Wireless Hart Devices In A Mesh Topology Have A Shorter Battery Life

1.	Wireless Hart Devices In A Mesh Topology Have A Shorter Battery Life Than In A Star Topology?
Answer» Yes but very little difference. The BIGGEST impact on battery life is the update rate and not the routing or use of a mesh topology. Battery life is a function of measurement update rates, device power requirement (some sensor types consume more power than others), battery CAPACITY and environment CONDITIONS, and whether the device routes messages sent by other devices in the mesh, Depending on its position in a mesh network, a device operating as a router may experience a slight reduction in battery life than a device that does not route messages. Therefore, it is important to properly evaluate the application to DETERMINE the best network configuration considering all issues and to select devices with a suitable battery life for the application. The expected battery life for a Wireless HART transmitter set for 1 minute updates may be 10 years, and that INCLUDES relaying messages from neighboring transmitters in a mesh topology. Although mesh topology is the most common topology used in industrial plants, Wireless HART also supports the star topology.

Wireless Hart Devices In A Mesh Topology Have A Shorter Battery Life Than In A Star Topology?

Answer»

Yes but very little difference. The BIGGEST impact on battery life is the update rate and not the routing or use of a mesh topology.
Battery life is a function of measurement update rates, device power requirement (some sensor types consume more power than others), battery CAPACITY and environment CONDITIONS, and whether the device routes messages sent by other devices in the mesh, Depending on its position in a mesh network, a device operating as a router may experience a slight reduction in battery life than a device that does not route messages. Therefore, it is important to properly evaluate the application to DETERMINE the best network configuration considering all issues and to select devices with a suitable battery life for the application.
The expected battery life for a Wireless HART transmitter set for 1 minute updates may be 10 years, and that INCLUDES relaying messages from neighboring transmitters in a mesh topology. Although mesh topology is the most common topology used in industrial plants, Wireless HART also supports the star topology.