Warehouses are fast-paced environments where many pressure points in supply chains converge. When these pressure points are factored into space design and management, the capacity to gain and retain a competitive edge is there for the taking. This special management increasingly involves high-performance networking to underpin an increasingly automated warehouse with Wi-Fi-first devices – from sensors to driverless tech.
So what are the most common ‘pain points’ we see when it comes to warehouse Wi-Fi? There’s a long list, including slow picking and inaccurate data, but one thing they all have in common is their net result: an inefficient warehouse.
Warehouses are difficult environments for high-performance networking, and the odds are stacked (or racked!) against you. But so many of these pain points are caused by avoidable mistakes.
Below we delve into the problems warehouse managers and their IT teams report the most often, exposing their knock-on effect as well as the causes.
1. Inefficient picking
- Slow WiFi can cause delays in retrieving picking information from the central inventory management system, leading to longer wait times for pickers and slower overall picking rates
- Frequent disconnections force pickers (human or robotics!) to wait for devices to reconnect and/or reboot, costing additional time
- Pick paths become defined by the lack of wireless coverage rather than being defined by efficiency
2. Inaccurate inventory tracking due to packet loss
- Stutters or breaks in connectivity can result in a loss of data packets travelling between scanning devices and WMS, causing discrepancies between inventory and its records
- Lag in data updates due to slow speeds can cause staff to double pick
- Manual reconciliation is then necessary to avoid higher shrinkage rates
3. No real-time communications between staff on order updates, schedules, safety alerts, etc.
- Not only can a lack of real-time comms impact the efficiency of the warehouse, it can also put employees at risk if safety alerts are not swiftly shared, risking compliance issues
4. Equipment downtime, especially Wi-Fi-first devices (which are increasing)
- Wi-Fi-first devices are rapidly becoming the backbone of warehouses, especially ‘smart’ ones. Voice picking, IoT, robotics and wearable tech are all becoming essential tools for driving down inefficiencies – but they all rely on seamless, uninterrupted, superior connectivity
- Often, businesses adopting newer tech think that these systems aren’t providing good ROI, when in reality they simply need the quality of connectivity needed to
5. Errors in quality control
6. Risk of data breaches through unauthorised access, malware attacks, and more during downtime or at weak points in the network architecture
- Older networks may no longer receive firmware updates or security patches, leaving your WMS data potentially open for taking
- Older networks typically have weaker encryption protocols (such as WPA which is no longer guaranteed to be secure)
- Responding to security risks is much harder to do in a timely manner with older networks that are not bolstered by machine learning, automated processes and real-time analysis
- Poor role-based security that cannot safeguard your network in a workplace where multiple devices can be assigned to a single user
These issues all ultimately converge to cause delayed dispatching, revenue loss through data inaccuracies, higher shrinkage rates, and customer dissatisfaction.
Longer-term, slow, unscalable or patchy networks cause adopted technologies reliant on high-performance connectivity to ‘fail’. This has a huge knock-on effect on the ROI of investments like sensors, driverless tech, and expensive warehouse management systems.
So what causes these issues?
1. Lack of scalable bandwidth
As warehouse technology rises, bandwidth is a huge factor that businesses must consider – it underpins productivity in a digital age, and waiting until problems arise means you’re already feeling the financial impact
2. Channel congestion
This is largely a removed issue for warehouses who have shifted to Wi-Fi 6, but for many this is becoming a challenge for IT functions, reducing speed and capacity, as well as causing bottlenecks – hardly ideal for WMS
3. APs not designed for challenging environments
Warehouses are tough environments where your tech needs to be even tougher. Outdoor connectivity for loading bays, dust, cold, heat… all these factors should inform choices during network design
4. APs with limited throughput capacity
Again, individually small components of your network can determine overall network performance, and older access points are often unable to deliver the throughput needed for today’s warehouses and their connected devices – edge to core
5. Black spots in coverage
Poor network design resulting in gaps in coverage that wreak havoc on picking. We’ve seen cases where racking areas can’t be used due to the inability to pick stock in those zones
6. Interference from electronics, metals, racking, building structures
This is a huge issue in warehousing, with so many objects and materials – static and moving – that can interrupt a consistent signal. This is especially common where networks were planned during construction, or off-plan.
7. Wrong AP antennae
Warehouses are unique environments and the traditional ‘donut’ signal won’t provide the coverage you need. Specialist access points are required with these spaces in mind
8. Wrong AP placement
Poorly placed APs can lead so many warehouses to do entirely the wrong thing – add more! Just take a look at our article on ‘quick warehouse Wi-Fi fixes that don’t work’!
7. Poor configuration
Managing wireless networks throughout supply chains requires a seamless configuration, since supply chains are themselves aiming on seamlessness. Poorly matched security protocols, channel settings, mismatched power levels, and many other mistakes are easy ways to ensure your supply chain has too many sticky patches to be efficient.
It’s no secret – warehouses are more challenging than other environments when it comes to designing, installing and maintaining high performance connectivity, but we see a wealth of industry experience around us that is helping transform these spaces just by gaining a stronger understanding of how they flow.
What are your pain points when it comes to connectivity in your warehouse?
How it feels to be in love with your WiFi
One of the most important working relationships these days is with our wireless whether we’re at home, at work, or somewhere in between. In an ideal world, it’s a happy relationship which gives each party what it needs, but – as in reality – we see so many relationships that aren’t supportive, reciprocal, or stable.
If you’re one of the unlucky ones feeling spurned by your network, here’s what it’s like to be head-over-heels in love with your WiFi.
You can count on it during the tough times
- Your WiFi should offer reliability, even when you’re asking big things in terms of capacity, coverage and complexity
- Loving your wireless means trusting that it can deliver your business requirements and support growth
Weariness of speed dating is well and truly in the past
- Don’t get us wrong, speed is still important (and becoming more so), but a high-performing wireless network means less of the lottery aspect
- A reliable network won’t have you considering a return to the dating world, since it offers fast speeds wherever you are and you won’t experience peaks and troughs that inconvenience operations
- With the addition of WiFi6 in late 2019, we’re expecting huge improvements in speed in the years ahead as the market takes advantage of the increased efficiency compared to WiFi 5
You feel safe
- Security is often something that comes with time in a relationship, but these days feeling safe is an absolute must as data breach protocols become more and more stringent
- Network security involves both hardware and software, and if your organisation handles sensitive or confidential data, we always advocate a full audit to be sure that you’re not at risk
You can grow together
- Networks need to be scalable and adaptable to allow your business to grow and change alongside technology
- Capacity is set to be a huge part of your WiFi relationship in the coming years as IoT grows and the number of devices per person rise. Your wireless needs to be able to accommodate these additional devices and functions if your business wants to be efficient
- If you have a new network, the changes are you don’t need to do anything at all to use your growing room. If you’re in a longer term relationship with your wireless, you may need to consider finding that extra space with new hardware, load balancing, or other configuration changes
- WiFi6 presents the perfect opportunity to move to a solution that can offer incredible amounts of capacity for years to come
You never feel alone
- Even in the darkest corners of the workplace, you’re never at a loss
- Your connection should offer maximum coverage without loveless blackspots
- Whether your organisation is a school, warehouse or office, spaces or rooms experiencing dropouts or low speeds are terrible for efficiency with teaching, picking, collaborating or exchanging data
Being in a loving relationship with your WiFI might sound like a breeze, but a few words of warning…
Beware the 7-year itch
- Some things just don’t last, and that’s a fact. What works well now won’t work in a decade’s time, and we typically start to hear about cracks in foundations around the 5-year mark
- Frustrations might not necessitate throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but its’s worth seeking advice from an expert engineer with a proven track record in your industry to determine whether its you or your network causing tensions
- A site survey is an excellent way of giving your wireless a full audit to determine where the problems lie
Love takes work
- Getting the best out of your wireless means investing time in it, and managing a network to ensure high performance can be a challenging and time-consuming task
- As technology continues to advance, it’s important to keep up to date with how your network can deliver the experience users expect and rely on
- If you’re struggling, don’t suffer in silence. Seeking out network support services is an excellent way of having help on tap from WiFi experts who know your solution inside out.
If you’re not in love with your WiFi, we hope this article has convinced you to give love another go by contacting our engineers for advice – there are plenty more wireless solutions in the sea!
Wireless technology is changing at an incredibly rapid pace. The way we use the internet has completely and radically altered the lives and businesses of billions of people over the globe. But what does the future of Wi-Fi hold? We’ve brought together 3 of the biggest trends in the future of Wi-Fi:
1. The Internet of Things
Over the last few decades, we’ve seen Wi-Fi being used from only a handful of large, bulky computers to a plethora of slim, powerful laptops, tablets, and most of all smartphones. In recent years, we’ve also seen other devices (such as printers, home assistants, wearable tech) connect to Wi-Fi networks to improve the ease with which we work, study and play.
This expansion of connected devices has been dubbed ‘The Internet of Things’; a network of essentially any product you can think of imbued with wireless connectivity. Although this concept is no newcomer, what is only emerging now is a generation of tech that changes our lives quite considerably.
Already on the market are home appliances such as fridges, kettles and printers that can automatically reorder your groceries, boil up water on demand, or buy fresh ink. The concept of a truly connected, ‘smart home’ may feel futuristic, but in reality it is already becoming a way of live (albeit in a piecemeal way). As the adoption curve follows its arc, we expect daily life to change quite drastically as this new tech becomes more mainstream, and its benefits are more touted.
Wi-Fi will be the conduit for this change, since it is the automatic choice for supporting the higher bandwidth requirements of this next-gen tech.
2. Ever-increasing speed and reach
One trend we can all bank on is increased browsing speed. We’ve witnessed the demands on Wi-Fi networks explode, both in terms of the number of users connected, and the amount of data each connected device downloads per millisecond (think your trusty 3210 vs the latest iPhone). In line with this demand, we’ve also witnessed speeds skyrocket, from struggling to download a small image file to millions of people streaming HD video (8K looms), social media and the rise of gaming.
In addition to personal use, businesses have been heavily investing in wireless connectivity for many years, achieving improved efficiency, accuracy and a superior customer offering. All this additional traffic has – over the last decade – caused a growing concern over levels of congestion and associated limitations on performance.
It was estimated that by 2020, Wi-Fi networks would be struggling to handle traffic demands due to the spectrum being too busy. Enter WiFi-6E. Opening up additional spectrum has been a major step towards easing congestion, and as WiFi-6E devices become more widespread, this will hail a new era of connectivity.
We’re now on the verge of bigger changes; AI, automation, robotics, and IoT becoming part of mainstream working, living and playing. Huge strides are being made forward in wireless technologies, but it still isn’t entirely unimaginable that technology itself will exceed the potential of the Wi-Fi that needs to underpin it. One thing is for certain – the volume of traffic is set to rise, so speed, bandwidth and the balance between 5G and Wi-Fi will have to match demand.
3. Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi 7 will be another leap forward from the innovative steps made by Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E. It will bring even faster speeds through 320 MHz channels (twice the size of previous Wi-Fi generations), as well as dramatically improving responsiveness and reliability with 4K QAM and a maximum data rate of almost 5.8Gbps (almost 2.5 times faster than Wi-Fi 6/6E. With MLO, Wi-Fi 7 devices will be able to connect on 2 bands, using aggregation for faster speeds, or employing dual band for improved reliability with the lowest and most precise latencies. We predict this will hugely impact the streaming and sharing of 8K video, and other huge files currently limited by download speeds. Wi-Fi 7 is going to be vital for future use cases that require the best performance possible, which begs the question – why will users remain content with unequal performance?
4. Unbottling the oncoming bottlenecks
With the huge increase in throughput promised by WiFi-6E and onwards (hello WiFi7), the underlying switched network risks becoming a bottleneck to future Wi-Fi networks. Deploying mGig capable switches will mitigate this, providing connectivity speeds of 2.5Gbps, 5Gbps and 10Gbps to access points and help futureproof your wired network for the new Wi-Fi standards. We see this being a huge component of network design in the coming years.
5. The move towards personalisation
The power of big data has started to change the way the world works. Targeted ads, specialised content and various other uses of this valuable resource are commonplace today. But as Wi-Fi networks, potentially using AI technology and machine learning, get smarter at predicting what type of speeds we’re looking for, the kind of experience we expect, and even the content we consume, we’ll start to expect a higher standard of personalisation from our Wi-Fi providers. It remains to be seen just how intrusive these changes will feel, and how widespread, especially as GDPR and other societal shifts seek to protect privacy and confidentiality.
If you want to upgrade your Wi-Fi ready for the latest technological innovations, or simply want to meet the demands of your workers, customers or students in the here and now, get in touch with us at Redway Networks today.
If you want to upgrade your Wi-Fi ready for the latest technological innovations, or simply want to meet the demands of your workers, customers or students in the here and now, get in touch with us at Redway Networks today.
Read more about Wi-Fi solutions
Ever heard of Moore’s Law? It’s a computing term coined in the 70’s which predicted that the overall processing power of computers will double every couple of years. Wireless technology is no different and is constantly changing for the better, with new technology hitting the market on a weekly basis.
But is it possible to future proof your education WiFi or enterprise WiFi? With these five simple tips, you can help your wireless setup to stand your business or organisation in good stead for years to come.
802.11ac as standard
It’s estimated that soon everyone will possess at least five wireless devices – with smartphones, laptops, desktops, tablets, printers and other peripherals all using WiFi, it’s important to have a network that can handle the stress. 802.11ac has been around for a while, but it’s never too late to invest in a standard that will cope with the demands of your organisation.
Flexibility
A future-proof wireless network needs to not only make use of today’s frequencies, but to be adaptable for emerging frequency bands. Over the next decade, new bandwidth-intensive technologies will begin to use 568MHz of new frequencies. Can your current setup cope?
Making upgrades easy
It makes sense to keep tabs on the latest wireless trends. By choosing equipment that can be upgraded in the future, such as an Aerohive network, you’re ensuring a longer lifespan out of your networking devices.
Scalability
As we touched upon earlier, the number of devices being used on your network is only going to increase. If you’re looking for longevity from your wireless network, you should be investing in gear that is going to allow for years of seamless network growth.
Software-defined radios
Some of the newest adaptive access points come with SDN, or software defined radios. This facilitates the use of both radios in an access point to operate concurrently on 5GHz, allowing you to quickly and easily reconfigure your network based on the capabilities of your client. This can be achieved with a simple mouse-click.
Want to know more about how to future proof your wireless network? Why not get in touch with a member of our team, who will be more than happy to discuss your requirements and offer technical advice on how upgrading your WiFi can improve your business.
Read more about WiFi solutions
With the new year rolling in, the age of tomorrow is dawning on us. Gone are the days when to log on to the World Wide Web we needed a home telephone, a thousand different wires and the hope that no one else within ten miles was online at the same time. Today we enjoy wireless networks that allow fluid and seamless connectivity. Analysts estimate in 2018 WiFi could grow to 300 million hotspots globally, but as of now, which nation has the fastest public WiFi?
5. The UK
The United Kingdom edges into the top five with more foundations being laid, especially in London, which is the financial centre of Europe. Partner companies, along with the government, worked hard in 2017 to install hundreds of devices in public fixtures such as lamp posts and old phone booths, with these hotspots reportedly having speeds of up to 1Gbps.
4. Denmark
As announced in 2014, Denmark is succeeding in its long-term “smart cities” initiative to have lamp posts detect cyclists and increase their brightness accordingly. They also sense when there’s a bin that needs emptying and serve as free public WiFi hotspots. The scheme is being developed in conjunction with Cisco in Copenhagen.
3. Switzerland
Switzerland remains as one of the front-runners in the fastest public WiFi – locals and tourists can access the internet in areas such as public squares, parks, beaches, and museums. A resort near Davos recently opened a new chairlift that comes with free public WiFi for the eight-minute ride to the top.
2. Singapore
Continuing to impress, Singapore has moved up the list in recent years, which makes sense as this small island-country has become the aerial for WiFi in the Philippines. The government still aims to upgrade the hotspots to faster speeds and reach 20,000 across the country by the end of 2018.
1. Lithuania
Still at the top of the list for fastest public WiFi is Lithuania, with average download speeds of 16.6 Mbps. The country seems very focused on promoting itself as the best option for enterprises to set up shop as it tries to attract more international investment.
Offering WiFi is vital to keep innovation moving. At Redway Networks, we can provide your business with a range of wireless solutions, providing companies with the edge over their competitors. Take that step today by requesting a wireless site survey of your business or contacting us for more information.