Remote energy monitoring systems for the energy sector

The Internet of Things is radically reshaping industries, companies and competition.

Background

Vilicom has innovated a highly flexible connectivity solution specifically for the purpose of delivering business energy monitoring equipment systems to locations for the Energy Sector. This remote energy monitoring system is not only cost-effective but also increases the possibility for information access and operational interventions for each site through one central location. The client can set up a network of connected devices that not only feed telemetric data, remote sensor alarm data, security monitoring, and CCTV directly back to HQ but also allow engineers to remotely log in to onsite equipment to instantly diagnose and resolve issues without the need to physically deploy a team. Our energy monitoring systems can be used in a wide range of commercial buildings.

Challenges and considerations

It’s our first principle that all on-site remote energy monitoring systems must deliver continuous, uninterrupted service and therefore our offsite solution must deliver an equally reliable service for each key area. Our remote business energy monitoring system must therefore have the capability to monitor additional ancillary systems (such as tamper alarms, Power Supply Units etcetera) in order to support the continuous availability of the equipment on site.

In designing our remote wireless energy monitoring system, Vilicom recognises and harnesses the potential offered by the evolution of products into intelligent, connected devices, enabled by the Internet of Things. Indeed, IoT is radically reshaping industries, companies, and competition, and the convergence of digital technology, machines, and the internet brings a suite of benefits to organisations in the Energy Sector:

• enabling the development of entirely new tech capabilities
• opening up potential new business models and innovative solutions
• facilitating the creation (and monetisation) of whole new company assets in the form of customer data
• generating significant savings in the cost of data collection
• driving a significant increase in the quality of customer service through shortened response times, preemptive maintenance, and reduced downtime
• ensuring deeper and longer-lasting customer relationships as a result of those increased service levels

Solutions and delivery

Vilicom’s remote energy monitoring system operates via a mobile network, specifically a network of data capture units connected to each onsite asset and wirelessly linked to a dedicated cloud platform – the Mobile Operator M2M platform – using satellite, cellular, or both. It allows you to monitor energy and power consumption to see usage quickly and easily. 

The M2M sector has been in development for over 20 years, and as an existing M2M supplier, Vilicom has agreements in place which enable us to deploy Mobile Operator-provided global SIMs to any remote device in order to provide an end-to-end solution for industrial remote business energy monitoring. Because the system is designed to be ‘vendor agnostic’, this allows flexibility in our choice of network provider, so in turn, we can offer clients:

• a global M2M platform
• global M2M-specific SIM cards
• a broad portfolio of M2M terminals and applications
• network connectivity and system integration
• all from a single supplier, with a single contract

The 3GPP protocols embedded in the mobile network protocols ensure network security is maintained. 

And because every site on the system can be accessed at any time of day from any location via the M2M platform, our remote wireless monitoring system has the capability to:

• continuously and actively monitor and flag alarms to the Network Operations Centre
• allow continuous telemetric data relay, alarm investigation, onsite equipment checks and software updates

Vilicom connects the network equipment directly to the client’s equipment via a secure and ‘ruggedized’ industrial router located onsite and connected via a LAN/Serial port to an external network via a mobile network operator. Should a router become faulty or a communication link fails for any reason and the issue cannot be resolved either by the staff on-site or via remote login, Vilicom can send engineers to the site to quickly resolve the issue. Vilicom has the expertise and resources on hand to respond in such a situation and is happy to establish committed Service Level Agreements with our customers to ensure each field is managed to specific requirements.

Contact

For further information about our remote wireless energy monitoring systems or to discuss technical specs, please contact Gearoid Collins at gearoid.collins@vilicom.com

About Vilicom

Vilicom is an expert provider of wireless services with over seventeen years of experience in the analysis, design, test, and implementation of wireless networks. Vilicom’s strengths lie in technology strategy consulting, the design of wireless networks, transmission network design, implementation of specialised coverage solutions, and network benchmarking and testing. Vilicom has delivered its trademark end-to-end services in over 20 countries for network operators, network equipment vendors, industry regulators, and investors. It delivers value for its customers by adopting a flexible, customer-focused approach, retaining cutting-edge expertise, and maintaining its independence. To discuss our remote monitoring solutions in more detail, please get in touch.