Tackling the Challenges of the Integration of Wired and Wireless TSN With a Technology Proof-of-Concept

Standard wireless systems are rapidly evolving to support the strict requirements of industrial applications. In this research line, wireless time-sensitive networking (TSN) is gaining momentum, thanks to the interest of wired TSN among the industries. A critical aspect of the wireless TSN research is the integration of wired and wireless TSN to create large-scale hybrid TSN networks. This integration is currently being discussed for 5G, whereas the integration between wired TSN and IEEE 802.11 is a step behind. To address this gap in the state of the art, this article discusses the integration challenges of wired TSN and wireless local area network technologies and proposes a hybrid TSN device architecture. Based on the architecture, we have developed a hybrid TSN network proof-of-concept. The proof-of-concept demonstrates that the hybrid TSN architecture can maintain the essential TSN services, including providing guaranteed latency in the 100-microsecond level.