The Wireless Industrial Networking Alliance (WINA) announced results of its end-users survey on the application of wireless technology in the automation industry.
“Given today’s economic outlook we wanted to go directly to the end users of various industries to establish a benchmark,” says WINA President, Steven Toteda. “We posed questions to our large member base about what, in their view, the major issues and contributing factors in wireless implementation are and what the future may hold for wireless at their sites.”
According to WINA, survey results showed that the process automation industry overwhelmingly agrees there is a clear shift toward preference for wireless field devices, with only 5% believing industry will not embrace wireless. Illustrating this point, nearly 40% of respondents expect wireless devices to make up 20% or more of their field devices by 2015 and of this group, over 50% believed wireless devices would account for 30% or more in the same time frame.
Security concerns remain the No. 1 barrier among those who had not yet implemented wireless, with 50% of survey participants believing that wireless solutions were less secure than wired. On the flip side, however, within those industries surveyed that had more experience with wireless, Oil & Gas for example, respondents most frequently perceived wireless to be as secure or more secure than wired.
Predictably, security and robust industrial design topped the list of qualities considered vital when users conducted side-by-side comparisons. Standards-based solutions were also rated as most or very important by 40% of respondents. Surprisingly, however, was that 55% of those surveyed believed a brand name product was of little or least importance.
The results were presented at a lunch at ARC’s 14th Annual World Industry Forum at the Rosen Center Hotel and Conference Center in Orlando, Fla.
For more information or to view the summary of the survey in its entirety, visit: www.wina.org.
