WirelessHART Field Device with Integrated Network Analyzer

Many wireless communication protocols based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard have been developed for industrial process monitoring and control. Among the various standards available, the Wireless HART protocol is the most promising and has been largely used. It becomes necessary to utilize a protocol analyzer during development, debugging, and testing steps of anew Wireless HART field device. Among the few network analyzers already developed, none have local storage capability for the collected data. Also, the equipments require a connection to a PC-based system, which makes them unsuitable for the use in the field. This paper proposes an alternative approach to existing Wireless HART network analyzers, presenting features such as local storage capacity, remote access to the collected data and mobility. These features are possible because the developed device is able to integrate the Wireless HART network, acting as a field device collecting its own network data.