Are you tired of having to run wires all over the place in your factory or warehouse? If so, you’re not alone. industrial wireless communications can streamline your entire operation by eliminating the need to hardwire sensors and displays to control devices, as well as provide backup communication in case of emergency power loss. However, selecting the right industrial wireless equipment isn’t easy, which is why it’s important to do your research beforehand and know what kind of equipment works best in your specific industry and application.
What are industrial wireless communications?
They are a critical part of the industrial internet of things (IIoT). IIoT is the next evolution of manufacturing and machine maintenance, but it’s only as good as the wireless communication that connects all the industrial equipment. There has been a lot of talk about 5G cellular networks lately with promises of data rates up to 100x faster than current 4G technology, which would be perfect for IoT applications like these. However, 5G technology is still in its infancy; so, in the meantime we have 3G and 4G LTE to work with.
How can it benefit your business?
It can help your business in a number of ways. First, it helps you be more efficient by allowing you to monitor and track assets in real time. This not only allows for better asset management, but also provides opportunities to identify problems before they happen or lead to serious consequences. Second, it increases your productivity by eliminating the need for manual data entry.
What are the challenges of implementing it?
Industrial wireless communications have come a long way in the past few years, but they still have a ways to go before they’re perfect. One of the challenges is that you need to be able to provide reliable coverage for every building and piece of equipment on your site. The traditional way to do this was with expensive, dedicated hardware. Nowadays, it’s possible to share that cost by using software defined radio (SDR) and Wi-Fi bridges.
How can you overcome those challenges?
They are crucial in the manufacturing industry and provide companies with an efficient way to streamline operations. One of the challenges of industrial wireless is that they require a lot of power because they have to transmit over long distances. There are, however, ways to overcome this challenge by using directional antennas and low-power radios, which reduce the need for high power.
In addition to making use of directional antennas, companies can also combat interference with time slots on the radio channel. Another solution would be limiting data transmission when frequencies get too congested or assigning different frequencies depending on what each signal needs.