IoT is the incremental next step into
the optimised use of technology that was made prevalent by smart phone
technology. The cost efficiencies of smart phone technologies have resulted in
the deployment of a number of other generic devices that use low powered
network connections as an alternative. These are the class of devices known as
IoT, the Internet of Things, which were previously not networked.
The PowaINFRA range is a true IoT
solution. Powalert is a product in the
PowerINFRA range. This solution expands the digital world to buildings and
infrastructure that were previously mostly accessed by requiring physical connections.
The Powalert sensor, using IoT
technology, provides the ability to determine power related failures within
telecommunications. A last mile provider typically has multiple customers using
leased lines. When an outage occurs at the customer premises, the immediate
cause is typically related to either network or power. However, there is
currently no out-of-band verification available to eliminate either cause as it
can potentially be the power utility, the device or the interconnecting network
that has failed.
This is obviously a large problem for
telecommunications operators as statistics show that 80% of outages at the
customer premises are related to power issues. When a utility power outage
occurs, the Network Operations Centre (NOC) of a telecommunications company can
usually not determine whether the cause of the outage is network related or as
a result of a power outage. This is because the majority of monitoring systems deployed
are unable to clearly distinguish between network and power causation as there
is no “ping” power utility command. The problem for operators is that a
significant number of rolling wheels call-outs are redundant.
DS’ patented solution provides the
ability to distinguish power from network-based or device outages. Whilst the
call-out costs associated with this may vary by type of outage, it contributes
significantly to the operational budget for any organisation monitoring these
devices and subsequently responding to the loss of such a device. This DS solution endeavours to optimise those
associated costs by determining whether the outage is power related or not.
When the outage is not directly related
to a loss of power, during a significant number of the remaining outages,
technicians may power-cycle the network equipment in any case to return
service. These generally relates to network hardware and software issues. As an
example, the equipment from a well-known networking vendor has a bug that locks
up a device after 213 days. A key feature of the Powalert is the ability to remotely
recycle the power of the attached network device in the event that it loses
connectivity. The Powalert device will thus be able to clear these basic faults
without the requirement for a remote hands or rolling wheels
visit.
The
Powalert device uses a low powered wide area network protocol that is secure
and encrypted. This in turn is relayed by a base station, the PowaINFRA
gateway, which in turn is connected to the Vodafone M2M facility. Alternatively,
if required the Powalert device can also connect directly to a Sigfox network
base station.
The DS solution, as represented in the diagram above, consists of
a portal that includes a service level manager (SLA) manager. This depicts the
SLA uptimes of the utility and device power. Additionally, the usage in kW/h is
available, as well as the power quality and the associated trending.
Increased customer satisfaction and availability levels are benefits
that can be derived from accurate service level reporting. The portal reports
the monthly SLA percentage uptime to an accuracy of three decimals for both the
utility-side power and the device-side power. This allows the
telecommunications operator to confidently exclude downtime directly
attributable to power outages.
The PowaINFRA range also has sensors that are capable of
monitoring and reporting on:
•
power
•
temperature,
•
fire safety,
•
presence/access
•
dam levels, as well as
•
fibre optic cable breaks.
The overall solution can be deployed not only in telecommunications
but also any commercial facilities, medical facilities and equipment and data
centres.
IoT device communications are secure
and encrypted and are designed to transmit between known identities. These
devices have not been designed with security as merely an afterthought. IoT devices are programmed on modern
principles where security is embedded into the system. IoT applications and
communications are thus inherently more secure by design. As a rule, it is not
that IoT devices won’t be compromised but that they are a far less likely
target than the current crop of legacy devices such as wifi access points,
surveillance cameras and televisions. IoT devices are thus ready to be deployed
securely in multiple use cases, solving specific problems in a cost effective
and efficient manner.