When implementing an IIoT project, the choice of connectivity affects how the solution performs, effective range, reliability, device battery usage, how much different types of data can be transferred, and transfer speed. While there are many connectivity options available, cellular connectivity is gaining popularity as a simple, scalable and secure way to connect Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices. Manufacturers around the world are looking to transform their businesses with IIoT applications that can increase productivity, reduce equipment downtime and increase the efficiency of factory operations and processes.
Cellular IoT networks and devices are getting cheaper and more ubiquitous, attracting more and more interest. Some organizations have deployed cellular IoT networks to solve a range of business problems and enable smart manufacturing. For many of these projects, organizations establish connections to obtain data from various devices.
Connecting connected devices with cellular connectivity has long been the goal of industrial engineers building autonomous manufacturing equipment and factory automation systems. Mobile technology provides companies with the ability to seamlessly increase speed and expand the data processing capabilities of their systems. Cellular connectivity enables companies to transmit and process large amounts of information in a short period of time without having to send all the data through a centralized IT infrastructure. This provides organizations with the opportunity to implement machine health monitoring strategies with the help of wireless IIoT sensors without having to build out their infrastructure.
Cellular connectivity is highly flexible with various protocols. Generally speaking, LTE (Long Term Evolution) is the globally dominant method. Many IIoT service providers prefer it due to its low cost, ease of implementation and low power requirements. The following mobile LTE standards and frequency bands are commonly deployed globally: LTE-A: 1.9GHzLTE-M:700MHzLTE-NB:700MHzLTE-LAA:800MHzLTE-LTA:1900MHzLTE-MvR:2400MHz.
Equipment vendors are launching new cellular IoT devices, IoT-enabled routers, gateways and new solutions for IIoT solutions such as IoT applications, IIoT system integration and device analytics. Expanding IoT solutions with cellular connectivity will increase the range of plug-and-play sensor applications, increasing the efficiency of Industrial IoT deployments and rapid reconfiguration to meet changing business needs.
Reliable connectivity is critical to gaining critical information about machine health and performance, which is why industries are pushing for new technologies that provide faster, more accurate information. To effectively deploy cellular IoT systems, solution providers and multinational end-user companies are looking for solutions that can provide global support (2G, 3G and LTE). These have become popular among enterprises for scaling IoT solutions and ensuring smoother deployments across the globe.
Cellular standards can directly impact the performance, range, ease of development, security, reliability, and implementation cost of scaling IoT in manufacturing. Traditional SIM cards used in cellular IoT devices are limited to a single network operator. They require technicians to manually insert/replace SIM cards, which can lead to deployment bottlenecks, especially in remote areas. These challenges are addressed by newer eSIM platforms that contain a non-removable chip that can download carrier profiles over the air and allow multiple telecom providers to be pre-programmed so devices can choose the best connection.
IoT devices with eSIM come with a SIM card and cellular module. These devices provide the flexibility to deploy anywhere in the world and ensure reliable connectivity as they can change carriers without human intervention. These devices benefit machines that monitor complex and hard-to-reach locations and help avoid logistical challenges during movement. All these features contribute to faster scalability of IoT applications.
Cellular connectivity is becoming increasingly popular for enabling integrated machine-to-machine communication, enabling wireless condition monitoring of industrial assets. This is because cellular IoT connections provide high network reliability. The high data rates (10-100Gbps) at which cellular IoT devices transmit data are not affected by severe weather conditions, and the distance between the base station and the device is much less affected than many other wireless communication options. This is important because cellular connections have the best coverage and ability to avoid overload problems. It also provides greater freedom of movement, helping to gain connectivity even in complex environments where devices are not fixed.
Due to its advantages, mobile technology is increasingly transforming IIoT applications and solutions. In the industrial IoT space, different manufacturing verticals will continue to use cellular IoT devices as the most successful implementation.
Digitization of manufacturing operations ensures reduced downtime and increased productivity, and cellular networks play a key role in achieving this. Cellular networks offer organizations the opportunity to leverage technology to accelerate their Industry 4.0 journey. The availability of cellular coverage allows manufacturers to monitor industrial assets faster and cheaper, even in remote and hard-to-reach areas. As cellular networks move toward 5G, it presents a more significant opportunity for organizations to harness data, with faster connections enabling greater capacity to process real-time information, unlocking the full potential of the Industrial Internet of Things.
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