Starting your IoT project is one thing, industrializing it is another! The transition from POC to large-scale IoT deployment must be anticipated from the beginning of the project. Indeed, many factors condition its success, such as network coverage, sensors, the economic model, the deployment.
Objenious decrypts the 4 essential axes to study in order to move serenely to the industrial phase.
What is my business model?
The question of the business model is central to the deployment of a large-scale IoT project. First of all, it is important to establish a precise framework because the field of possibilities is very wide and additional costs can quickly weigh down the overall investment.
Our experts advise setting up a pool of sensors that will collect and transmit the essential data to the project. Once this first step is deployed, it is advised to add a park of sensors to respond to other use cases.
The volume of objects needed to amortize the investment should be calculated quickly. To do this, it is necessary to distinguish the indicators that are necessary and fundamental to the project from those that are only a bonus, in order to focus on the initial needs.
What will be the uses of the sensors I will need?
To choose the sensors and facilitate their integration, it is important to know their uses! Indeed, a sensor can provide multiple pieces of information. For example, in the case of cold chain monitoring: simply retrieving geolocation data is not sufficient. The company must be able to rely on this sensor to control the temperature throughout the transport so that the products are not altered, receive an alert signaling the best time to ship them, or even benefit from an analysis of the most appropriate route thanks to the GPS located on the sensor.
Choosing a sensor that meets multiple objectives will allow for a quicker return on investment for the project. Discover certified Objenious sensors on the e-catalogue.
A pollution detector in a park.
What is the level of coverage provided by the operator?
Before installing all the sensors, it is essential to study the network coverage required for their operation. For this, it is important to know the location of the sensors: will they be installed outdoors, easily accessible, and able to receive a strong signal? Or on the contrary, will they be located in the basement, directly in the foundations of a building, with limited access to the network?
These answers allow you to check with your operator that the network coverage is sufficient to cover the geographical area concerned properly. This step is structuring since it ensures the transmission of the sensor signal and therefore their ability to communicate.
How do I concretely install my antenna and sensors?
If a company opts for a so-called “private” network and decides to install its own antenna to create its network and use its sensors, the installation process will differ from that of a company using an expert operator.
Some companies opt for a private network because, at first glance, the private network seems much more economical than the packaged offers from operators. However, this choice requires hiring various service providers to carry out the many technical tasks of network configuration, antenna installation and connection, not to mention the manual installation of the sensors to connect them.
Operator-packaged offers have the advantage of including not only the entire installation costs but also the management of the entire life cycle of the antennas and installed sensors: tracking, maintenance, supervision, updates, and operational expenses (core networks, 3G/4G subscription, human intervention).
It is always easier to be accompanied by a dedicated operator to ensure the profitability of the project. Indeed, good coordination of the installation as well as the whole maintenance allows a company to expand its IoT park in the long term.
These offer turnkey solutions and use their expertise and knowledge to assist companies in addressing all their questions and provide long-term support in their projects.