I received a press release from Nivis yesterday. The text of the release says it all. This should make it even easier for small companies to produce standards-compliant wireless field devices. From the end users' point of view this is excellent.
Here's the text of the release:
Nivis Announces Open Source Availability for ISA100.11a and WirelessHART
ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwired - Apr 16, 2013) - Nivis, a global leader in Smart Grid and Industrial Wireless networking, today announced that the company will open source its ISA100.11a and WirelessHART software platforms. Nivis is the only company in the world with both ISA100.11a and WirelessHART stacks certified by their respective governing standards bodies. The new Nivis open source model will give universities, systems integrators, OEMs, end users, enthusiasts and startups alike a unique opportunity to build on the industry-standard Nivis ISA100.11a and WirelessHART software platforms.
The open source offering will include all software components for both ISA100.11a and WirelessHART:
ISA100.11a: Field Device, Backbone Router, Gateway, System Manager and Security Manager
WirelessHART: Field Device, Access Point, Gateway, Network Manager and Security Manager
"The open source model that Nivis has chosen to adopt has proven to be a strong stimulant to innovation and adoption in other technology segments," said Doug Johns, CEO of Nivis. "We expect the same result with industrial wireless networking. Our goal is to get the technology into more users' hands, faster, which we expect will stimulate the whole market."
Nivis will utilize a hybrid model, in which the core software is freely available, with Nivis selling a complete suite of supporting services and hardware, which will include:
Software Maintenance
Professional Services - Consulting and Support
ATEX Zone 2 Gateways (VersaRouter 900)
OEM Gateway Modules (VersaRouter 800)
Radio Modules (VersaNode 210, 220, 310)
Hardware Reference Designs
Development Kits
Handheld Provisioning Tools
Network Simulation Devices
The ISA100.11a and WirelessHART open source software will be available as follows:
1. Enterprise version available at www.nivis.com/OpenSource - April 15, 2013
2. Developer version available for download at www.nivis.com/OpenSource - May 15, 2013
3. Open source forums available on Nivis website at www.nivis.com/Forums - May 15, 2013
