On the Wireless Extension of PROFINET Networks

PROFINET is an Ethernet-based technology for real-time data communication and it gains great popularity in the market of industrial IoT specifications in recent years. This paper explores the possibilities of interconnecting PROFINET with wireless standards such as IEEE 802.11. The wireless extension schemes can be implemented via a bridge or a gateway. As a key performance indicator, the bus cycle of the hybrid network after the wireless extension is formulated. A performance evaluation is performed to investigate the characteristics of bus cycle time. This offers practitioners a guidance on PROFINET-based system design with wireless devices integrated in the network.