Remote Wi-Fi: Enabling Wireless Video Transport
(Image courtesy Flickr Creative Commons) The topic is not new, but it is increasingly common in conversations with customers and potential users of wireless networks for M2M and IIoT applications. In fact, this topic now occurs in almost every conversation regarding networks and their wireless video transmission capabilities. Our topic is the transport of video and the applications it enables. As reference, a few areas where wireless video is being used are: Security operations, such as facility assess control and perimeter monitoring Work safety to monitor hazardous areas Deterrence of vandalism and theft Process monitoring for improved quality and efficiency For these video integrated systems, they perform several functions: Capture video of the area or process being monitored Transport the video stream to the video analytics, which typically resides in the enterprise network and not at the remote site with the video camera Analysis of the video stream to derive actionable information or data from the real-time feed, and Act upon the information or data extracted from the video where the system may or may not be collocated with the video camera. High-speed wireless networks are well suited for transporting data from remote sites to centralized locations, and again transporting information from the centralized location to remote or other sites where it is acted upon. These high-speed networks require high data rates, low latency and quality of services (QoS) capabilities. Application Examples An example of an integrated wireless video system employing a high-speed wireless network is remote facility access control. The video stream is transported from a remote site to the analytics engine located in the enterprise network where facial or license plate recognition is performed on the video stream. If the person or vehicle is to be on site, the on-site assess control system locks or unlocks a gate or door. In this example, the integrated system has the video source and assess the control system collocated. Another example is improving worker safety through transporting video and analytics where the analytics detects worker presence and activity. If the activity stops, the worker can be contacted through an emergency management system. If the worker does not respond to the contact, an emergency response team can be dispatched. In this example, video transported from the remote site is analyzed and drives inputs into emergency response systems that are not collocated. Video analytics is promising with a wide range of possible applications. However, it is the wireless high-speed network that makes these services viable and cost effective since the wireless network has the bandwidth to be used for multiple applications (voice, video, data and sensor) across multiple departments within the enterprise.
Solving The Challenges of Remote Wi-Fi in the Industrial Internet of Things
Most of us can relate to the frustration of when the Wi-Fi is down, or running slowly, or if we travel away from an established network and aren’t able to connect to another one nearby. The lack of Wi-Fi makes it impossible to check our emails, look up something on the internet, connect with others, or get our work done efficiently. In short, it makes us feel a little helpless and a whole lot of cranky because we’ve become way too accustomed to getting the information we want – when we want it – and staying in 24/7 connection with our world. Now, if we’re challenged by our Wi-Fi experiencing a service blip in a metropolitan area, imagine a remote industrial setting like an oil pad, a water treatment plant, or a rural electric tower. All of these reside in what is known as the access layer – or at the very outer edge of an IT network. Not only is there usually no internet connectivity in the access layer, but these devices are typically operating in rugged terrain where they’re experiencing extreme and volatile weather conditions such as wind, snow, blistering heat, tornadoes, dust storms, etc. Each of these access layer settings is part of a larger industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) network that connects the information gathered from local sensors that transmit or receive operational data. From there, they pass it along through subsequent network touch points all the way to the IT department at headquarters where this data is collected, analyzed, and acted upon for improved decision making. So, at the access layer – sometimes in the middle of nowhere where there can be no Wi-Fi networks for miles – talk about being disconnected from the world! Adding the environmental component to that, as well as the fact that most of these remote sites aren’t adequately monitored and data security is at risk, it makes your occasional Wi-Fi challenges seem a bit tame, yes? Here’s where wireless IIoT communications technology can help transmit this critical sensor data from remote industrial locations with no Wi-Fi connectivity all the way to where they’re supposed to go – and at very high speeds. This week, FreeWave is launching its new WavePro™ WP201 shorthaul and Wi-Fi platform that delivers secure collection, control, and transport of Voice, Video, Data, and Sensor (VVDS™) information from the access layer. Think of it as high-speed, rugged Wi-Fi connectivity that can be positioned in that oil pad, power plant or wherever Wi-Fi is needed. It will not only connect these sensors to the internet, but can also transport voice and video to create an instant in-field network, provide greater visibility into what’s going on at these sites, and better protect remote assets. The Advent of Short Haul and the Access Layer Change is inevitable, and change is taking place in SCADA, M2M and IIoT networks. SCADA networks started as networks that transported periodic process updates and used low bandwidth networks with longer links to meet their mission. Today, remote SCADA and Wi-Fi networks are transporting more data from more sensor data with greater frequency in order to drive operational efficiency into business processes. SCADA and M2M networks are becoming more multi-functional than their predecessors. These networks are transporting more than sensor data from the remote site to the enterprise. These networks linking remote sites to the enterprise network are now transporting: Video for remote process monitoring, enhanced site security and theft deterrence Voice, since cellular coverage is not ubiquitous Data so field personal have access to information needed to work efficiently This combination of data types is what FreeWave terms as VVDS™ (voice, video, data and sensor). VVDS transport is now a requirement for your wireless network. Another change occurring in traditional SCADA networks is that link distances are decreasing. In the past, SCADA networks with wireless links of more than 10 miles were common. Today, wireless links in excess of 10 miles typically use high speed, microwave, point-to-point (PTP) systems because of the increased capacity demands of VVDS. The WP201 links the formerly unconnectable and is designed to not only meet the harshest environmental conditions, but also encrypts the data to keep it secure and protected. It can be used in a wide variety of industries like oil & gas, utilities, mining, disaster recovery, facility automation – anywhere where field sensor information needs to be transmitted to servers for Sensor-2-Server™ (S2S™) connectivity. The applications are almost limitless. With higher speed, shorter wireless links, FreeWave defines wireless networks in three tiers: Long Haul (or the Distribution Layer) are wireless links from 5 miles, and greater and are typically implemented using high speed, PTP microwave systems. Short Haul (or the Aggregation Layer) are wireless links from 1 to 8 miles that are easily implemented using high speed, 2.4GHz or 5GHz radios with directional antennas to create point-to-multipoint (PMP) networks for data and information aggregation, or PTP links that provide network ingress/egress points. Close Haul (or the Access Layer) are PMP networks with wireless links operating from a few feet to a couple of miles to transport VVDS data. Designing and deploying wireless networks using a layer approach that enables each layer to be optimized for transport and for cost ─ leveraging the right equipment at the right point. The WP201 and its remote Wi-Fi and short haul capabilities is the first in a series of S2S products that FreeWave is offering to be that critical communication bridge in the IIoT world. So in your own operations, what are some ways you might incorporate the WP201 into your network?
IIoT Top News: CES 2016 & the Fate of IoT
All eyes appeared to be on the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016 in Las Vegas since last week, as more than 3,600 companies unveiled the IoT and IIoT innovations we can all expect to see in the coming year. This year’s CES showcased plans to make the car a complete mobile office—with technology in place to allow Skype calls and the use of Microsoft 365 from the car. The other hot theme at CES was drones – not a surprise since these unmanned crafts have pulled us in like a tracker-beam to the mother ship. The autonomous ‘copter drone was one of the most impressive releases with the reality that the businessman of tomorrow doesn’t need a private jet, just a ‘copter drone and a smart phone. Now, as we watched all the products rolled out for their various purposes, it seems we have more connected things to add to an already expansive connected world. How will IoT connectivity technologies weather the storm as demand continues to skyrocket? According to IDC Research, IoT is about to take center stage by globally growing from $656 billion in 2014 to $1.7 trillion by 2020. The buzzwords of 2016 and beyond, IoT and IIoT specifically, simply show we are moving to an “everything is connected” environment. Naturally, once the luster of a shiny new thing wears off, we are tasked with the goal of protecting a critical piece of the IoT world – the data. Businesses need to make sure they are keeping information safe and secure. In this digital innovation age, plenty of industries (and therefore technologies) can’t afford a hack or cybersecurity breach at any time, for fear of customer loss. Companies need to trust their digital information infrastructure will be not only be safe, but also high-performing – or they could very well risk extinction altogether. This week’s IIoT top news post takes another look at the fate of IIoT, as many new “connected things” hit the market this year. Hope you enjoy this week’s recap, and as always, tell us what we missed! Enterprise IoT Projects Will Be Costly, Lengthy and Vulnerable, Says Gartner (Computer Weekly) As the IIoT continues to inhabit day-to-day life, it’s not a surprise that, fifty percent of businesses will use some form of IoT systems by the year 2020. Gartner states that, “By 2020, addressing the black market and other compromises around IoT security will push overall security budgets up, with IoT costs expected to account for twenty percent of annual security budgets, compared with one percent in 2015.” Does Anyone Really Care About the Internet of Things? (Forbes) In this latest article by Forbes, Todd Hixon claims the term IoT was coined 17 years agoand he is still waiting for the killer ultimate app to come out. Hixon further suggests that when it comes to IoT, “Most of the time people prefer to ignore security and focus on more immediate needs and wants.” CES 2016 Takeaways: IoT Could Be the Death of Your Security Network (Network World) The real takeaway from CES 2016 is the overall lack of security for all these new IoT gadgets entering the market and how they fit into the IIoT ecosystem. Tom Henderson, from Network World believes the fate of IoT after CES is that “The damage, the damnation, the truculent total churl of the event was this: all of the new Internet of Thingies/IoT/KewlGear has no cohesive security strategy.” The Internet of Things: Hyped But Here to Stay (USA Today Tech) As the magnitude of connected things get ready for their clos-up, it would appear all the hype for IoT is here to stay. Edward Baig, with USA Today reports that, “You couldn’t walk around CES this week without hearing about or bumping into products related in some way to IoT, the tech industry’s inelegant way of describing all things connected.” What’s Next for the Internet of Things? (TECHCO) Sensors, software, electronic devices and M2M have taken over our daily lives. So, what’s next for IoT? Monoka Jha, with Tech.CO thinks the industry plan needs, “To use the Internet of Things optimally, we need to connect a device to different industries through varied media. For that to happen, the different industries need to have a common physical medium.”
IIoT Bold Prediction Series Part 3: Predictive Analytics Alters Fundamental IT/OT Practices
So far, our series of IIoT Bold Predictions for 2016 has focused on the concepts of IIoT security and government’s regulatory role in the development of IoT and IIoT devices. Today, we’re changing gears a bit, with a prediction from Scott Allen, FreeWave’s CMO, which focuses on the implementation of IIoT technology into big data practices to create real-time, data-driven intelligence. Prediction #3: Predictive Analytics Alters Fundamental IT/OT Practices Predictive analytics will change the nature of industrial communication systems and networks significantly over the next five years. Certain industrial sectors have long utilized machine-to-machine (M2M) technology, like manufacturing, utilities, and oil and gas, as the backbone to operations technology. However, as IIoT communication technology continues to improve at a rapid pace, these industries will begin implementing tech and business practices designed to create data synergy that will ultimately provide predictive analytics for better decision making. There are two elements at work that will push predictive analytics to the forefront of industrial communication systems. The first is the advancement of technology. Big data companies are making serious progress with comparing data-at-rest with data-in-motion as a strong basis for predicting outcomes with maximum accuracy. As the network infrastructure advances at the access layer in ways that allow analytic applications to be executed locally while communicating globally this trend will do nothing but accelerate. The second element that will drive change is the retiring or soon to be retiring workforce that drove the implementation and use of SCADA networks. This will create a knowledge gap that will require new technology to fill – and predictive analytics will be the one that fills that gap. Although an aging workforce is not unique to the IIoT sector, the transition will be pronounced and could, without incorporating predictive analytics practices, be accompanied by some significant growing pains. Looking Ahead Sensor-2-Server (S2S) technology will begin to ease the synergy between IIoT technology and big data. Ensuring accurate data transmission, collection and analysis in critical industries is an important step along the path to a connected world. As S2S technology proliferates, companies will see a significant impact on IT and OT practices, along with the ability to converge those two silos into more efficient and streamlined decision-making.