Why Wire Technology Will Continue to Coexist with Wireless

Authored by Gary Bateman, Managing Director, LAPP India

The Age of Wireless Technology

There is no doubt about the fact that the world is indeed turning wireless. With intelligent robots, smart factories and industry automation getting widely adopted, wireless technology is growing at an impressive rate. This wireless technology is accompanied by higher speed and inevitably, more data that is generated and transferred.  However, it demands an infrastructure backed by wire technology with extensive fibre optic connections and decentralized data processing in the network on site. This opens up more opportunities for the cable and connection industry to grow and adapt to the changing demands from industry environments driven by wireless technology.  

The restrictions of wireless technology

Depending on the environment in which it is being utilised, wireless technology has certain challenges and restrictions:

• Latency- Latency can be defined as the delay between an action triggered at point A and following performance at point B. This is an important aspect in the wireless transmission of data. This is most relevant in the case of a production process coupling sensors and actuators, where performance comes down to the millisecond, if not the microsecond. If the required data is not delivered on time, it can result in unwanted disruptions in the work and can even put the staff’s safety at risk. So far, the upcoming 5G standard promises 1ms latency but has been achieved only in the test phase. We will have to wait and see if this can be made a reality in the actual industry environment and if it can live up to the industry’s high standards.
• Interference resistance- Electronics in factory environments are often susceptible to radio signals and can even be burdened with other signals. Setting up a wireless connection that has interference resistance along with wide coverage can be an extremely expensive process. Data security is also an issue of concern as hackers can infiltrate wireless networks and gain access to sensitive data, which is a threat for any business. Given that wire technology is less susceptible to threats, they are a more popular option currently as compared to wire technology.
• Cost implications of wireless technology in the manufacturing sector- In the manufacturing sector of industries such as automotive, wireless technology has its own set of challenges. The wireless transmission of the high amounts of power required for processes such as powering engines and lasers, moving and welding of car parts etc. can lead to huge financial losses. Batteries are also not a suitable option for such high-power intensive processes. 

The potential for wire and cable technology in the age of wireless technology

As a result of digitalisation as well as the emergence of smart factories, the number of connections required in a factory or industry setting will increase multifold as all the machines and systems within a facility will have to be interconnected. There is also a resultant need of increased amounts of data to be transferred from one unit to the other. This calls for hybrid and custom cable solutions that are compact, light, use minimal space and offer high speed data transfer. Digitalisation has also led to the spread of automation technology across sectors, and it is interesting to note is that cables form the backbone of the industrial automation sector. 

Cable technology still ranks higher in terms of security and reliability in comparison with wireless, which retains their position as the backbone of wireless communication in most environments. For example, stranded copper wires with a Polyethylene outer sheath are an ingeniously simple and low-cost way for transmitting data and electricity from point A to point B and if the cable is shielded, it also becomes largely immune to external electromagnetic interference, ensuring continued functioning without any disruptions of other components.  The advantages of using cables are undeniable - especially considering factors such as transmission of power in industrial environments. Advancing electrification and networking in factories will lead to an increase in demand for cables to guarantee the high transmission rates. Hence, there is very little possibility of wireless technology pushing out cable-based systems. The suitable option is to design settings where they will increasingly complement one another.

In terms of factory automation, Industrial Ethernet is currently dominating, with Ethernet-based connections having a market share of more than 50 per cent, which represents an annual increase of 22 per cent presently. The future of factories will be driven by Ethernet, with industry needs such as high performance, the integration of factory installations and IT/IoT systems and Industrial Internet of Things being the main growth drivers.  Single-pair Ethernet has very interesting use cases for industrial automation applications using which, installation work and errors can be reduced considerably. Moreover, the cabling occupies lesser space and also reduces component costs. 

There is a rising demand for connectivity solutions for highly complex, increasingly automated factory infrastructures. Flexibility, security and performance are crucial, and the combined development and usage of innovative wireless connections backed by wire technology will serve as ideal solutions to address the current industry challenges.