A method in a communication device (12, 60a, 60b) that implements a communication stack to wirelessly communicate with a remote device (25a-25l) according to a general purpose wireless communication protocol, wherein the remote device (25a-25l) operates in a process control environment and including receiving a request from a software application to establish a wireless communication link with the remote device (25a-25l), and wherein the general purpose wireless communication protocol is selected from: a Bluetooth protocol, a Bluetooth version 1.2 protocol, an IEEE 802.15.1 standard protocol, an Infrared Data Association, IrDA, protocol, an IrDA Physical Layer Specification v1.4 protocol, an IrDA Link Access Protocol v1.1, an IrDA Link Management Protocol v1.1, an IEEE 802.11 standard protocol, an IEEE 802.15 standard protocol, a Microsoft Bluetooth protocol, or a WIDCOMM Bluetooth protocol, the method further comprising: automatically establishing a direct connection between the software application and the communication stack via an Application Programming Interface, API; communicating process data between the software application and the communication stack in accordance with an industrial automation protocol, wherein the industrial automation protocol is selected from: a FOUNDATION Fieldbus protocol, a Highway Addressable Remote Transducer, HART, protocol, a Profibus protocol, or an IEC 62591 protocol; and communicating the process data between the communication stack and the remote device (25a-25l) in accordance with the general purpose wireless communication protocol over the wireless communication link, wherein the wireless communication link utilizes the general purpose wireless communication protocol, and wherein communicating the process data includes: receiving one of a plurality of commands associated with the industrial automation protocol; and partially executing the received one of the plurality of commands so as to emulate a physical link that operates according to the industrial automation protocol. automatically establishing a direct connection between the software application and the communication stack via an Application Programming Interface, API; communicating process data between the software application and the communication stack in accordance with an industrial automation protocol, wherein the industrial automation protocol is selected from: a FOUNDATION Fieldbus protocol, a Highway Addressable Remote Transducer, HART, protocol, a Profibus protocol, or an IEC 62591 protocol; and communicating the process data between the communication stack and the remote device (25a-25l) in accordance with the general purpose wireless communication protocol over the wireless communication link, wherein the wireless communication link utilizes the general purpose wireless communication protocol, and wherein communicating the process data includes: receiving one of a plurality of commands associated with the industrial automation protocol; and partially executing the received one of the plurality of commands so as to emulate a physical link that operates according to the industrial automation protocol. receiving one of a plurality of commands associated with the industrial automation protocol; and partially executing the received one of the plurality of commands so as to emulate a physical link that operates according to the industrial automation protocol.