Networking in Unconventional Locations: 10 Common Challenges

by Chris Preimesberger

In locations with extreme temperatures or constantly moving parts, networking equipment needs to be designed to handle the elements. Standard networking equipment is not designed to stand up to these rigorous conditions and will eventually fail. IT professionals need to find hardware that is rugged and reliable enough to take constant abuse.

When in an unconventional location like a mine, networking is necessary to keep trucks and machines running efficiently. Unfortunately, uneven topography often leads to networking issues. Working through issues like this can be a real challenge, especially when the environment is constantly changing.

Whether it is an oil platform in the North Sea or a mine in Chile, remote locations offer their own networking challenges. Being so remote means that whatever solution that is used to network machines, sensors and operations needs to be scalable and reliable. When replacement parts are weeks away, the hardware better be reliable.

Networking is not just necessary in fixed deployments. One industry that is often overlooked is rail shipping. With the amount of goods transported via rail, it is shocking that most box cars lack any form of connectivity. In the remote areas where trains operate, there is rarely infrastructure to support networking of smarter rail cars; this causes a black hole for companies wanting to track their exact box cars.

In unconventional locations, you will find companies that are reluctant to invest in modern networking technology. When you are in unforgiving locations, dealing with outdated hardware can cause major issues for IT professionals and make it even more difficult to keep a network up and running.

Relying on only wired LAN is unrealistic when the connected areas span 200 square miles. In massive deployment areas—such as oil fields—the solution must be able to cover a massive area and offer a consistent and strong connection.

Some remote locations—like mines—are constantly expanding and changing. The hardware deployed in these areas needs to be able to scale and grow with the mine.

When network availability is mission-critical for the safety of crew members, would you really want to rely on a system that has a single point of failure? Some remote locations are dangerous enough and losing communication due to the network going down is unacceptable. Any network deployed in a remote and dangerous location cannot have a single point of failure.

In industrial settings, the network must be able to handle multiple applications at once without failing. These applications can include voice communications, video monitoring, and fleet monitoring and control. With mission-critical applications like this, it is imperative that the network is designed to handle a heavy load.

When dealing with networking in unconventional locations, the challenges can seem as daunting as the environments in which they reside. The way to overcome them is to research and find the right networking solution that has been designed to thrive in a rigorous environment.