Cisco also enhanced its IoT Operations Dashboard to help operations teams more efficiently remotely operate and manage industrial IoT
Cisco announced the launch of its first outdoor Wi-Fi 6E-ready access point and enhancements for industrial remote operations.
“People expect seamless Wi-Fi – outdoors, walking across campus from buildings to parking lots, and everywhere in between. The same is true of industrial sites. Smooth operations require reliable wireless connectivity at the factory, into the warehouse, and across loading docks and ports. Machines need reliable, high bandwidth connectivity as businesses increase automation and connect more assets like autonomous robots and AGVs,” said Vikas Butaney, Cisco’s VP and general manager of Cisco IoT Business Group.
“As organizations are automating and establishing remote operations, Cisco IoT is expanding the portfolio of industrial wireless and management tools to meet the secure and reliable connectivity requirements of businesses wherever they operate,” the executive added.
The networking company’s new offerings include:
-Cisco Catalyst IW9167 Series, which is a new Wi-Fi access point bringing next-generation wireless technologies to outdoor and industrial spaces. Cisco noted that the flexible hardware is the first platform that can operate in two modes, as both a high-performance access point and as wireless backhaul.
“As part of the new Catalyst IW9167 Series running on Cisco hardware, the proven technology now delivers the benefits of Cisco’s built-in security. We’ve also enhanced Cisco Ultra-Reliable Wireless Backhaul to deliver even higher data rates and reliability to ensure more applications can be supported without interruptions,” Buyaney said.
“The new Catalyst IW9167 Series expands our industrial wireless portfolio with greater flexibility than ever. With one hardware product and two wireless options, we’re providing more choice for businesses to deploy the best wireless technologies for their applications – and to future-proof deployments by simply switching between the two technologies when business needs evolve. For example, an organization looking to connect workers’ devices in common areas can deploy Catalyst IW9167 in Wi-Fi mode. For wider coverage with seamless handoffs as autonomous vehicles or equipment move from one coverage zone to another, they can choose to operate the device in Ultra-Reliable Wireless Backhaul mode,” he added.
The company also enhanced its Cisco IoT Operations Dashboard to help operations teams more efficiently remotely operate and manage industrial IoT. According to Cisco, these enhancements include:
-Remotely manage connected assets and applications: Operations teams can now use IoT Operations Dashboard to remotely deploy and troubleshoot assets and applications connected to Cisco Industrial Routers and Gateways.
-Streamlined network management: As part of the Cisco Platform Suite, IT professionals can use the same Cisco single sign-on credentials to log into IoT Operations Dashboard. Cisco expanded IoT Operations Dashboard’s network management to include support for Catalyst IW9167 in Ultra-Reliable Wireless Backhaul mode for a holistic view of the network.
-New sensors for deeper insights into industrial assets and facilities: Cisco announced a new industrial-grade vibration sensor and an industrial sensor bridge that supports third-party 4-20mA current loop sensors.
