The end-to-end asset management system based on the IoT platform can provide a comprehensive layout of raw materials, work in process (WIP), finished product inventory and real-time tracking, from the management of the execution process to the management of terminal delivery. These asset management systems can also assess the health of the capital equipment used to produce and transport these goods, minimizing the cost of repairs, downtime and downtime. With wireless sensors providing data on the location of high-value goods, companies can gain a global view of the logistics chain. Whether a company has a complete logistics chain or shares resources with other companies, decision makers need to have a transparent view of real-time information at every point. A comprehensive supply chain management system that ultimately enables predictable planning, minimal inventory loss, guaranteed regulatory compliance and customer satisfaction.
While businesses recognize the enormous value IoT brings to asset management, the challenge is to seamlessly connect remote sensors to the Internet across multiple locations, across different locations indoors and out. The ideal wireless connectivity technology should be standards-based, cost-effective, and low-power to maintain long battery life and be able to span long distances.
For example, asset tracking and supply chain management systems require wireless connectivity for secure, two-way information flow, and Wi-Fi HaLow is perfect. As a sub-1GHz protocol, Wi-Fi HaLow uses narrower channels than the 2.4GHz, 5GHz and newly added 6GHz versions of Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi-HaLow is also a low-power, long-range solution with far higher throughput than any other proprietary wireless technology that offers superior coverage, data capacity, and battery life There are deficiencies.
Equipment vendors can use optimized Wi-Fi HaLow chips and protocol stacks to create wireless asset tags, trackers, scanners and monitors to operate over longer distances and within a range of data rates. These wireless IoT devices, which can access the Internet through standard HaLow Access Points (APs), span all logistics and warehousing fields.
Below are four factory automation and asset management use cases that illustrate how Wi-Fi HaLow technology can be integrated in the supply chain.
Smart Tags and Trackers
Perishable goods, such as fruits and vegetables, must be stored in optimal environmental conditions and closely monitored throughout transit using smart wireless trackers. These trackers can be sensors that measure temperature and humidity, ethylene gas sensors that measure maturity, and accelerometers that measure gravitational shock.
Through a Wi-Fi HaLow access point on a truck, ship, train or plane, real-time data from HaLow sensors can be continuously delivered to all parties in the supply chain. The tracker’s sub-GHz signal, which can penetrate bulk materials, enables connectivity even in densely packed cargo containers. Knowing the exact location and current condition of each container of perishable goods can help shippers determine next steps, such as choosing the right grocery store to receive the shipment at optimal maturity. Wireless sensor tags can run on inexpensive batteries and can last for years. The tags can also be reprogrammed and redeployed for reuse in future shipments.
Pickers and Scanners
In warehouses and other large storage environments, signal strength isn’t the only challenge wireless networks face. Power supply is also an issue. Popular handheld infrared scanners, printers and picking aids must be recharged daily or wall plugged to maintain uninterrupted wireless connectivity.
The power required for the Wi-Fi HaLow communication link is a fraction of the power consumption of proprietary wireless solutions. This energy efficiency greatly extends battery life and the time the mobile device is moved around the warehouse area, so the device doesn’t have to use the wall plug all the time. Since RFID scanners need to be moved to different locations in a warehouse or loading area, Wi-Fi-HaLow can also be used as a long-distance bridge for RFID scanners.
Large, high-density factories and warehouses
The traditional wired network of factory automation is based on proprietary protocols, and its infrastructure is rapidly aging, and can no longer meet the new requirements of modern equipment in terms of coverage, capacity and security. Using traditional Wi-Fi in the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bands to provide wireless coverage to a 100,000-square-foot factory or warehouse requires dozens of access points. Each access point requires a Power over Ethernet (PoE) cable to connect to the wiring closet switch. Additionally, a server-based controller may be required to manage security and roaming. The maximum density for traditional Wi-Fi to serve this way is rather low, with only a few hundred or so clients per access point.
In contrast, Wi-Fi HaLow access points can reach signals 10 times farther than traditional 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, covering 100 times the area and up to 1,000 times the capacity. The penetration of sub-GHz signals on the production floor and on multiple stock shelves is better than the 2.4GHz signals used by traditional Wi-Fi. Each HaLow access point can support up to 8,191 client devices, which is significantly more than traditional Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi HaLow connectivity can also be added to existing factory and warehouse infrastructure without compromising high bandwidth network or wiring closet wireless connectivity performance.
Security and Safety
Surveillance cameras and motion detectors combined with smart access technology are effective tools for monitoring production lines and goods in transit or storage. For example, a combination of connected door locks and smart lighting can solve critical issues of building safety and help protect raw materials, finished goods, and even the people involved in the manufacturing, warehousing, and shipping processes.
Wi-Fi HaLow has sufficient bandwidth to support the deployment of wireless cameras and sensors in hard-to-reach places where wired power is not available. Using the remote capabilities of Wi-Fi-HaLow, wireless tags and tracking devices can be used to extend signal coverage beyond the warehouse. As a result, shippers can track and locate lost pallets and high-value assets at any time.
Connecting the Future of Factory Automation and Supply Chain Logistics
As global manufacturing and supply chains become increasingly complex and interconnected, companies around the world are harnessing the power of wireless IoT technology to simplify factory automation, logistics tracking, and asset tracking.
Wi-Fi HaLow provides the best protocol for factory automation and end-to-end real-time asset management. HaLow overcomes the distance limitations, network congestion and higher power consumption of traditional Wi-Fi and other proprietary protocols, as well as the limited number of wireless devices connected to a single access point. These constraints hinder the emergence of new IoT-centric supply chain models across industries. By addressing these challenges, Wi-Fi-HaLow is gaining momentum in the logistics and asset management market as a standards-based wireless solution, gaining traction in the long-range, high-capacity, low-power, high-data-rate, and low-deployment markets. The best balance between costs is achieved.