The Industrial Wi-Fi Shop Podcast

In Episode 28, Scott and Jeremy talk antenna fundamentals with Ben Baranek and Brent Miller of MP Antenna. They explain antenna gain, polarization, multipath, ground planes, frequency selection, antenna spacing, and why higher gain is not always better. From reflective factories and moving AGVs to outdoor industrial networks, the conversation offers practical guidance for choosing and installing antennas that deliver stable, reliable wireless connectivity in challenging OT environments.

In this episode of The Industrial Wi-Fi Shop Podcast, Jeremy and Scott explore the "invisible design" decisions that separate projects that remain easy to manage for years from those that become frustrating mysteries. From documentation standards and network diagrams to naming conventions, photos, and everyday engineering habits, they share practical lessons learned from real-world industrial deployments that can save countless hours, reduce downtime, and make every wireless project more maintainable long after the installation is complete.

In this round table episode of the Industrial Wi-Fi Shop Podcast, Scott, Jeremy, Justin, and Troy dig into the real-world challenges that come with designing, troubleshooting, and securing wireless networks in industrial environments.

In this episode, Scott and Jeremy break down the operational modes of several leading industrial wireless client radios, including the Phoenix Contact 1021, ProSoft RLX2, and Siemens SCALANCE, explaining when and why you'd choose each one. The conversation digs into the real-world importance of Layer 2 transparency for protocols like PROFINET and PROFIsafe, and how technologies like VxLAN are making standards-based deterministic wireless more accessible. The hosts also tackle the often-overlooked challenge of passive clients on industrial networks and how NAT and IP masquerading can keep them reachable without breaking your architecture. Whether you're retrofitting legacy serial devices or building out a full IIoT data pipeline, this episode has the technical depth to help you make smarter wireless decisions on the plant floor.

Jerry Olla from Hamina dropped buy to talk about the Hamina tools and what it means for wireless in the realms of OT. Their New tools for surveys and full suite of wireless design software are game changers for industrial wireless surveys.