Avaliação do desempenho de uma rede 802.11g em uma usina termoelétrica.

Abstract

In industry, it is known that wireless networks are the most suitable, since they have low implementation cost, greater flexibility and are less invasive to the environment. In the literature, among the wireless network technologies applied in industrial environments, little attention is given to traditional 802.11a/b/g, known by the domestic use and by the acronym WiFi (Wireless Fidelity). This work aims to evaluate the performance of an 802.11g network in an industrial environment of a thermal power plant. The scenario consists of four communication links, with the main one having a distance of approximately 150m. For the evaluation of network performance, we considered three metrics: packet loss rate, bandwidth and response time. Tests were carried out through the establishment of communication between points within the engine square (first link) and the server located in the boardroom (last link). The obtained results for the signal strength at each point were compared with the estimated values by the Log Distance Path Loss Model. It was verified that the performance of the communication performed by the network did not suffer significant degradation, even being in an environment subject to considerable electromagnetic interference. After the concluded analysis, it was found feasibility of using 802.11g technology for data communication in environments with characteristics similar to those of a thermal power plant.