IEC gives WirelessHART the nod
12 Apr 2010
Austin, Texas – The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has approved the WirelessHART specification as a fullinternational standard (IEC 62591Ed. 1.0). The decision received unanimous backing of the 28 national committees of the IEC – a global organisation that publishes standards for electrical, electronic, and related technologies.
According to the HART Communication Foundation (HCF), the IEC vote of 26 March has confirmed WirelessHART technology as the international standard for wireless communication in process automation. Compatible products, it noted, are now increasingly available from major vendors including ABB, Emerson, Endress+Hauser, Pepperl+Fuchs, Siemens.
“The overwhelming approval by IEC fulfills the request of users for a single international wireless communication standard,” said Ron Helson, HCF executive director. “WirelessHART technology has been confirmed by both users and suppliers to be a technically sound, reliable and secure solution for wireless communication in process automation.”
WirelessHART is being billed as an open and interoperable wireless communication standard for real-time industrial process measurement and control applications. It is a backward compatible with the estimated 30 million HART-based intelligent process measurement and control field devices and systems operating in process plant applications worldwide.
