This will add some pressure to the ISA100 wireless standard holdouts. And maybe correct the misinformation propagated within the ISA100 committee that the Hart protocol is proprietary. The Hart Communication Foundation just announced that the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has approved the WirelessHart specification as a full international standard (IEC 62591Ed. 1.0). The unanimous vote on 26 March 2010 by the IEC National Committees of 28 countries confirms the broad global support for WirelessHart technology as the international standard for wireless communication in process automation.
“The overwhelming approval by IEC fulfills the request of users for a single international wireless communication standard that is supported by major automation suppliers,” says Hart Communication Foundation Executive Director Ron Helson. “WirelessHART technology has been confirmed by both users and suppliers to be a technically sound, reliable and secure solution for wireless communication in process automation.”
A growing number of WirelessHART compatible products are available today from major global suppliers including ABB, Emerson, Endress+Hauser, Pepperl+Fuchs, Siemens and others.
Released in September 2007, WirelessHart is an open and interoperable wireless communication standard designed to address the critical needs of industry for reliable, robust and secure wireless communication in real-time industrial process measurement and control applications.
WirelessHART is a backward compatible, evolutionary enhancement to the Hart Communication Protocol, the leading communication technology for intelligent process measurement and control field devices and systems with more than 30 million devices installed and operating in process plant applications around the globe.
The IEC is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes international standards for electrical, electronic, and related technologies. IEC standards provide industry and users with the framework for economies of design, greater product and service quality, more interoperability, and better production and delivery efficiency.
