Industry experts provide their perspective on the trends and technology in Industrial Wireless applications. From Industrial 5G to Wi-Fi 6, technology and speed advances — along with the need for more flexible networking to meet the needs of IIoT applications — is driving innovations in industrial wireless communication.

5G offers promising performance enhancements for consumer applications, with up to 20x more throughput than 4G and up to 100x more users in a single cell. But industrial applications will benefit far more from the boost in 5G performance, even though industrial applications have a different set of network requirements.

High performance integrated and discrete RF and microwave components can be implemented across the entire frequency spectrum to enable application specific designs for a contactless Gbps-level data transmission via rotary joints.

AiR GUARD technology uses a cellular wireless device to enable monitoring and calculation of the carbon dioxide produced by manufacturing processes from field sites. It connects digital meters via Modbus RS-485, and data is transmitted in an encrypted format through the Azure Sphere chipset.

Industrial wireless technologies are indeed required to enable autonomous and remote-controlled robots and vehicles, to improves collaboration between mobile workers and increase the overall efficiency and safety of an industrial system. Reliability is a key issue for all of these applications.

Phoenix Contact has a vision to leap manufacturing forward today with fast industrial wireless connectors. It found a collaborative partner with expertise in mmW (RF) technology to get to market faster to achieve its goal in Analog Devices. Here is an overview of their joint approach to next-generation wireless technology.

A Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) report explores how autonomous Mobile Robots, Automatic Guided Vehicles, Augmented and Virtual Reality use cases can be addressed with Industrial Internet of Things deployment guidelines.

A Rapid Roaming enhanced WIFI client monitors surroundings and prepares new access points (APs) before die-down and drop-off connection processes take place. Protocols are used to seek a new AP when communication is healthy, assuring throughput and faster transitions and switch times.

IoT-connected sensors with cloud-based geolocation capabilities allow organizations to monitor assets over large geographic regions. With this technology in place, retailers can work directly with their manufacturers and logistics partners to mitigate potential delays in the supply chain while managing customer expectations.

pLTE is truly a paradigm shift for industrial customers with challenging wireless needs. Businesses requiring a more secure network with higher reliability, more mobility, and broader coverage areas should seriously consider pLTE technology.