Talk to Me: Remote Asset Management in the Extreme

Summary

Remote asset management—the monitoring, control and maintenance of machines or equipment without using a physical wired connection—may be the single most important collection of industrial wireless applications.

Secure remote operations address many industrial challenges, from lack of technical personnel to inhospitable/inaccessible areas to 24/7 lights-out production. Underlying these operations are interconnected and layered wireless technologies creating systems of systems.

This June issue of InTech digital magazine focuses on wireless communications—from the technologies that enable it to the applications made better by it.  We’re also taking inspiration from the maritime industry to explore remote asset management there and its lessons for industrial operations.

Open, standards-based wireless networks, such as those supported by ISA100.11a and WirelessHART, provide secure, reliable and scalable communications for industrial applications. Along with private 5G cellular and other technologies, wireless networks enable remote monitoring, control, maintenance, asset tracking, workforce safety, and improved plant efficiency.

Providers of global satellite connectivity and shipboard communications are meeting the needs of extremely remote communications. From lunar rovers to arctic cargo vessels to luxury superyachts, their wireless communication systems are supporting the business and operational needs of assets with always-on connectivity—from anywhere on Earth regardless of environmental conditions.

AST Networks worked with a UK-based crew transfer vessel company providing support to offshore windfarms. The company wanted a communications system and onboard connectivity solution that would improve security and empower the crew and offshore teams with onboard internet connectivity. AST Networks engineers crafted a secure, custom, onboard solution for dual service: business-internet access and crew Wi-Fi access.  

Each vessel now benefits from a firewall and router that secure the traffic passing between the satellite and all connected devices. These filter and block certain applications to protect against security risks or breaches and ensure continuous communications. Voice over internet (VOIP) phones enable business communications and an onboard switch connects to additional devices as needed.

The customer wanted high-quality internet access for its crews and overall crew welfare, so a voucher system grants them personal internet access for connecting with family and friends as well as for onboard entertainment. Separate networks ensure access to fast internet and a high-quality connection even with business communications as the priority.

While satellite communication is useful for open ocean coverage, 5G cellular technology provides connectivity near coastlines and ports through hybrid connectivity solutions that combine satellite links with fiber-optics, microwave links or terrestrial cellular networks. This explosion of wireless technology is meeting the needs of industry by providing improved performance, greater security, lower latency and higher bandwidths, enabling remote asset management in the extreme.

_{This feature originally appeared in the June 2024 issue of InTech digital magazine.}