Wireless Simatic MPI Network?

o4a0e1

Member
Join Date
Jul 2008
Location
Sydney
Posts
9
G'day,
I was wondering if there is a solution to this problem I have. We have a production line with 15 Siemens PLC's. They vary from S7-313C, S7-315 2 DP to S7-400's. They are all networked via MPI and we use this for some small data transfer between machines.
What I was wondering is if there is a way to link one of the PLC's with an ethernet card and then to a wireless router, so that we could fault find and monitor all of the PLC's on the network via our laptop (which has a wireless card in it).
If we have to put an ethernet card in every PLC it would cost too much just for hardware alone, and I figured the MPI cable is already there?

Or is another solution that I get a CPU with the industrial ethernet and replace it with one of the existing CPU's and access the MPI that way?

Thanks for your help... Cheers.
 
Goddag !

Yes it would be possible. But there is no wireless MPI adapter. I think there is a wireless Profibus adapter, but I dont think it can be used with MPI.
The most cost-efficient way of doing it would be to install either an CP343-1 LEAN in one of the PLCs, or one of the 3rd party Ethernet-MPI adapters (from Deltalogic for example). It is also possible to exchange a CPU to one with onboard ethernet, but it will be more expensive, and you will gain no extra performance since it has to go out on MPI anyway.

You can then access all the PLCs via routing from ethernet to MPI. That there is wireless in between is transparant to STEP7.
 
Goddag igen.

One thing, the CPU that gets the CP343-1 LEAN must support routing.

If you get a 3rd party Ethernet-MPI adapter, it should work regardles of routing. This because it will use a driver for STEP7 that will make it look as if it connected directly to MPI.
 
Thx JasperMP,
I thought it'd be possible... How do you know if the CPU can route? Do you have to set this up in the hardware as well? I guess I'll have to google Ethernet-MPI adapter to see what's available in Aus... or is the Deltalogic unit the best?

Cheers.
 
No worries...

I'll look up the CPU routing with Siemens and I'm glad that google led me to the same link as above :D
I'd just like to say thanks again, as it's been difficult dealing directly with Siemens here in Aus. For something that just seems simple and normal for any installation these days.

Sante!
 

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