Remote Monitoring and Control in today’s Data-Driven World

Assets like field equipment and remote sensors have been operating in isolation, out of sight from operations teams, decision makers and maintenance personnel. Key information is stored inside these assets, but not readily available or actionable. The work processes that are used with these isolated assets rely on traditional methods, often following a predetermined inspection schedule with a rapid response to problems. This lack of connectivity has led to challenges, including operational inefficiencies, unplanned downtime, suboptimal utilization rates, and a persistent need for on-site visits. These methods are no longer suited to the data-centric world that is developing today.

Many solutions to connect these assets come with their own challenges. Off-the-shelf gateways enable the remote monitoring of assets, but usually do not match the specifications of the use case. Implementation requires technical development and customization. These can include hardware and firmware development, implementing security solutions, integration, certification, testing and other steps. When the solution is finally ready, it needs to be kept up to date and maintained.

Early adopters of remote monitoring solutions have learned the hard way that building connected solutions is hard, even when the use case is basic. Connecting assets may seem simple, but the hidden complexities of connectivity, security, cellular networks, device management, scalability and operational visibility, and the need to manage the technology through the entire lifetime of the solution, have tripped up many IoT projects.

Each Use Case has its own unique requirements

Our customers need information from remote equipment and sensors. They want to know their equipment’s status, and gather operational and sensor data. They want to optimize their distribution, improve their on-stream reliability, minimize down-time, facilitate preventative maintenance, reduce the number of on-site visits, offer pay-for-use propositions and enable new services. While working closely with our customers for almost 20 years, we created a portfolio of IoT solutions with which new remote monitoring projects can be realized in days. One of those, for industrial applications, is our BACE IO solution.

BACE IO: an IoT gateway that delivers a Data Pipeline out-of-the-box

Unlike standard IoT gateways on the market, BACE IO can be customized to suit the unique requirements of every industrial monitoring use case. Our customers can immediately gain visibility into their existing assets, no matter where they are deployed, without any of the development and engineering overheads. In particular, BACE IO features:

• Built-in cellular modem for LTE-M and 2G connectivity, with e-SIM
• Built-in support for the most common system interfaces, machine protocols, and sensors including Modbus, CAN, UART, I2C, Pulse Counting, RS-232, 4-20mA and 0-10V for quick integration
• Built-in GPS and GNSS, and cell-tower information
• An IP65-rated enclosure for control cabinets in industrial environments with mounting support for DIN rails
• Integrated applications for data capture, local PID control, remote control and logging
• CE and FCC certification
• Support for custom connectors 

Get started with a BACE IO Test Kit.

Interested in a rapid evaluation? We deliver a BACE IO Test Kit with mounting brackets, cables and power supply, and we configure the unit for your application. Simply connect the BACE IO to the asset, and the data will be available via an API in the cloud within seconds. It is a two-way data pipeline, through which instructions, like set-points, resets and configurations, can be sent to the asset. 

BACE has been engineered from the ground up, covering the entire IoT technology stack – from edge hardware, edge software, integrated cellular connectivity, cloud-based management software, security and tools with which the IoT chain can be operated and maintained.