Abstract This literature review studies the wireless technologies, their applications, characteristics, design criteria and requirements for process automation applications, focusing especially on wireless sensor networks (WSN). Additionally, implementation of an application example, wireless monitoring of temperature and pressure of a steam boiler, is also presented.

The review indicates that the wireless automation systems are often hybrid in nature, combining legacy fieldbus systems and heterogeneous networks. The design criteria and requirements for industrial applications are stricter than compared to some other domains, for example environmental monitoring, home and building automation. According to review, wireless technologies provide potential for industrial applications, but additional research may be required on interoperability, reliability, data processing techniques and energy consumption, the last especially from whole system point-of-view.