The key criteria for a successful M2M wireless communication strategy are to reduce costs, improve processes and become more effective.
What is M2M Wireless Communications?
Machine-to-Machine or M2M refers to technologies that allow pieces of equipment to communicate with each other through wireless systems. M2M uses a device,
for example a meter or sensor to record an event, such as a temperature, which is relayed through a wireless network to an application such as a software program, which then translates this into meaningful information.
Within a basic framework, there are many different choices to make such as how the machine is connected, what type of communication is used, and how the data is used. Even though it can be complex, once a company knows what it wants to do with the data, the options for setting up the application are usually straightforward.
Two-way wireless communications between M2M devices can be used, with the data flowing 2 ways:
• Uplink to collect product and usage information
• Downlink to send instructions or software updates, or to remotely monitor equipment.
M2M wireless communications have expanded and are now used to transmit data to personal appliances. M2M is used in applications such as meter reading, vending machines, point of sales terminals, transport and logistics, security systems, patient monitoring in healthcare and wireless connectivity for devices in cars.
How it works
Here are a couple of examples of how M2M wireless communications work.
Automated Meter Reading
This automatically collects consumption, diagnostic and status data from water, gas or electric meters to provide information to a central database which might include maintenance issues, billing, troubleshooting and analysis.
This saves a lot of time for engineers, who would have to come out and check meters and billing could be based on real time consumption and not just estimates.
Vending Machine Monitoring
This enables vending machines to automatically calculate stock levels, sales transactions, vending temperature and can send alarms in terms of crime or stock shortages. The data is transmitted through wireless communications to a central system.
WAVE2M is a community of companies who have adopted their open standard. They promote the use of a wireless standard for low power, long-range mesh networks. WAVE2M believe standardisation for wireless communications is important for the M2M industry to be efficient and integrated.
