Expert installation of fast & reliable warehouse wireless networks
Warehouse WiFi is the essential network infrastructure giving you the power to use every part of your warehouse efficiently.
Robust WiFi solutions are critical to the operation of logistics facilities and production centres, where warehouse control systems and devices all communicate with each other via a wireless network. A single point of failure could cause your entire operation to come to a halt!
In this article, we’ll look at the complex technical and logistics challenges of installing WiFi network communications infrastructure in your warehouse, and how choosing the right warehouse WiFi experts can set your business on the fast track.
Introduction: the importance of warehouse WiFi
The growing use of technology and automation has optimised efficiency in logistics and production facilities, maximising the use of every part of their premises 24/7. Key warehouse operations now include:
Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
WMS software helps companies manage and control daily warehouse operations. WMS is a key component of supply chain management, offering real-time visibility into a company’s entire warehouse inventory.
Automated Material Handling (AMH)
Automated material handling uses technology and machinery to automate the tasks of moving, storing and controlling materials within your warehouse, enhancing efficiency and reducing manual labour.
Warehouse Control Systems (WCS)
WCS software directs and coordinates the activities of automated material handling equipment within a warehouse or distribution centre, ensuring efficient product flow and optimised operations.
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
A vast network of physical objects in warehouses now uses sensors and software to connect to the web and share data: these smart devices inform improvements in process efficiency and performance.
Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE)
OEE is the benchmark for measuring and optimising manufacturing productivity. OEE systems identify the percentage of truly productive manufacturing time, delivering real-time visibility of performance alongside extensive data reporting and analysis.
All of these systems help companies detect inefficiencies and reduce errors in real time, maximising the efficient use of time, materials and energy – and ultimately saving money.
The importance of warehouse WiFi is therefore clear: by supporting all these technologies, a robust and efficient warehouse network infrastructure delivers huge financial benefits.
The technical challenges of installing warehouse WiFi
Express Data is expert in warehouse WiFi and the supporting infrastructure. We recently installed a vast new network infrastructure to support wireless communications in a huge warehouse in North Yorkshire. The largest warehouse in a new commercial development, this 280,000 sq. ft Grade A logistics unit has a footprint of approximately 260m x 95m.
The warehouse is being fitted out with racking up to 17m – just a metre short of the 18m high ceiling. With aisles only 1.5m wide, the WiFi must be directional with precision focus to ensure connectivity, so that tools such as automated pick and place stock robotics can work accurately throughout the building.
Express Data’s warehouse WiFi solution involves expert planning, network infrastructure installation and testing. Technical challenges included:
Network infrastructure planning
Our expert network architects understand the demands of large warehouse network communications systems, and the network infrastructure needed to support warehouse WiFi. Without proper planning, essential elements may be omitted or downgraded, resulting in a system that is quickly outdated and cannot be scaled or adapted for future technological development.
Comprehensive WiFi coverage
In the huge warehouse, our team must ensure that WiFi is available from at least one source anywhere in the space, without dark spots or interruptions from equipment and machinery. By ensuring that every area is covered by more than one WiFi signal, we give the system resilience.
Multiple access points across the warehouse
Access Points are the means by which the WiFi signal is delivered from the main routers to the computers and devices in your network. Wireless Access Points (WAPs) connect devices across a network rather than using wires and cables. When a wireless device wants to connect to a network, it communicates with the closest WiFi access point.
Multiple wireless access points enhance network performance. Using distribution switching, the workload can be shared among multiple access points, reducing congestion and ensuring a stable connection. Multiple access points enable seamless roaming, allowing devices to switch between access points without interruptions.
An empty warehouse with no obstacles might be able to use just a few access points. Introducing such dense racking to this warehouse would normally require hundreds – but with clever deployment, Express Data was able to deliver robust network performance across the vast warehouse with the installation of just 130 access points.
Avoiding single point of failure
A single point of failure (SPOF) is a component or system element whose failure can cause the entire system to stop functioning. In large network installations such as warehouses, it is crucial that there is no single point of failure makes the system vulnerable to unexpected downtime.
The installation of hundreds of access points in a large warehouse ensures that WiFi is distributed from many different points, eliminating single points of failure by ensuring that if one access point fails, coverage is maintained by others.
The cabinets hosting the access point connectivity or routers in the large warehouse have been designed by Express Data to provide a mesh or interleaved network, diversely routed back to the core supply. Adjacent access points have two fibre connections wired back to different cabinets, so that if one access point fails, the next is wired to be resiliently opposite and can cover most of the area. This resilient configuration is crucial to minimising downtime in the event of failure of a single element.
Specifying high quality network cabling
The entire network infrastructure supporting WiFi relies on installation of the right network cabling. Installing the right cabling in your warehouse provides seamless connectivity with excellent performance and durability. By contrast, choosing the wrong cabling risks harming the overall performance and reliability of your warehouse network.
Network cabling installations require different qualities of cabling, depending on the quantity and quality of data to be transmitted, and the length of cabling required. In this case, single mode fibre optic cabling provides excellent data speeds with the capacity to increase performance if needed in future.
Technical hardware for this warehouse WiFi installation included:
- CAT 6A Copper cabling
- Single mode Fibre Optic cabling in resilient formation
- 8 network cabinets supporting WiFi distribution
- Top tier resilient network switching fabric.
- Highly sophisticated radio antennae attached to wireless access points.
The logistical challenges of installing warehouse WiFi
On top of the technical challenges, warehouse WiFi installation can present complex logistical challenges, even once any planning restrictions have been overcome and the design has been signed off by the landlord.
Working at height and around other infrastructure
Network infrastructure installation in a large warehouse can present challenging conditions, since our engineers must often work at significant height to install cabling. Access to the purlins, for example, will demand consideration of Health & Safety requirements to ensure that work is carried out without incidents.
Working with multiple teams
Express Data engineers are often working in tight conditions even when installing WiFi in a large warehouse, as other teams are often working at the same time.
For example, in this case our experts installing warehouse WiFi were working around teams using scaffolding to erect racking; and electricians installing lighting – all needing to work within the same space.
This meant it was essential to plan work carefully, and work co-operatively to ensure that each team could achieve their goal without causing any obstruction. In fact, we worked well together: Express Data engineers are not only experts at network installation, but are tidy and helpful – a huge advantage in such circumstances!
The busy warehouse site also meant that there was room for no more than a team of four Express Data engineers to carry out the network installation. Where the customer needs to limit multiple teams, we are happy to plan logistics in advance to ensure that we will be able to deliver even large projects on time.
Successful warehouse WiFi installation
The large new warehouse now benefits from a high quality network infrastructure that:
- Provides WiFi across the entire warehouse, reaching into extensive racking and narrow aisles
- Includes multiple access points to enable seamless transition for moving receptors
- Maximises efficiency by defending against a single point of failure
- Uses high quality network infrastructure for robust, future-proof performance.
Now that the warehouse WiFi infrastructure is complete, the next steps in this network infrastructure installation project include installing network infrastructure for the two floors of adjacent offices; followed by external network communications including access control and external point to point communications, for example gatehouse connections including CCTV.
Need to install warehouse WiFi?
If you’d like to know more about our expert warehouse WiFi installation, or to find out how we can help maximise network communications throughout large spaces such as warehouses, we’re always happy to help. Contact us for warehouse Wifi today!