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Security and my Wi-Fi HMI or cMT model.
Tags: Security Wi-Fi cMT FAQ
Security is paramount in today's technologically advanced times and so is connectivity. Many PLCs take advantage of Ethernet communication to transmit data to a monitoring device such as an HMI. Plant corporate networks also run via Wi-Fi networking. But how do you get data from the PLC to your corporate network without the bandwidth or security sacrifices entailed by placing your PLC on the same network?

Maple Systems Our Wi-Fi models conveniently divide competing connectivity demands between two separate networks. This offers the benefits of connecting to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) for your customers, while increasing the reliability and security of a private control network dedicated to keeping machinery operating at peak performance.

The HMI becomes a gateway into your control network. The PLC can transmit everything to the HMI without having to deal with slowdowns or network traffic and the HMI can maintain a connection to the plant network for VNC monitoring, sending status reports, data log files, and e-mail alarms.

In the event of a catastrophic issue causing the main company network to go down, the HMI maintains its PLC connection, which means the machine stays up and running. Only data that is intentionally shared with the Internet will be accessible from the outside world. PLC and other machine hardware on the control network cannot be directly accessed, greatly improving security and preserving bandwidth for time critical control tasks.

Maintaining separate networks is a best practice for the security-conscious, and our Wi-Fi models allow that to happen at a great price.
Content Created by David Franzwa