Criteria for the setting up of low cost wireless sensor networks in small and medium size manufacturing enterprises (A case study)

The demand for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) applied to industrial process monitoring and control should increase as the forth industrial revolution gathers pace. Flexibility and low cost make them the perfect choice for the modern 21st century manufacturing plants. In this paper we describe the tests done with a WSN in an industrial environment and analyze the results to ascertain how much interference the processes and the environment (topology, distances, barriers, machines and people) caused in the radio signal. We also discuss the reliability and applicability of WSNs in process monitoring and control. The results obtained with the measurements indicated a relationship between the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), the Packet Error Rate (PER), the environment and the processes generating subsidies for the network management system. This article ends with a strategy proposal for the management of WSNs in small and medium-sized industrial environments.