The performance of segregate WLAN inside a noisy industrial environment

Wireless networks have invaded into every aspect of our life, from small piconets to larger networks connecting big areas together. Industrial environments are not the exception, as primitive wireless devices have been used for a long time for machinery control. On the other hand, wireless data networks such as 802.11 networks, are rapidly taking their place inside such environments replacing the typical cables. The use of a WLAN in an area like this is not at all an easy issue. Initial attempts to deploy a WLAN in a factory/industry returned poor results. This way it was proven that more steps should be taken in order to satisfactorily deploy a WLAN.
Our attempt is based on this concept and we are proposing a network configuration which manages to reduce the effects of some of the common problems a WLAN has to face inside an industrial environment. Network segregation utilizing multichannel enabled nodes proves to gives adequate results when tested inside a harsh-industrial- environment. Our designed WLAN is deployed inside a noisy industrial environment and its purpose is to transfer data from one side of the area to another as quickly as possible, with the minimum delay and failed transmissions. One the main advantage of network segregation is the multiple paths that are created. Network performance is the primary key always in accordance of the noise level and the results from our simulations satisfy our expectations.