Solution
You can choose to purchase a Wireless Access Point to connect your distributed hardware to a Wi-Fi Network, or you can purchase hardware with built-in Wi-Fi support.
Distributed Hardware Connection with Wi-FiThere are several form factors of distributed hardware available, which are listed below:
- CompactRIO (cRIO)
- CompactDAQ (cDAQ)
- Industrial Controllers (IC)
- Compact Vision Systems (CVS)
- Wireless Sensor Nodes (WSN)
Each of these connect to a host network via an Ethernet cable. However, none of them have built-in Wi-Fi support. In order to connect any of these systems to a Wi-Fi network, you need to tether them via Ethernet cable to a wireless access point, such as the
Moxa AWK-3131A Series. This product functions in three modes: access point, client, and bridge. When in access point mode, it acts as a Wi-Fi link to an Ethernet access point, which can provide connectivity from a host PC or host distributed hardware to several client systems. The Moxa AWK-3131A also functions as a bridge between remote devices to an access point, allowing the distributed hardware to establish connection to the Wi-Fi network.
Hardware with built-in Wi-Fi SupportIf you want hardware that interacts with Wi-Fi directly (without requiring a Wireless Access Point), you should consider implementing the NI CompactDAQ Wi-Fi Chassis. This allows you to choose from over 50 C-series I/O modules, and communicate with your Wi-Fi network directly via the chassis.