A simulation-based performance evaluation of Wireless Networked Control Systems

A wireless networked control system exploits a shared wireless network to logically link its sub-systems. Due to the peculiarities of the wireless channel, it is important to understand in which measure the quality of service provided by the communication infrastructure affects the quality of control. The aim of this work is to analyze the performance of a wireless networked control system based on the IEEE 802.11 MAC. For that purpose, a model of such a system has been built using the ns-2 simulator and the impact of MAC parameters on the system dynamics has been evaluated. Simulation results have highlighted strengths and limitations of this kind of wireless networked control system.