Industrial Wireless: From Data Platforms to Strategic Solutions

If you are reading this article, you are most likely a consumer of wireless technology—at least in your personal life. In the industrial space, wireless has been utilized for dozens of years for the transmission of data from personal devices or fixed assets and based upon a specific job function or where wired communication was not feasible or desirable. However, the proliferation of smartphones, tablets, and Industry 4.0 drivers such as digital twins, augmented reality, gamification, and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has created opportunities for expanded industrial wireless solutions and capabilities with a much broader range of users and use cases. This includes everyone from shop floor users and geographically dispersed asset management teams to the top floor where executives are realizing that wireless isn’t only a technology platform; it offers technology solutions delivering safety, efficiency, and cost reductions with positive impact to the bottom line.