A complete asset management system offers a comprehensive view of raw materials, WIP, finished goods inventory, and real-time tracking – all the way from the fulfilment process to the end customer. Measuring the health of capital equipment used to produce and move these goods minimizes downtime and outages. Together with sensor data that reports on the location of high-value cargo, a big picture can be painted.
Wi-Fi HaLow is an industry standard wireless solution which provides a secure bidirectional flow of information for exactly these systems in sub-GigaHertz frequencies. Wi-Fi HaLow uses narrower channels than normal 2.4GHz or 5GHz Wi-Fi.
Morse Micro, a semiconductor company, designs low-power Integrated Circuits (ICs) compliant to this international standard. Equipment suppliers can build tags, trackers, scanners and monitors which operate across a wide range of distances and data rates. To illustrate the features of Wi-Fi Halow 802.11ah in logistics, four use cases are inspected in detail; a large warehouse, tags & trackers, pickers & scanners, and security systems.
LARGE WAREHOUSES—DISTANCE & DENSITY
The network infrastructure of a large warehouse needs to provide ample bandwidth and enough capacity for all the devices on-site. Planning how to overlay service for 100,000 square feet of warehouse for conventional Wi-Fi service using 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands requires many dozens of Access Points (APs). The maximum density of clients that can be served this way is typically measured in terms of 100s of clients per AP – quite low.
In contrast, a Wi-Fi HaLow AP signal reaches 10x farther, covering 100x the area, and 1000x the volume of normal Wi-Fi. Each HaLow AP can support up to 8,191 client devices; many more than conventional Wi-Fi. To cover the same 100,000 square foot warehouse with HaLow requires only a few new APs or HaLow expansion radio cards. HaLow can be added to existing infrastructure without impacting the RF performance of the highly-tuned higher bandwidth networks, or the wiring closet.
TAGS AND TRACKERS
Wi-Fi HaLow operates in sub-GigaHertz frequencies, with narrower channels than normal 2.4GHz Wi-Fi. The benefit of Wi-Fi HaLow technology for tags or trackers is that signals reach farther and penetrate objects better at lower total power. HaLow retains the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation scheme of Wi-Fi, which improves robustness of connections in multipath environments.
With Wi-Fi HaLow routers, cargo carriers can establish 2-way satellite internet connections on their trucks, trains, planes, ships or warehouses. HaLow allows multiple customers' shipments to be aggregated on board whilst still providing improved connectivity throughout. Each customer can have separate encrypted L3 tunnels back to their home platforms using Morse Micro's internet-ready SOCs.
Perishable items such as fruit must be kept in optimal environmental conditions and therefore their transit from A to B should be monitored with a Wi-Fi HaLow smart tracker. These trackers can range from temperature sensors, to ethylene gas sensors measuring ripeness, all the way to accelerometers to measure g-force shock. These tags can be built using low-cost coin cell batteries and last for years.
The need for trackers increases where strict compliance to regulations is demanded. Morse Micro's Wi-Fi HaLow SOCs include secure boot technology that enables trusted platform connections of encrypted communications over the air.
PICKERS AND SCANNERS:
Mobile workers and automated robotic product handlers on the floor require the flexibility of traversing the warehouse without losing connectivity. Wi-Fi HaLow provides the robust connection needed – whether that's for a robot bringing a shelf to the sorting line, or a human driving a forklift to an aisle.
Many popular handheld IR scanners, printers, and picking assistance devices need to be recharged every day, or plugged in to wall power in order to maintain a Wi-Fi connection. With Wi-Fi HaLow the power required for the communications link is a small fraction of prior solutions. HaLow can also be used as a long-distance bridge for RFID scanners that require mobility to different parts of the warehouse or loading dock.
SECURITY & SAFETY
Surveillance cameras and motion detectors combined with smart access technology are popular tools for monitoring in logistics. Wi-Fi HaLow has the bandwidth to support wireless cameras and sensors deployed in hard-to-reach places, potentially where power cannot be supplied. In combination with the tag and tracking devices mentioned above, this coverage could be extended beyond a warehouse. Lost pallets or high-value assets can be tracked and located at any given time.
Wi-Fi HaLow technology for the above applications will have a positive impact on the efficiency and quality of IoT in logistics. A well-rounded solution for a variety of use cases and devices.
