SCADA Radio Networks
RF Consulting for Mission Critical
Office Phone: 954 961 2642
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SCADA radio networks require upfront design effort. Spent
well, that effort buys a robust, exceptionally reliable communications network.
Cellular-based strategies have their place too — weighing the pros and cons of
each technology lets the owner make the best business decision.
SCADA communications networks can achieve minimal downtime
measured in minutes per year, versus days / weeks after a severe weather event,
power failure, or cable cut. When the
owner fully controls their hardware, the maintenance organization, not a telco,
cable, or cellular carrier has full agency for reliability. Private, air gapped, data radio networks are
not vulnerable to cyber-attack or hacking. Wired Magazine Cyber Warfare Proper planning and control of your
spare parts program can make a return to service as simple as replacing a
broken part.
Tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, and power outages often cause
cellular network outages — site backup power is usually restored in minutes or seconds,
and cell sites rely on wired telco infrastructure for their backhaul
connections. With data carriers such as cellular and cable, commercial power is
required for both wireless and wired connectivity, and their backup power
access is typically minimal by design.
The industry standard for designing SCADA radio links — both
FCC licensed and unlicensed — is 20 dB of RF fade margin. That defines the
additional radio signal designed into each link to ensure reliability. 20 dB of fade margin really means there is 100
times more RF signal than the minimum RF signal needed to reliably operate the
link and transport your mission-critical SCADA data. Decibels are logarithmic,
and a little goes a long way toward data reliability.
There are countless SCADA radio networks throughout the
United States and abroad monitoring and controlling municipal water,
wastewater, flood water, oil and gas production, power grids, automatic meter
reading, and more. These mission-critical radio-based communications systems
have ranges from yards to hundreds of miles. Selecting the right technology,
defining the project's requirements, and creating a robust SCADA communications
network is what we do as RF consultants. Understanding the pros and cons of each
technology empowers the project engineer, owner, or operator to make the best
business decisions for a system with a 10-to-20-year service lifetime — often a
mission-critical or high-importance operation.
Call to action: Please browse this site. If you have any
questions or a specific project you'd like to discuss, call me, Mark Lavallee,
at 954-961-2642 or email mark.lavallee@advantage-com.com. I truly enjoy sharing
my 30 years of specialized experience and knowledge. My company is often asked to
assist design-build consultants, control system integrators, and end users
directly. We are highly specialized with the tools and talent for auditing
existing SCADA systems, selecting the best SCADA radio technology for new
systems, and providing qualified radio network designs and in-field radio
studies.
Since 1993, 33+ Years of Exelence