LonWorks Protocol

The LonWorks protocol is and industry standard communications protocol for much of the industrial market and is specifically used within building automation among other industrial segments. LonWorks was developed based on the Echelon Corporation protocol. The LonWorks protocol is designed specifically to control applications. LonWorks is typically integrated into a device via a chip that is installed and chip developers are able to provide LonWorks chips by licensing the LonWorks standard. There are approximately 90 million devices that make use of the LonWorks protocol today.

LonWorks Gateway Providers

• FieldServer Technologies: a protocol gateway provider dedicated to meeting the interoperability needs of the industrial market. FieldServer offers LonWorks gateway solutions and has an extensive protocol library that includes LonWorks protocol drivers as well as LonWorks gateways. FieldServer enable communication between devices with non-compatible protocols.
• Protocessor: providing protocol devices for equipment manufacturers, including both embedded and external solutions. Protocessor provides LonWorks gateways making use of the extensive FieldServer library, and the gateway can act as a LonWorks client (when it's the polling device) or as a LonWorks server (when being polled).

LonWorks Uses

As an industrial application control protocol, LonWorks is designed to be integrated with application devices to enable communication and control from an external PC, as well as software running on that PC. Basically LonWorks enables remote control and automation of devices, including remote monitoring. LonWorks could enable you, for example, to control lighting and energy management remotely for a restaurant, a manufacturing plant, or even city blocks. This control could be handled manually from a remote location, or could be automated from a single centralized computer system. Any LonWorks enabled device can be incorporated into building automation through the LonWorks protocol, from ovens to power supply to manufacturing equipment.