The Remote Monitoring Industry

There are now many ways to monitor remote equipment without sending someone out from site to site, every week or every month. New wireless sensing devices, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) applications, and legacy PLC or ModBus hardware attached to cellular routers and modems now provide increased flexibility and portability for such applications. Mesh and Sensor Networks can be used to collect information from multiple sources and send it to one 'hub' location where all of the data is transmitted to a central site via a wireless data carrier.

Pipelines can be monitored from hundreds of miles away, and repair crews can be dispatched immediately in case of an emergency. Industrial applications are available to monitor tank levels, production processes and machinery status. Tower companies can ensure that the lights on their towers stay lit. Utility companies can now use wireless systems to monitor and conserve precious resources such as gas and water.

It is now possible to connect almost any remote device to a real-time information system in order to improve service, increase efficiencies, cut costs and introduce connectivity in places where phone lines or cables are unfeasible or too costly.

These opportunities coupled with dramatically reduced costs in cellular and satellite communications has made wireless machine to machine (M2M) communication an extremely viable concept.

The following are just some of the remote monitoring M2M business solutions CrossBridge can help your company implement and manage:

• Remote monitoring of water/waste treatment plants.
• Automated Meter reading.
• Power Utilization and Generation - Smart Grids.
• Tower Lighting Applications.
• Wireless monitoring of fuel storage tanks, chemical plants and oil or gas pipelines
• "On-Demand" remote diagnostics for the heavy equipment industry
• Wireless delivery of critical patient medical data.

Water is one of our most important resources. Most of us take clean water for granted but it takes a lot of work to get water from the point or origin into our taps. Similarly, it is a complicated process to convert wastewater into a form that is safe to release into the environment. Many of these treatment plants are located in remote locations and harsh environments. Wireless applications can allow system operators to run the equipment and control the processes that treat water or remove pollutants at many plants from a central location.

Automated Meter Reading (AMR) refers to the technology used for automating the collection of water and energy consumption data. At a pre-determined interval an AMR application can deliver real-time billing usage to a central database using wireless networking technology. Exception alerts could be generated when consumption analysis exceeds a specified threshold. A central server could send commands to take corrective action if required.

The continued growth in the need for electricity is taxing the capabilities of power generating plants everywhere. Utility companies are scrambling to implement "smart grid" technologies to prevent brown-outs and black-outs and to conserve precious resources. Corporations and individual consumers are looking at "smart meter" technologies that can remotely monitor and regulate energy consumption. Real-time usage figures can predict energy consumption in order to take a pro-active approach to energy management

Aviation obstruction lights are lighting devices installed atop towers, high-rise structures, and buildings which are used as a part of aircraft collision avoidance measures. Tower monitoring companies must ensure that the lights on these structures remain illuminated in compliance with FAA regulations. Stiff fines are imposed if an obstruction light has failed and has not been reported to the FAA. The Notices To Airmen (NOTAM) is the most important part of the monitoring process. Wireless monitoring allows tower monitoring companies to detect failures in real time and send the proper NOTAM notifications to the FAA.

There are tens of millions of storage tanks worldwide filled with fuel, water or other chemicals required to build and deliver a companies products. Agricultural storage tanks filled with liquid fertilizer or whole-grain products may require real-time monitoring of levels and other environmental factors. Wireless applications for these storage facilities are available to monitor tank levels, production processes, flow rates and delivery status which have demonstrated dramatic cost savings.

CrossBridge can help you to plan, pilot, and deploy the most efficient, cost-effective wireless solutions available.

Give us a call, and within minutes of talking with the sales team you will understand -

WE KNOW WIRELESS!