Remote - Spring 2016 - (Page 23)

Feature Article Key Elements to Designing an IoT Network for Remote Monitoring Jason Wilson, Vice President, Business Development Ingenu The power, reach and availability of the Internet of Things (IoT) is enabling a host of remote network deployments. Industries such as energy, oil and gas, agriculture and others are utilizing remote devices to provide usage data, report faults or outages, and streamline processes, while reducing maintenance and operating costs. Applications never before imagined are now made possible as a result of the inherent capabilities of the IoT. When deploying a remote IoT network, a number of factors should be considered: * The network should provide the coverage to access the greatest number of remote devices per network access point * The network should be robust, reliable and secure * The network and IoT-enabled devices on it should be able to operate for decades without upgrades or maintenance * Affordability is also an important factor in covering remote assets * The network should be scalable with the capacity to allow for future growth and addition of new applications Coverage is perhaps the most difficult element to address when implementing a remote IoT network. The benefits of remote monitoring can be negated if the network is unable to reach assets at the edge. Therefore, the fundamental design of the network should be able to cover as many devices as possible with minimal infrastructure investment. For example, WellAware, a data company in the oil and gas industry, deployed a remote network to control its digital oilfield assets (see page 24). The network was designed so that each individual network access point (AP) was able to provide reliable coverage to thousands of end-point devices, spanning hundreds of square miles. This coverage allowed WellAware to accurately collect valuable data from its remote sensors which, in turn, enabled intelligent analytics for enhanced oilfield operation. For remote locations, network security is as imperative as the physical protection of the remote assets themselves. Every transaction on the network must be secured from end-point to AP to backhaul to head-end system. In fact, SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems, commonly used in energy applications, realized a more than 31 percent increase in cyber attacks from 2013 to 2014, according to the Dell 2015 Security Annual Report. As such, to protect the network from being compromised, it should be built with the same security characteristics as enterprise networks, including: mutual authentication, message confidentiality, device anonymity, secure multicasts and authentic firmware upgrades-all based on current approved security standards. Longevity is not always the first consideration when deploying a network, but is conceivably the most crucial when calculating return on the network investment. End-point devices deployed in the field should be able to operate for decades without the need for service. A majority of remote applications transmit less than one megabyte of data per month, so current advances in low-power operation and battery technology enable devices to operate for 10 to even 20 years following installation, and the network should operate with the same life span as the devices it supports. Case in point, there are millions of perfectly good IoT devices currently operating on 2G and 3G cellular networks that are now faced with obsolescence as they must make way for new networks-a pattern which will surely be repeated with the next network upgrade. Remote monitoring is specifically designed to lessen or even eliminate the need for physical examination and servicing of assets. So, a remote monitoring network should be specifically designed as it was intended to be used. A network built for machines, for instance, requires far less infrastructure than a cellular or satellite network because it is only supporting lowpower transmission of data between machines. It does not need to maintain voice, video or other high-bandwidth applications, so it does not need the associated infrastructure or upkeep. Therefore, a purpose-built machine network provides exclusive machine connectivity at a significantly lower investment in capital and resources over the life of the network. Finally, a remote network should be able to grow with the needs of the applications that it serves. A scalable network should be designed to leverage the initial network investment by increasing the capacity of devices it powers. For example, a network that monitors oil pressure could potentially expand to add temperature and humidity or even motion-sensing capabilities, without the need for additional infrastructure. Please see Ingenu contnied on page 26 Remote Site & Equipment Management \ Spring 2016 23

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Remote - Spring 2016

Editor's Choice
Driving Real-Time Insight in the Oil and Gas Industry
One Network to Rule Them All
Rolls-Royce Power Systems Protection Underground Data Center
Going Beyond Compliance: Using NERC CIP v5 as a Catalyst for a Greater Security Strategy
Different Hardware Platforms, Same HMI Software
Satellite Communications: Extending the Reach of Your Monitoring and Control Footprint
Key Elements to Designing an IoT Network for Remote Monitoring
4G LTE Versus Wi-Fi Versus Bluetooth: What Every Aspiring IoT Entrepreneur Needs to Know
SCADA
Networking
Security
Onsite Power
Industry News

Remote - Spring 2016