5G and Wi-Fi 6 are strong and modern tools that can propel a company’s manufacturing processes. With these innovations, expect to be faster and more efficient, without sacrificing quality. But their capabilities target different areas of production and provide benefits for specific parts of the manufacturing process.
5G allows for reliable connection, without plant environments becoming a potential hindrance to productivity. Its network slicing feature, creating multiple networks on one shared infrastructure, adapts to your company’s specific needs. This allows for a smoother and faster transmission that minimises latency,” which was a drawback with classic Wi-Fi.
Other advantages of 5G for manufacturing include the potential to use robots for the manufacturing process; efficient communication between workers and their machines; tracking for facilities management; and flexibility in terms of setup requirements. It also supports IoT.
In a Thales report on High-speed 5G IoT, they write “5G and IoT is more than just a new generation of wireless technology.”5 The 2022 update outlines that the use of 5G for IoT will allow for more speed and bandwidth, less latency, and, most importantly, the support of more devices and connections. “It’s unleashing a massive IoT ecosystem where networks can serve billions of connected devices.”5
Wi-Fi 6, on the other hand, works well for smaller, indoor settings and is overall a cheaper alternative for network connectivity. It brings the same level of automation and ease of use to bigger scale operation processes, like factories and big plants.
Other advantages of Wi-Fi 6 for manufacturing include the automation of processes; scaling of automation; and integration with AI, such as Siri or Alexa.