DO YOU UTILIZE WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY? January 2015 http:///publications/studies/survey_wireless.html
Survey Details Topic: Utilization of wireless technologies among German companies Timeframe: Sep 15, 2014 Nov 30, 2014 Participants: 51 Fraunhofer ESK previously conducted a survey on the topic of wireless utilization in 2011. This data is incorporated in some of the current survey results for comparison purposes. Page 2
Do you use wireless technology? 2014 Yes No 2011 Yes No 31% 46% 54% 69% Two-thirds of the 2014 survey respondents use wireless technologies, an increase of 15 percent from 2011. Page 3
Which applications do you deploy wireless for? 2014 2011 74% 66% 57% Not applicable in 2011 Applicable in 2011 and 2014 36% 31% 25% 22% 22% 20% 20% 17% 14% 14% 11% 3% 17% 14% 8% 6% 3% 3% 3% 3% The three key applications for wireless systems are monitoring, remote access and control. The same three applications topped the list in the 2011 survey, although not quite as clearly. This shows that Industry 4.0 and the associated growth in networked production environments has already gained traction. Page 4
Offers the mobility needed for networked applications. Cabling, maintenance or physical infrastructure restrictions. Possibility to use battery-operated sensors or actuators. Costly cabling. Flexibility for short production cycles. Opportunity to deploy the latest technologies when installing new production systems. Flexibility to quickly re-tool machines. Less wear and tear through Wireless Lan. Elimination of cables reduces weight load. Cabling, maintenance or physical infrastructure restrictions. Offers the mobility needed for networked applications. More flexible deployment of sensors. Costly cabling. Flexibility to quickly re-tool machines. Less wear and tear. Wireless equipment costs less than wired systems. Flexibility for short production cycles. Elimination of cables reduces weight load. Opportunity to deploy the latest technologies when installing new production systems. What were your reasons for deploying wireless technologies? 2014 2011 5 5 4 3 2 4 3 2 1 1 0 Increasingly flexible production environments require network mobility and flexibility. Together with cabling restrictions, these aspects remain the three most important reasons for deploying wireless networking technologies. Page 5
Which requirements do your applications have? 1 2 3 4 5 6 Reliability (low packet loss) Secure transmission (encryption) Low latency Low energy consumption High data rates Long range Scale 1 = highest relevance 6 = lowest relevance Average With increasingly networked environments, reliable and secure systems are becoming more important, especially with the use of wireless technologies. The majority of the respondents thus view reliability as the most important characteristic, followed by secure transmission and low latency. Long transmission range plays less of a role. Page 6
Why is this characteristic so important to you? Percentage Characteristic Reason 34 % Reliability (low packet loss) 31 % Secure transmission (encryption) Data reliability in the sense of data accuracy Operation of legacy (non fault tolerant) systems Secure tracking and secure processes Security and safety reasons Sensitive data requires stringent data security options Manipulation-free transmission of corporate and critical data (data protection) 17% Low latency Real-time critical data Faster machine re-tooling Delays should be unnoticeable to the user/operator Instead of low latency, desire for precise, sufficiently granular synchronization of all participants depending on the application 14 % Low energy consumption Battery-operated equipment and systems Energy-autonomous switching systems Passive system in a self-sufficient, intelligent component that relies on very little or no power 3 % Higher data rates 0 % Bridging longer transmission ranges Page 7
How satisfied are you with your current wireless technologies? 5 4 3 2 1 Bandwidth: Is capacity sufficient for your volume of data? Availability: Is complete, loss-free transmission of the data always possible? Coexistence: Do all coexisting systems operate interferencefree? Transmission duration: Are you satisfied with the transmission times and delays? Battery life: Is battery life sufficient to endure a normal service cycle? Interoperability: Do products from different manufacturers operate together? Localization: If you use a localization system, are you satisfied with the quality? Scale 1 = not satisfied 5 = fully satisfied Average Survey participants are generally satisfied with their current wireless technologies. The only issue is the quality of the localization systems, which can be explained by an urgent need for development work in this area. Although sound approaches exist, developing a suitable system for the respective application still requires expert knowledge. Page 8
What are the reasons for not deploying wireless technologies? 2014 2011 56% 47% 41% 44% 35% 31% 24% 19% 18,5% 13% 13% 18% 18% 12% 12% 6% 6% 6% 6% 0% 0% 0% By 2014, the issue of security had developed into a much more serious concern among the survey respondents, even topping the issue of reliability as the key reason for avoiding wireless technologies. Page 9
Much higher level of security Easier installation (plug & play) Longer battery operation Better coexistence with other technologies Better quality-of-service (QoS) information Introduction of universal standards for industrial environments Self-sustaining operation without need for expert mainenance Documented reliability via longterm Analyses/best practice reports Other Introduction of universal standards for industrial environments Easier installation (plug & play) Better coexistence with other technologies Much higher level of security Documented reliability via longterm analyses Self-sustaining operation without need for maintenance experts Longer battery operation Where do you see the greatest room for improvement? 2014 2011 51% 49% 49% 45% 45% 45% 43% 56% 50% 47% 38% 32% 29% 29% 20% 2% The wish list of the 2014 survey respondents shows that Industry 4.0 is gradually transitioning from planning to practical application. While the 2011 survey identified standard wireless interfaces as the most important requirement, the 2014 participants are placing a premium on issues that first surface once the system is in operation. Page 10
Which wireless technologies do you utilize? 2014 2011 77% 53% 60% 57% 51% 43% 33% 29% 29% 26% 22% 19% 17% 17% 17% 9% 9% 3% 3% 0% 3% 3% 3% 0% 0% 0% Companies that deploy wireless systems rely on a wide variety of technologies. The percentage of cellular technologies has increased significantly. Cellular is viewed as a reliable wireless transmission technology and is well suited for M2M communication and remote maintenance. By a wide margin, Wireless LAN continues to be the most popular choice. Page 11
Where do the wireless signals originate from? 69% 43% 40% 23% 14% Human Robot/machine (mobile) Machine (stationary) Other Manufactured component Despite increasing levels of automation, humans still play a prominent, active and controlling role. Wireless signals also originate from mobile and stationary machines. The vision of self-configuring production systems also envisages manufactured components that communicate. According to the survey participants, this capability has only recently established itself on a limited basis. Page 12
Do you use multi-hop communication? 9% 43% 48% Yes No No, but there is a need for it Roughly half of the respondents who use wireless rely on multi-hop communication or have a need for it. Since long-range transmission plays no role here (see slide 6), the reasons are likely related to physical infrastructure obstacles such as steel doors, the need for energy-efficient systems or the need for better reliability through alternative paths. Page 13
Do you utilize coexistent wireless systems? Do you use coexistent wireless systems? Yes No If yes, what measures do you take to limit interference? None Manual entry 29% 26% 71% 74% Many of the survey participants operate coexistent wireless systems without appropriate measures to prevent interference. Because only a few systems transmit permanently and since the technology can partially adapt on its own, coexistence is still possible to a degree, even though interference cannot be completely ruled out. Those that do implement protection measures rely on different frequency ranges, coexistence management, frequency hopping and electromagnetic shielding. Page 14
Did you experience problems implementing your wireless systems? 37% 60% 60% 63% 68% 63% No Yes 40% 40% 37% 32% Insufficient range High outage rate (lower availability) Lower throughput Partial and complete outages to existing wireless connections Lengthy transmission times The respondents cited an insufficient transmission range as the most common problem during the introduction of wireless systems. This likely has less to do with bridging longer distances (see slide 6) and more to do with other issues such as physical obstacles like steel doors or operating machinery, as well with the need for multi-hop (slide 13). Page 15
Do you utilize measurement instruments before or during the integration of a new wireless system? Do you utilize measurement instruments such as a WiFi sniffer or spectrum analyzer before or during the integration of a new wireless system? Yes No If yes, are the measurement results simple to generate for your application and is the information valuable enough? Yes No 46% 54% 43% 57% When introducing a new system, as opposed to a live environment, roughly half of the survey participants rely on measurements to ensure interference-free operation, although only 57 percent indicated that the measurement instruments provide valuable information and are easy to use. This points to one of the reasons why easier installation is second only to security on the improvements wish list (slide 10). Page 16
Do you plan to deploy wireless technologies for other applications? Person localization 6% 21% 21% 3% 48% Machine localization 9% 21% 21% 48% Work safety 9% 6% 21% 12% 52% Currently deployed Planned for next year Planned within 2-5 years Logistics/warehousing/lean production 13% 9% 41% 3% 34% Planned within 10 years Not planned System and process control 15% 18% 21% 3% 44% System and process monitoring 29% 12% 24% 35% 65 percent of the respondents currently utilize wireless technology for monitoring and controlling various systems/processes or plan to use it within five years. Other areas such as logistics and localization will increasingly rely on wireless during this timeframe as well, although there is still considerable development work to be done in the field of localization (slide 8). Page 17
What industry are you active in? 35% 22% 18% 10% 8% 4% 2% 2% Page 18
Company size (number of employees) < 500 MA 500-5.000 MA > 5.000 MA 27% 14% 59% Page 19
Dr.-Ing. Mike Heidrich, Business Unit Manager Industrial Communication phone +49 89 547088-377 mike.heidrich@esk.fraunhofer.de http:///publications/studies/survey_wireless.html