Antenna Systems & Technology - Spring 2014 - (Page 8)

FEATURE ARTICLE What's So Exciting About the Future of M2M? Everything. Rod Montrose, Senior Director of Device Platforms - Numerex Machine to Machine (M2M) communication and technology is nothing new. At its most basic, M2M applications can tell us where an asset is or how full a tank might be. But look to the future and at their most advanced, the potential seems limitless. Certainly there are overly hyped M2M applications that will inevitably play out to be less dramatic than predicted, but when technology is simple, embedded and invisible, that's when we'll see greatness. A Look Back - When you boil it down to the basics, M2M communication is all about sensors. If you can't sense anything there is nothing to communicate between devices. Remote sensors have been in use for decades, the earliest application being irrigation controls on farms in Israel in the 1970s. A decade later, sensors were being placed in service vehicles for tracking. At that time, these radios cost $10,000 each and weighed 30 pounds. That seems humorous today, but back then it was cutting edge. The Leap Forward - The big leap forward was when the major wireless carriers spent billions to build infrastructure across the country. In the late 90s when a consumer could walk into a store and purchase a wireless device with a data plan, we knew the application of M2M technologies was about to skyrocket. It was during that timeframe that Numerex started utilizing the newly finished national wireless infrastructure to connect devices other than phones and desktop computers. And because machines don't talk to each other nearly as often as people do, we were able to offer very competitive data pricing to monitor critical enterprise systems. This spurred the growth of M2M connections. Transforming Industries - The number of cellular M2M connections will more than triple by the end of 2017, according to a recent white paper entitled "MNO Strategies in the Cellular M2M Market" from IHS, Inc. With the rapid growth of wireless networks, from cellular to Wi-Fi to sensor networks, the ability to connect smart devices for increased value creation is rapidly growing. Let's look at one example of how M2M sensors have transformed an industry: Oil and Gas. Twenty percent of US oil production stems from marginal well operations (companies with three to five wells on a property). Management of these sites is a very high touch, labor intensive process: pumpers drive to each tank every day to see if water and oil levels have gotten too high and check the equipment. If something is wrong, they must call a pumper and manually shut down the pump and halt production to avoid a spill and incurring the cost of fines and cleanup. And those costs are marginal compared to the bigger picture. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated in a 2009 report that the average cost of a crude oil discharge at an onshore production facility is $281,220 (not including fines and penalties). Maintaining motors at drilling operations can be a problem, too. When a pumper discovers a motor problem during the daily checkup, he may not have the right parts on hand in the truck to fix it, shutting down the oil well until repairs can be made. Today, cutting edge oil producers are turning to M2M technology to help manage the production procedures, reduce spills and avoid costly fines. As example, Numerex's AVIDdirector offers marginal well producers efficient 24/7 remote M2M monitoring and alerts. These wireless sensors are small, self contained, industrial sensors that can be used virtually anywhere to monitor various processes or applications. You can combine multiple sensors to provide an instant sensor network that can handle any remote sensor requirement. Via an online dashboard, pumpers can monitor tanks, motors and other equipment anywhere from a PC or smartphone. The controller collects the information from the site equipment and analyzes the data to determine if a change or an important event has occurred. The information is transmitted to M2Mgateway and into the database where the system will activate the appropriate alerts via text or email to field operators. From there, operators can send control signals wirelessly to turn pumps and motors off or on. How has all of this transformed an industry? With AVIDdirector in place, pumpers are more efficient, knowing exactly where they need to be and can be better prepared with necessary parts and equipment if needed. This saves on fuel costs by reducing truck rolls to remote locations and keeps drivers safer (the leading cause of death in oil field workers are traffic fatalities). All told, the annual estimated savings to a marginal well producer using AVIDdirector is $26,000. 8 Antenna Systems & Technology Spring 2014 www.AntennasOnline.com http://www.AntennasOnline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Antenna Systems & Technology - Spring 2014

Editor’s Choice
What's So Exciting About the Future of M2M? Everything
Antenna Design for LTE Enabled Tablets
Recent Progress on Plasma Antennas
Guest Column: Don't Let Your Choice of Tool Hinder Your Cable and Antenna Testing
Antennas
Components/Subsystems
Short-Range Wireless
Software / System Design
Test & Measurement
Industry News
Marketplace

Antenna Systems & Technology - Spring 2014