Moxa’s new gateways retrieve serial Modbus/DNP3 data over wireless networks

03 March 2015

Moxa is pleased to introduce the MGate W5108/5208 series, a new series of industrial Modbus/DNP3-to-IEEE 802.11s/b/g/n wireless gateways. The MGate W5108/5208 series is the ideal choice for connecting the Modbus serial devices to wireless LAN. With IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n support, you can use fewer cables in difficult wiring environments, for example in Oil & Gas, Energy, Process and Factory Automation.

Oil and gas are still indispensible fuels for the global economy, and exploring for new sources of oil and gas remains a lucrative and attractive endeavor. New oil platforms, rigs, and pipelines are constantly being constructed to meet the demand for oil, with a corresponding growth in the number of factories and control centers used to process and manage crude oil. To maximize efficiency and safety, these systems are becoming more integrated, but unfortunately, the traditional SCADA systems used by the oil and gas industry are difficult to integrate because they are highly independent and have limited connectivity to other systems. This limitation will need to be overcome as oil facilities grow more complex, and safety and reliability grow ever more important. Moxa’s complete range of industrial networking, monitoring, and computing products are engineered for harsh mission-critical environments, and provide the reliability, flexibility, and safety needed to maintain and operate oil and gas facilities.

Oil & gas communications networks are mission critical, but often must be deployed at offshore oil fields in an environment with severe hazards and challenges. To successfully monitor a drilling platform remotely, the entire infrastructure needs to be extremely reliable and available. In addition to redundant wired – and ideally wireless - network systems with failover capability, the network equipment must comply with industrial standards that certify its ability to operate in an environment with varying temperatures, corrosion, and vibration. Wireless communication plays an important role in ensuring easy and effective remote monitoring and control.

Advanced wireless gateways offer a comfortable and cost-effective way of integrating the vast amount of serial devices deployed in oil & gas applications into the wireless network. Moxa´s MGate W5108/ 5208 series, a new series of 1-port and 2-port industrial Modbus/DNP3-to-IEEE 802.11s/b/g/n wireless gateways, enables the reliable connection of Modbus serial devices to wireless LAN. Its rugged designed is ideal for the use in rough industrial applications like in oil and gas automation where MGate reduces cabling efforts thanks to comprehensive IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n support. The gateway easily retrieves Modbus/DNP3 serial data over wireless networks, and maintenance is facilitated by the embedded Modbus protocol analyzer. Moreover, the gateway allows for easy scalability as it supports 16 TCP masters and up to 31 or 62 serial slaves at the same time in slave mode.

Now, as PLCs, RTUs, sensors, and SCADA systems in oil & gas facilities are connected over Ethernet, mission-critical infrastructure has become a high-priority target for cyber attackers. Any intrusion into an industrial control system will potentially reduce production quality, or cause significant damage, so protecting the network from these intrusions must be a top priority. The MGate W5108/ 5208 series features WEP/ WPA/ WPA2 authentication to ensure secure data transmission. To increase the overall network security, Moxa offers industrial routers that all feature firewall, NAT, and VPN technology that greatly reduces safety risks by significantly enhancing network security.

In general, Moxa’s industrial products are designed in strict accordance with globally accepted standards for explosion protection in hazardous locations. Approved certifications include UL/cUL Class I Division 2, ATEX Zone 2, IECEx, and DNV/GL/ABS/LR/NK.