La Edge industrial connectivity it is a “communication” technology. In fact, it allows you to collect, process and transmit data in real time from industrial and automation devices present in a specific area, called "edge" or "periphery" to the company network. This means that thanks to Industrial Edge Connectivity, today, it is possible process data and devices on site rather than resorting to the need for transmission to so-called data centers or clouds for processing.
What is Edge Connectivity?
This is a big step forward, useful for improve operational efficiency, safety andreliability of industrial systems. Thanks to it, in fact, industry 4.0 can rely on greater flexibility in data management, on a reduction in latency times and, therefore, on a greater Resilience in case of connection problems with the data center or the cloud.
La edge connectivity, as we will see, is supported by tools and components essential for the proper functioning of the system and, among these, is the Moxa NPort 5110, designed to be used in harsh industrial environments, resist vibration and a wide range of temperatures. These devices are born to be able to support most of the industrial communication protocols such as Modbus/TCP, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, making them easy to integrate with the widest range of industrial automation.
What is Industrial Edge Connectivity for?
In simple words we can say that the Edge industrial connectivity is aimed at improving the communication between devices. In fact it is used in industrial applications such as predictive maintenance, supply chain management, industrial safety and work energy management.
It is integrated through technologies of innovative communication, such as industrial communication protocols (IIoT) such as MQTT, AMQP, DDS, or CoAP, or using cellular networks or 5G to transmit data collected by industrial sensors and devices. It can also be integrated with the Cloud Edge or with theartificial intelligence to obtain rapid and accurate analyzes both at a peripheral and central level.
La edge connectivity, among other things, is called this way because it is located "on the periphery" of the network, i.e. close to the industrial devices that collect the data. This means that the data is collected and processed locally in order to obtain a increased speed and reliability compared to data transmission over “longer” networks or the cloud. Thanks to this peculiarity it is possible minimize the amount of data which must be transmitted towards central data management systems, thus improving cost management and, of course, also the data security.
What advantages does it offer?
The advantages it offers are many and, among these, there is certainly a clear one improvement of reaction times, i.e. the collection of data and the precision of the analyses. From this advantage also derives the possibility of intervening more quickly on processes and guaranteeing a more efficient one business continuity, even in the event of breakdowns or outage problems.
Finally lets get one safer data management it's a net savings on costs, which allows companies to take advantage in terms of efficiency and, above all, of competitiveness on the global market.
