dedicated to understanding and discussions of the reliability issues of wireless for these types of applications, while setting some expectations for future solutions.

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