In our example, we avoided the “last mile” issue by using a wireless approach instead of installing wires for communications. Now, based on the range of the wireless signal, the user can walk around the factory floor with a Remote Console without any additional costs in infrastructure (i.e., no physical wire was installed) other than the wireless hardware. We insert a wireless device that will “pass” data from the communications pipe the flow meters are using to the laptop/console. Let’s adjust your network layout to support wireless. So, what do we do regarding your need for a Mobile Remote Console for your flow meter set-up? How do we create a communications “pipe” that does not require costly installation and maintenance? In one word: wireless. I can only surmise that it was not cost effective for them to install new lines for a limited customer base (i.e., the neighborhood). Long story short, I could not get the fastest speed. It was just not cost effective to install new fiber to the whole neighborhood. So, the phone company could get the fastest signal to our junction box in the neighborhood, but for the “last mile,” they were limited to whatever was historically there. The technician arrived, did the installation and informed me that I could not get the promised speed as the infrastructure in our neighborhood was not wired with fiber but standard copper. Excited, I decided to go for it and placed an order. After speaking with the sales person, they told me they had a complete fiber backbone that would provide the fastest fastest speed. Simply put, in sending “data” (which can mean any type of data – TV/cable, voice, DSL, communications protocols, etc.) from the source to the destination, there are issues within the “last mile” or last part of deployment.Ĭase in point, when we moved into our house many years back, I decided to upgrade our DSL to the fastest that our area provided. Well, this problem has many names but is best known as the “last mile” problem. Now, what happens if you’re on the factory floor and need to examine data from your a flowmeter? The problem is that you’re not near your Remote Console. You go to your Remote Console and examine and interact with a flow meter. So, in simple terms, your communications network looks like this: The communications line ends at your Remote Console that interacts with the meters. You’ve hired a technician to install the meters within a pipe, located a source to power the meters and finally ran cable for the communication support. You’ve enhanced your meters by utilizing a communications protocol for remote observation and control. Let’s assume you’ve just purchased another five flow meters and go about “wiring” them into your infrastructure. This time I want to expand on the physical aspects of the network as it relates to flowmeters, including mass air, oxygen, pipe, water and other types. Last time I wrote about unified communications, which is the ability to use discrete communications protocols within a protocol network.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |