The smartphone is the new laptop. Mobility is critical for running a plant, and the smartphone is easier to cart around than a laptop. With mobility and ease of use in mind, Opto 22 of Temecula, Calif., has developed an iOS application for the iPhone.
The Opto iPAC iOS app offers iPhone, iPod, and iPad access to Opto’s SNAP PAC system, an integrated plant programmable automation package comprising control, monitoring, and data acquisition.
The app gives users access to detailed real-time control system information. Automation and control personnel can view, de-bug, and fine-tune wirelessly accessible control and I/O systems. That includes executing control functions such as turning digital output points on or off, writing values to analog outputs, and changing control variables and table entries. Specific I/O points and tagnames can be retrieved, viewed, and saved to a watch list for quick future reference. Users also can start or stop any flowcharts running within the control system.
Because mobile devices have small screens, the app has some limitations. “It’s not a full-blown HMI screen,” said David Crump, marketing and communications manager at Opto 22. “It’s a quick app for maintenance and for checking on controllers or trouble shooting.”
The app was designed to solve the challenge of moving around the plant while being able to retrieve data from the control system. “It grew out of feedback we’ve received,” Crump said. “We know the engineer finds it difficult to be tethered to a desktop. You can bring your laptop, but it’s hard to balance a laptop while you’re walking around. We wanted to make it easier.”
Security Is Always a Concern
If you have your plant connected to your iPhone, what happens when your teenage son picks up your iPhone and clicks on the control system app, thinking he just found a cool video game? Is he now running the plant?
“Security is always a concern with wireless devices,” Crump said. “The main thing you're going to be using it as [is] a looking glass into the plant, the inputs and outputs, the variables, a watch list, quick access to I/O points.”
People will use the app mainly to view real-time information, but it certainly can interact with the plant. “You can stop a controller and start a controller,” Crump said. The solution for keeping unknowing hands off the plant levers is security. “It’s a matter of locking down the wireless network as securely as you can. You can make it quite safe with encryption.”
The price is consistent with many iPhone apps -- a trim $4.99. Crump noted Opto 22 is planning a similar app for other operating systems. “We’re working on Android and BlackBerry. We’ve had a ton of request for Androids.
Thanks Benson. It's not often the person who is actually responsible for the product in a news story weighs in. Your comments are well appreciated. I also hope the comments here are helpful is seeing what engineers are concerned about.
Based on the number of useful and insightful comments on this topic, mobility in automation and control systems is on the mind of many. As the person responsible for the Opto iPAC app, I'd like to address some of the comments directly.
Security indeed is paramount. The Opto iPAC app only works with wirelessly connected control equipment, and the first step in any meaningful attempt at system security is securing the wireless network itself. Standards like IEEE 802.11i (WPA2-AES) wireless network security for 802.11 a/b/g/n wireless LANs have been in place for years, and are industry accepted methods for securing most environments. Of course, your company's policies may state otherwise, so it is always good practice to coordinate with your IT team.
Second, the Opto 22 control equipment also provides local embedded security via username and password. So in the event the wireless network is compromised, an additional layer of security does exist.
On the topic of iOS v. Android. As any of us who've been in tech know from decades of observation, there always will be (and always should be) competing computing platforms whether for PCs, tablets, smart phones, or other mobile devices. Consider OS X, Windows, Linux, Unix, OS2, and so on just in the PC arena. This competition is healthy for us as consumers.
Our selection of iOS wasn't based on who we thought was the "best" platform to develop on, but by the readily available development resources and developer network, coupled with a robust distribution method. That said, our Android version is currently in development, and other platforms will be addressed as the market dictates.
Thank you for your interest and continued feedback on our mobile app. It’s very helpful to our engineering team to hear your questions and concerns.
I think it may be a matter of simply not doing their research or perhaps, selecting the easiest software to work with. I'd say that the percentage of iphone users here at work is somewhere in the 5-10% range. Company-supplied phones are Blackberries.
You have a good point, Dave. Why only one system. Androids did pass iPhone's iOS as the most prevalent smartphone operating system. I'm not sure why developers go for the iOS first, but it's common. That may change, though, as the Android system continues to proliferate, which it probably will.
I think it's safe to say that the total number of Android phones out there far exceeds the iphone, why pick the iphone? Even the new Windows phones, the operating system of which Nokia has selected to replace their Symbian system, is rapidly increasing in number. Like MCAD software, there is no defacto standard for phone operating systems. Welcome to the world of variety. I do think this is a good idea, however, as long as more of us can benefit from it.
The more we start to see these kind of wireless apps on the plant floor and within engineering organizations, the more security concerns will become less of an issue. From what I can tell, companies have already taken great strives to encrypt and lock down their wireless networks on the shop floor and have likely reached some sort of comfort level thanks to the use of more traditional mobile devices like Windows handhelds. Initially, these apps will likely be used for real-time data access to bring information to engineers and operators when and where they need it. Using them to actually interact and control plant floor equipment will likely come later when more of the security issues have been ironed out.
I agree about read-only, Jack. I was quite surprised about the interactive aspect of the app. I would imagine it could easily be set for read-only. Yet I can see the point of being able to roam the plant and adjust PLCs without having to run back and forth to the desktop or try to balance a laptop on your knee.
I would be curious to know what Security provisions are in place. I suspect there is a set of SEcurity regulations for the plant that needs to be updated to insure wireless access via these handheld or really any devices is secure and partitioned. Part of Security is auditing so we know who did what. also in this case what happens if the device is stolen or lost?
I believe this is going to bring up a host of issues and operational procedures regarding adherence to Security standards. And the creation of a set of updated Security standards. I am guessing the insurance companies that insure the plant will have a set of requirements and standard policies to be put in place.
What is required on the plant side in order to make this work? Is it assuming that all of the info has already been setup for Internet access?
On the security side, maybe one option would be to have the "cell" connection be read-only (as suggested in the article) and then have another option for wi-fi, such as when the user is on site.
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