Machine-to-machine (M2M) is a broad label used to describe automated communication between mechanical or electronic devices. M2M applications use Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) or Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) to collect data from the mechanical or electronic devices and send it over the M2M network to a control center where the data is analysed and actions are taken. In other words, M2M allows networked machines to exchange information and perform actions without the manual assistance of humans.
Over the last decade we have seen a revolution in machine-to-machine applications driven by the ever expanding capabilities and lower costs of wireless networking. This revolution has allowed M2M applications to expand beyond the local fiber network to enable many new applications such as fleet management, inventory tracking, Smart Grids and the Digital Oil Field.
I was recently asked about the challenges network planners face in selecting the type of network for M2M communications – broadband or cellular. As you might expect the answer depends on the application and where it is deployed.
Cellular connectivity may be the best solution for applications with low data content, in particular low data content sent from the collection points to the control center, and in areas where high cellular coverage has been installed to handle human to human voice traffic. For example a fleet management system that tracks vehicles. This application has a high degree of mobility and has low data content which is an excellent match with the capabilities of a cellular network.
However, most industrial M2M applications are deployed in areas with marginal or no cellular coverage. These areas are often very environmentally hostile, with rugged hilly terrain, high level of radio interference, limited access to power and limited wired network access. Despite these difficult conditions, the M2M communication network must deliver data in real time and deliver it reliably. For example, in the Digital Oil Field, Smart Drills need to be adjusted in real time in order to minimize drilling time. Delays in getting the data can cost money and if the data is not received reliably wrong actions could be taken causing the situation to get out of hand very quickly. Additionally, reliable real time delivery may be critical for safety reasons.
Fortunately for network planners, Redline has been a major supplier of Machine-to-Machine wireless technology for these demanding applications for over a decade. Redline radios with Virtual FiberTM technology were designed from the ground-up to provide the capacity, range, reliability and real-time performance necessary for these applications. That’s why oil and gas companies, municipalities, military organizations and utilities have installed more Redline M2M communication networks than any other vendor.
So how does it work? Redline’s M2M solution provides the aggregation points for the localized networks (WPLAN, WLAN, wired LAN) to connect data and control terminals and other collection devices. Depending on the application, the Redline Machine-to-Machine wireless technology can be fixed or set up to support nomadic and portable sites. Data from the various aggregation sites is then further aggregated and reliably transmitted over very long distances using Redline’s high throughput radios to the trunk/core (fiber) network completing the connection to the M2M application servers for analysis.
Redline developed Virtual FiberTM technology specifically to let you build out your core network to locations where the cost and time to install fiber is prohibitive. And you can do this while retaining the key capabilities of fiber – capabilities such as reliable data delivery, low latency and high security and scalability.
Reliable data delivery in harsh environments is assured with Redline’s enhanced error detection and ARQ protocols. Security is assured with AES-256, X.509 authentication and FIPS 140-2 certification – the stringent security required by federal government and military customers. And because Redline radios are fully software configurable you get complete scalability with a simple software download.
Combine all this functionality with Redline’s lowest power consumption and highly reliable hardware and you get worry-free Machine-to-Machine communications networking to all your facilities. Now that’s meeting the M2M challenge head on.
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