PLC with RJ45 to Wireless adapter

rQx · Nov 30, 2014

Hi!

Has anyone tried using a PLC with a RJ45 to wireless adapter or similar? The key here is the price, it cannot be expensive. I'm thinking a siemens LOGO (or similar) with ethernet interface to be connected to a master.

Siemens LOGO - RJ45 to wireless - Wireless router - Master

/Tim

realolman · Nov 30, 2014

I don't know what you have in mind, but I have used one of these on a large machine for my own programming. (not permanent )

http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-DAP-1350-Wireless-N-Pocket-Router/dp/B003Q9AZHU

rQx · Nov 30, 2014

That seems like what I meen, did you have any bad experiences with this sort of connection?

realolman · Nov 30, 2014

rQx said:
That seems like what I meen, did you have any bad experiences with this sort of connection?

All I have done with it was upload the programs from some PLC's and a little troubleshooting...

I had a hard time getting it going in the first place....

It seems to me that the manufacturers of stuff like to hide the default IP addresses of stuff way down within the text of a 50 page document, instead of putting it in bold font ...maybe right near the top!?!?! Or on a sticker on the item itself!?!?!? And they like to ship it with an IP address that is 1 digit off from the default IP address!?!?!

And I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer either, so I'm sure that had to do with it....

anyway once I got it going, the thing worked fine in a factory for about 150 feet

I'm not sure what the advantages of it are over a plain old garden variety wireless router... I've never tried to connect a PLC to a plain old wireless router.

This is an update: there is a big poster that ships with the router that shows how to use it. I just read a review of the product on the link I posted that shows the default IP address to be (192.168.1.50) ... I have had this thing for a couple years and fooled with it a couple times and could never get it to work... the other day I went through the manual and lo and behold it said within the bowels of the text that the IP address was(192.168.1.51) .

It DO make a difference. 51, you got a router ...50 you got a hockey puck

rQx · Nov 30, 2014

Ah, as usual with electronic devices they can be a real pain to getting started. Thanks alot for your tips! I will look around and maybe find a cheaper one but now I know where to look.

The reason I'm wondering is that I have a customer that is talking about having like hundreds of portable cabinets. So instead of having to install Internet socket outlets everywhere I figured it could be a good idea of having them over wireless instead.
Maybe there is a better solution, but since he's talking about hundreds a small cost is preferable. i actually just found this: http://www.amazon.com/VAP11N-Repeater-802-11n-Dreambox-Microsoft/dp/B00C08GTA0 - since we're talking maybe hundreds I guess I buy one and test first

Firejo · Dec 2, 2014

RJ45 is a connector type not a communications protocol. What protocol are you looking at doing wirelessly (Ethernet, DH485, RS232, etc…)?

boneless · Dec 2, 2014

I have turned an old Linksys Wireless Router into a repeater, using DD-WRT firmware.

Works great! I use it for testing and programming.

Just remember that some protocols like PROFINET will not allow routing.

rQx · Dec 3, 2014

Firejo said:
RJ45 is a connector type not a communications protocol. What protocol are you looking at doing wirelessly (Ethernet, DH485, RS232, etc…)?

Yea I know, I want wired to wireless and I suppose it is profinet? Since I want to connect Siemens LOGO and s7-1200/1500. Either open user communication or s7 communication.

Firejo · Dec 4, 2014

Profinet is Ethernet but its primary purpose in life is “real time” data and “real time” data is something that if done wirelessly needs a lot of planning upfront. From what I’ve seen over the years the best way to do Profinet wirelessly is using Siemens wireless equipment. It’s by no means the only way to do it but Siemens spent a lot of development time and money in creating products that are very Profinet friendly. Keep in mind that I work for a company that sells wireless modems (including some equipment that is similar to Siemens wireless equipment) but I’ll be the first to say if you want to do wireless profinet correctly, and it’s a Profinet application that requires “real time” connectivity, then you pretty much have to use their stuff and that’s not cheap or easy (you have to jump through a lot of hoops. RF surveys, etc…) to do it correctly. If you’re looking at basic messaging then your options are much broader however one thing to keep in mind is something that I’ve seen many, many times, cheap comes out expensive.

ASF · Dec 4, 2014

Firejo said:
Profinet is Ethernet but its primary purpose in life is “real time” data and “real time” data is something that if done wirelessly needs a lot of planning upfront. From what I’ve seen over the years the best way to do Profinet wirelessly is using Siemens wireless equipment. It’s by no means the only way to do it but Siemens spent a lot of development time and money in creating products that are very Profinet friendly. Keep in mind that I work for a company that sells wireless modems (including some equipment that is similar to Siemens wireless equipment) but I’ll be the first to say if you want to do wireless profinet correctly, and it’s a Profinet application that requires “real time” connectivity, then you pretty much have to use their stuff and that’s not cheap or easy (you have to jump through a lot of hoops. RF surveys, etc…) to do it correctly. If you’re looking at basic messaging then your options are much broader however one thing to keep in mind is something that I’ve seen many, many times, cheap comes out expensive.

Agreed. Someone around here has the forum signature which says it quite well: there's never enough money to do it right, but always enough money to do it again.

mendonsy · Dec 4, 2014

I have one customer who has me install an Engenius ECB series wireless access point in every control panel that I build for them. They seem to work reliably and are not expensive (less than $100).

geniusintraining · Dec 4, 2014

rQx said:
or similar?

Some time ago we sold Bluetooth to serial adapters and they worked OK. Your PC needs Bluetooth or you need a USB to Bluetooth adapter also. Just not sure if the distance would work for you.

You just also need the same protocol converter on the end of the adapter or just the correct cable (serial)

The reason I got the first one was so we could go online with PLC's in a PCB's clean room, it was easier to have this in the cabinet and not have to get dressed and undressed, it we sold them for about 150 for the whole kit (cables and all)

rQx · Dec 5, 2014

Firejo said:
Profinet is Ethernet but its primary purpose in life is “real time” data and “real time” data is something that if done wirelessly needs a lot of planning upfront. From what I’ve seen over the years the best way to do Profinet wirelessly is using Siemens wireless equipment. It’s by no means the only way to do it but Siemens spent a lot of development time and money in creating products that are very Profinet friendly. Keep in mind that I work for a company that sells wireless modems (including some equipment that is similar to Siemens wireless equipment) but I’ll be the first to say if you want to do wireless profinet correctly, and it’s a Profinet application that requires “real time” connectivity, then you pretty much have to use their stuff and that’s not cheap or easy (you have to jump through a lot of hoops. RF surveys, etc…) to do it correctly. If you’re looking at basic messaging then your options are much broader however one thing to keep in mind is something that I’ve seen many, many times, cheap comes out expensive.

Thanks for great help! But is the open user communication (TCON etc) in siemens really profinet? I see what you meen with money, I'm aware of that spending less on the hardware often cost you more in the end, I don't usually want to make cheap solutions. I haven't researched what a siemens solution would cost but I hardly think I can sell it to the customer. My idea is that since I have like 100 small cabinets wich is all the exact same in layout and programming, that I would have a master and the 100 cabinets would just be slaves. This would make changes ALOT easier since I could just change the program in the master and it would all be set, instead of running around to 100 machines. But maybe we can find a hardwired solution, unfortunally I think that since it is mobile cabinets it would be a mess at the end.

mendonsy said:
I have one customer who has me install an Engenius ECB series wireless access point in every control panel that I build for them. They seem to work reliably and are not expensive (less than $100).

Thanks for the suggestion!

geniusintraining said:
Some time ago we sold Bluetooth to serial adapters and they worked OK. Your PC needs Bluetooth or you need a USB to Bluetooth adapter also. Just not sure if the distance would work for you.

You just also need the same protocol converter on the end of the adapter or just the correct cable (serial)

The reason I got the first one was so we could go online with PLC's in a PCB's clean room, it was easier to have this in the cabinet and not have to get dressed and undressed, it we sold them for about 150 for the whole kit (cables and all)

Thanks alot! The distance would be like 50meter maximum I think, good advice I will look it up!

PLC with RJ45 to Wireless adapter

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