Cisco's latest manufacturing solutions combine Wi-Fi and RFID
By Staff -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 4/1/2007 6:00:00 AM
Cisco Systems is making a strong statement about its intent to serve the manufacturing sector with release of a set of wireless solutions targeting four vertical industries.
The solutions, unveiled in January, combine Wi-Fi and RFID technologies that enable companies to track components, equipment, or even people. Ben Gibson, director of marketing for Cisco's wireless and mobility solutions, says these represent the first in a series of vertical-industry wireless solutions Cisco is developing.
The initial four industries targeted are aerospace, automotive, semiconductor manufacturing, and mining.
The products used to fashion these solutions are part of what Cisco dubs a Unified Wireless Network. Noting that, Gibson says, “These products have been available for some time. Now we've tested and validated them for use in these particular industries.”
These are the new offerings, formally known as the Cisco Wi-Fi Asset Tracking Solutions:
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The Cisco 2700 Series Wireless Location Appliance;
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The Cisco Wireless Control System;
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The Cisco Lightweight Access Point Protocol Controller;
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Cisco Aeronet Access Points;
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AeroScout Wi-Fi-based Active RFID tags; and
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AeroScout MobileView Software.
The active RFID tag and MobileView Software are provided by a company called AeroScout, which partners with Cisco and others to create what AeroScout refers to as “enterprise visibility solutions.”
Deploying a Cisco Wi-Fi Asset Tracking Solution starts with the placement of Cisco Aeronet Access Points in the area in which assets are to be tracked. Gibson says the number of access points, and the manner in which they are arranged, comprise the key differences between solutions used in various industries. In mining, for instance, the wireless network's coverage must be dense enough to ensure that it emits clear signals underground, which can require placing a large number of access points fairly close together.
Because automotive and aerospace plants tend to be large facilities, Gibson says, they typically require a large number of access points as well, but they can be spread further apart. In the semiconductor space, he says, the access points need to be close together because dense network coverage is needed to ensure accurate tracking of small parts being manufactured.
Once the access points are in place, their performance can be monitored through the Cisco Lightweight Access Point Protocol Controller.
“There is a nice Web interface that allows monitoring of the entire network,” Gibson says. “If there is interference in a particular area that's degrading an access point's signal, the controller can sense that in real time and boost the power output of an adjacent controller to ensure that coverage is always adequate.”
The actual tracking of assets starts with AeroScout Active RFID tags transmitting information about an asset's location to the Cisco Wireless Location Appliance. The appliance passes information to the AeroScout MobileView Software, which can generate reports on where inventory is located at any given moment.
The entire network can be managed using the Cisco Wireless Control System.
Gibson says Cisco is developing these solutions because it recognizes that manufacturers are losing millions of dollars by misplacing parts or equipment. Though the solutions were only recently introduced, he says, a number of large manufacturers—including Chicago-based Boeing—already have adopted them.
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