Simple, Secure Wi-Fi Data Acquisition
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Ten new NI data acquisition (DAQ) devices combine IEEE 802.11 wireless or Ethernet communication; direct sensor connectivity; and the flexibility of NI LabVIEW software for remote monitoring of electrical, physical, mechanical, and acoustical signals. Using commonly available IEEE 802.11 networking infrastructure, Wi-Fi DAQ devices make it easy to incorporate wireless connectivity into existing measurement systems or add new measurement capability where cabling is prohibitively cumbersome or expensive. You can view data in real time while streaming dynamic waveform measurements at up to 100 kS/s per channel. In addition, built-in signal conditioning provides connectivity for a variety of sensors, including thermocouples, accelerometers, and load cells.
Figure 1. NI Wi-Fi data acquisition combines IEEE 802.11 wireless or Ethernet communication with direct sensor connectivity and enterprise-level network security for real-time, streaming measurements.
Simplify Wireless Remote Monitoring
Wireless technology facilitates measurements in remote locations and helps reduce installation and maintenance costs. National Instruments Wi-Fi DAQ takes the convenience of wireless measurements one step further by incorporating in each module all the connectivity, conditioning, and A/D converters necessary for many different sensor signals. The NI WLS-9237, for example, provides options for full-, half-, and quarter-bridge completion for strain gages and other bridge-based transducers. In addition,
Wi-Fi DAQ devices ensure high-quality measurements with up to 24-bit ADC resolution, galvanic isolation for safety and accuracy, and calibration traceable by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). For greater flexibility, NI Wi-Fi DAQ devices also include the NI-DAQmx driver and measurement services software with intuitive application programming interfaces; configuration utilities; I/O assistants; and other tools designed to reduce system setup, configuration, and development time. With the NI DAQ Assistant and LabVIEW graphical programming environment, you can set up your wireless remote monitoring application to measure in minutes using a configuration-based interface.
For more customized applications, the DAQ Assistant also can generate automatic LabVIEW code with NI-DAQmx driver calls to help you get started.
Protect Data with High-Security Networks
Using the highest commercially available network security, Wi-Fi DAQ devices protect your system from unwanted access. Authentication ensures that only authorized devices have network access, and encryption prevents data packets from being intercepted. Wi-Fi DAQ devices support multiple Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) methods that provide for mutual authentication between the data acquisition devices and wireless access points (WAPs). These devices also support the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), a 128-bit cryptographic algorithm endorsed by NIST and used in many U.S. government facilities. With strong security protocols, you can incorporate wireless connectivity with existing enterprise networks safely. With the simplicity of built-in signal conditioning and the security of 128-bit encryption, NI Wi-Fi DAQ extends the reach of PC-based data acquisition to wireless remote monitoring applications while providing the same high-quality measurements and performance of a cabled device.
Table 1. NI Wi-Fi and Ethernet DAQ devices support five modules for a variety of measurements.
Watch the NI Wi-Fi data acquisition guided tour.
This article first appeared in the Q3 2008 issue of Instrumentation Newsletter.
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