While automation is one of the most prominent trends associated with Industry 4.0, the latest phase of the Industrial Revolution, another key element of Industry 4.0 is wireless data, and the ways that real-time information, made available over wireless connections, enhances industrial operations.
From production to warehousing and delivery, a wide variety of Industry 4.0 use cases build on the new ways we can wirelessly gather, analyze, interact with, and use real-time information. Whether it’s smart sensors wirelessly transmitting status at key points of the production line, wireless Augmented Reality (AR) headsets helping maintenance personnel analyze and repair equipment, or Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs) wirelessly navigating a warehouse to restock inventory – Industry 4.0 relies heavily on the latest capabilities of wireless connectivity.
In part 2, Peter Raggam discusses Wi-Fi 6 use cases in depth for Industry 4.0.
When wireless coverage needs to service a large outdoor area, such as a shipping port or an industrial park, 5G cellular is a logical choice for deploying Industry 4.0 use cases. In some instances, especially at large-scale production sites, manufacturers are even deploying and operating their own private 5G networks as part of their Industry 4.0 strategies.
This makes sense, since 5G offers high-density, low-latency, broadband operation over a wide area, so it’s a good option for Industry 4.0 use cases like high-definition video surveillance covering a large outdoor area, automated traffic control to manage the flow of delivery vehicles, and autonomous delivery drones that service outdoor locations.
When operations move indoors, though, and wireless signals don’t have to travel over such long distances, the latest generation of Wi-Fi technology, Wi-Fi 6, is often a more cost-effective approach for deploying Industry 4.0 use cases, because Wi-Fi 6 is less expensive to deploy and operate compared to cellular:
Wi-Fi 6 operates in unlicensed bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and now 6 GHz, with Wi-Fi 6E), so there are no spectrum fees or access charges to pay.
Wi-Fi 6 access points are typically less expensive than their cellular counterparts, and a full Wi-Fi 6 deployment can be created using only access points and a controller for management. 5G typically requires additional hardware, including Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) servers and small-cell gateways, on top of access points.
The introduction of 6 GHz spectrum, with Wi-Fi 6E, opens up new spectrum space and enables low-cost expansion. The 6 GHz bands can be used for large-scale deployments of smart sensors that connect to the Internet of Things (IoT), as well as high-bandwidth applications such as Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR)
NXP offers one of the broadest wireless portfolios in the industry, and our early success with Wi-Fi 6 shows just how committed we are to creating a connected world that anticipates and automates.
To learn more about our Wi-Fi 6 solutions, www.nxp.com/wifi6
Peter is Wireless Connectivity Marketing Manager at NXP Semiconductors. Responsible for driving the company’s Industrial segment as part of the Connected IOT Business, Peter is an industry veteran with over 25 years in the semiconductor market.
