M2M Systems
Frequently Asked Questions about M2M
Machine-to-machine
(M2M) systems connect your business computer systems to the machines,
devices, and sensors you want to monitor, control, or collect data from. M2M
systems often use wireless cellular communications to link remote facilities to
central systems over the Internet, or to provide monitoring and control
capability via a cellular phone.
Communications industry leader Nokia® and Opto 22 have worked together to offer M2M products such as:
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M2M
stands for machine-to-machine, mobile-to-machine, and man-to-machine. Currently,
there are 6 billion people in the world but over 50 billion machines. Many of
these machines, either on their own or as part of larger, more complex systems,
perform critical functions that businesses rely on as part of their operations.
Communication is needed between these machines and individuals.
M2M leverages the benefits of machine connectivity and information technology to provide the connectivity that enables this communication.
Is M2M strictly wireless?
M2M is sometimes implicitly understood to utilize wireless and mobile communication technologies, such as 802.11 and cellular, exclusively. However, M2M applications can exist in hard-wired networks. For example, in the manufacturing industry, there are asset management applications where physical connections to machinery are established using the factory's exisiting local area network. Currently, most M2M applications use a combination of wired and wireless technologies.*
What
is GSM?
GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) is a standard for how data is coded and transferred wirelessly. GSM digitizes and compresses data and sends it down a channel with two other streams of user data. GSM is the wireless standard in Europe and Asia and is also used throughout much of North America. Currently, Opto 22 develops a large portion of its cellular M2M solutions using GSM, including those that incorporate technology from Nokia..
How exactly is M2M going to improve my business?
Information
has always been the single most important business driver. The more you know
about what's taking place at the fundamental levels of your organization, the
better your decisions will be. The ability to access, aggregate, evaluate, and
collate the right data can tell you which business decisions need to be made in
order to optimize manufacturing processes, streamline supply chain activities,
manage inventory, staff properly, reduce energy consumption, and improve
operations in a number of other key areas.
Opto 22 M2M systems give you the ability to access the valuable operational data locked within your organization's remote facilities and equipment-quickly, cheaply, and unobtrusively-and capture and deliver this data directly to a specified Web application, enterprise management system, or corporate database. Access to this type of real-time data brings you closer to all of your enterprise's fundamental systems and equipment and provides you with the intelligence you need to run your business smarter.
In layman's terms, how does Opto 22 M2M work?
Think of your sense of touch, one of the ways you gather information about what's going on around you. Your hands, fingers and other appendages act as sensors. You use them to feel, probe, and explore the external world. What happens next? A network of nerves carry signals from these sensors up through the arm back to the body itself and ultimately to the brain. The brain then quickly processes this information and uses it to make decisions on what action needs to be taken:
"The baby is wet; time for a diaper change."
"This wood has splinters; it needs to be sand-papered."
"The bathwater is too hot; wait for it to cool."
Study the diagram below for an example of how the components of an Opto 22 M2M system come together to work in a very similar way.
For what industries is M2M most appropriate?
Opto 22 M2M systems can be applied in virtually any industry or environment, including manufacturing, telecommunications, quick-serve restaurants, power, water and wastewater utilities, convenience stores, oil and gas, supermarkets, and railroads.
What are some examples of M2M applications?
Opto
22 M2M systems can interface with virtually any type of mechanical, electrical
or electronic system or machine for an unlimited number of specific
applications, including:
How do I find out more?
For more information, email out office or see an online demo
*Excerpted from the industry report, Opportunities in Wireless M2M Telematics, published by Helsinki University of Technology, March 29, 2003