Nfc enabled wireless process communication gateway

A wireless gateway configured to interact with a field device over a wireless process communication network, the gateway comprising:

• an NFC transceiver configured to detect, and couple to, an NFC tag associated with a field device;
• a communications component configured to, upon detection of the NFC tag associated with the field device, automatically retrieve a network join key and provide the retrieved network join key to the field device;
• and
• a wireless process communication module to communicate over the wireless process communication network with the field device.

A method for communicating over a network utilizing a wireless gateway, the method comprising:

• detecting, with an NFC transceiver associated with the wireless gateway, an NFC tag associated with a field device;
• providing, to the field device, automatically, in response to the detected NFC tag, a join key;
• and
• communicating with the field device over the network using a wireless process communication protocol.

A method for connecting a field device to a wireless process communication network, the method comprising:

• bringing the wireless process communication adapter within NFC communication range of a wireless gateway;
• establishing a connection between an NFC transceiver associated with the wireless gateway and an NFC tag associated with the wireless process communication adapter;
• generating a near field communication between the wireless gateway and the wireless process communication adapter to configure the wireless process communication adapter to communicate over the wireless process communication network;
• and
• after configuring the wireless process communication adapter, physically coupling the wireless process communication adapter to the field device to allow the field device to communicate over the wireless process communication network.