Patent ID: 8676219

Claim:
A method of providing a wireless extension to a plant automation network connected to a plurality of wired devices, each wired device performing a process control function, the method comprising: connecting a plurality of wireless devices to the plant automation network, each of the plurality of wireless devices adapted to communicate with at least another one of the plurality of wireless devices via at least one respective wireless connection; providing a gateway device connected to at least one of the plurality of wireless devices via a wireless connection and to the automation network via a wired connection; caching at least one of process data, alarm data, or device data as cache data related to one of the plurality of wireless devices at the gateway device, wherein caching the process data at the gateway device includes receiving, at the gateway device, an unsolicited burst mode data report from the one of the plurality of wireless devices; and providing, to a host, access to each of the plurality of wireless devices, including receiving a change notification request from the host specifying a subset of the plurality of wired devices, and reporting the cached data to the host if the one of the plurality of wireless devices is associated with the subset, wherein: the host is disposed in the plant automation network, the host executes at least one of an asset management application or an alarm diagnostic application of the plant automation network, the host provides control and supervisory functions to personnel of a plant including the plant automation network, the host is communicatively connected in a wired manner to the plurality of wired devices, and the host accesses the plurality of wired devices and the plurality of wireless devices using a common communication scheme.