COVER STORY
Expand your already reliable networks with ease Using four applications, Moxa takes a closer look at the challenges faced when expanding edge networks and recommends strategies that may help reduce the hassles of configuration and maintenance.
E
xpanding a network or increasing its complexity to meet growing connectivity demands is not always necessary. Although it is relatively easy to just add one more networking node to a network, the combined effort of configuring, maintaining, and troubleshooting a network may probably surpass the initial cost of a future-proof device. Before moving on to recommendations, let us first learn a bit more about each of the applications. Application 1: Adopting automated sortation for production efficiency – A food processing manufacturer invested in new production assets, including an automated sortation system that improved food sorting efficiency. Field staff were pleased to work with the automated sorting process, but they were concerned about unfamiliar network signals and maintenance. To address these concerns, the system upgrade required: • No requirement of IT skills for rapid deployment, and a trouble-free operation and easy maintenance. • Delivering I/O tagged data with high priority for real-time applications. • Small network switches with high port density that fit in control cabinets that hold over 10 devices in a limited space. Application 2: Field asset monitoring along a pipeline deployment – An oil and gas company expanded networks to keep up with their crude oil wells exploration. The field network was built to control and monitor field
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May 2020
instruments between oil wells, EMS workstations, and the remote OCC control center. The control cabinets were built separately from network cabinets for field operations and required simple but highly reliable connections capable of sending alarm notifications. The expanded network had the following requirements: • Rugged network devices to operate in hazardous locations. • An instant warning function for onsite monitoring. • Enhanced noise resistance to transfer EMS and I/O data to a local network console. Application 3: Reliable data and image collection from ETC gantries – New toll gantries for electronic toll collection were deployed in an open-road toll system. The toll gantry required an Ethernet switch that could collect data from vehicle-detection
and fare-deduction equipment, and then uplink to a roadside cabinet as a backhaul to the remote operations center. The system requirements included: • Durable industrial-grade devices that work reliably in an open-road environment. • Connections of over 100 meters to uplink video streams and sensor data to roadside cabinets. • Easy installation and long-lasting reliability to reduce the time spent on the maintenance of the gantries. Application 4: Deep well pump monitoring for automated marine application – A ship added data monitoring for deep well pump systems to create self-contained units for marine automation. The pump systems required simple and reliable Ethernet switches to send real-time status information and instant relay alarm warnings to monitor operational safety.
Application 1
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