Machine to machine (M2M) is pretty much what you would expect – two machines communicating or exchanging data, without human interfacing or interaction. This includes serial connection, powerline connection (PLC), or wireless communications in the industrial Internet of Things (IoT).
Machine to machine technology is primarily about tapping into sensor data and transmitting it to a network. Unlike SCADA or other remote monitoring tools, M2M systems often use public networks and access methods such as cellular or Ethernet to make it more cost-effective.
More recent machine to machine communication has changed into a system of networks that transmits data to personal appliances. The expansion of IP networks around the world has made machine to machine communication quicker and easier while using less power. The efficacy of these networks allow new business opportunities for consumers and suppliers.
The applications of M2M communications abound and are mushrooming along with the massive interconnectivity of the Internet of Things system.
For example, smart homes have incorporated M2M technology in many ways. It’s an embedded system that allows home appliances and other technologies to have real-time control of operations as well as the ability to communicate remotely.
M2M is now commonly used in remote monitoring as well. For instance machine to machine communication has become extremely important in warehouse management systems (WMS) and supply chain management as an enabler of monitoring as well as asset tracking.
In product restocking, a vending machine can message the distributor’s network, or machine, when a particular item is running low to send a refill.
Utility companies were among the first to devise scenarios where M2M communication is useful. Through the use of smart meters, utilities can bill customers as well as analyze worksite factors such as temperature, pressure and equipment status. Utility companies also enable machine to machine communication to harvest gas and oil energy.
Additionally, with the low latency of 5G technology, telemedicine is finding new applications for machine to machine devices. Besides remote healthcare and remote surgery, M2M devices can enable the real-time monitoring of patients’ vital statistics, dispensing medicine when required or tracking healthcare assets.
Want to learn more about machine to machine communications? Tonex offers Machine to Machine Training, an intense 4-day bootcamp where participants learn the concepts behind the application of M2M communication in a smart grid, enabling technologies and open issues of M2M communications, network design issues of M2M communications for home energy management system (HEMS) in a smart grid, network architecture for HEMS to collect status and power consumption demand from home appliances, optimal HEMS traffic concentration, and optimal cluster formation.
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