Unlocking Seamless Connectivity in Manufacturing and Distribution: The Power of Private Networks
In today’s fast-paced manufacturing and distribution sectors, the demand for reliable, high-performance connectivity is more critical than ever. As facilities modernize, introducing automation, IoT devices, and data-heavy applications, traditional networks alone can fall short in meeting evolving connectivity needs. Wi-Fi and public cellular networks, though widespread, can struggle to deliver the capacity, speed, and reliability required in these environments.
This connectivity challenge is compounded by the unique physical characteristics of industrial spaces. Manufacturing and distribution facilities are typically expansive, featuring a mix of large indoor and outdoor areas, high ceilings, and extensive metal surfaces—all of which can interfere with wireless signals. These factors create dead zones and signal interference, complicating seamless network access.
As a result, many organizations are turning to private cellular networks to overcome these limitations, enabling stronger, more resilient connections tailored specifically to the demands of industrial settings.
Read on to discover more about these challenges, alongside the unique capabilities of private cellular.
Key Connectivity Challenges to Warehouse Efficiency
Warehouse operators that leverage only traditional networks such as Wi-Fi or public cellular networks may face several connectivity challenges that impact operations. Here are a few of the most notable.
Mobility Use Case Constraints: The “Sticky Client” Problem
From connected workers to autonomous moving vehicles, warehouse facilities have increasingly become home to use cases on-the-move, dependent on consistent connectivity. Traditional Wi-Fi, however, is not designed for high mobility, suffering from what some call the “sticky client” problem: mobile devices may remain connected to a weaker signal even though there is a stronger signal that is closer to the device, leading to drops in coverage and inaccurate data collection. This issue, combined with highly reflective environments, leads to inconsistent connectivity, manual workarounds, and frustrated employees.
Private cellular can be far more effective at connecting these mobile use cases, opposed to traditional Wi-Fi’s strength for covering carpeted, stationary use cases such as printing and accessing the Internet. Built for seamless handoffs, private cellular provides improved reliability and mobility to workers using connected devices such as tablets and inventory scanners and to autonomous mobile robots in motion.
Limited Coverage and Capacity
With expansive indoor and outdoor coverage areas and highly reflective spaces throughout a warehouse facility, Wi-Fi signals may struggle to reach essential use cases within manufacturing facilities. Because public cellular networks are maintained, created, and regulated for general public use, coverage is meant to reach and support as general an audience as possible and may fail to reach specific buildings and more isolated outdoor spaces. Businesses that use public cellular are reliant on factors out of their control that may negatively impact coverage, such as how far away the closest cellular tower is.
Obstructed signals can lead to the loss of asset tracking and remote monitoring capabilities, can cause autonomous robots to stall on the warehouse floor and prevent employees from maintaining consistent connectivity on their connected devices. As a result, employees may need to manually retrieve data or walk on the warehouse floor to restart autonomous forklifts, leading to issues such as reduced productivity, employee frustration, and even potential worker safety risks.
Private networks can connect at a higher output power and offer broader coverage than public cellular and Wi-Fi, offering greater reliability and network coverage through the facility. Because they are designed, installed, and maintained for a specific business location, private cellular networks offer specialized, pinpoint coverage for mission-critical use cases. This connectivity includes dedicated, reliable coverage for facilities requiring both indoor & outdoor coverage and that need to cover hard-to-reach, reflective environments.
The Need to Support a Growing Number of Connected Devices
Wireless connectivity problems can lead to inefficiencies and decreased productivity, primarily due to devices losing signal; common instances of this include scanners losing signal and freezing, slowness in devices, or the need to reboot some devices if the signal is lost. With the realization of smart warehousing, lost connections on devices such as IoT sensors, robots, and next-generation automated guided vehicles become increasingly problematic.
Private networks can help support this growing number of connected devices — thanks due greater support of mobile use cases, higher bandwidth, and broader overall coverage.
Benefits of Private Networks to Help Improve Warehouse Efficiency
There are many potential benefits to deploying private cellular to support connectivity within your warehouse operation. Here are just a few that can lead to both short-term and long-term advantages for diverse facilities.
Enhanced Reliability
The stronger output power of private networks can help to ensure more reliable connectivity between warehouse operators, employees, vehicles, and equipment. This more reliable connectivity can enable seamless hand-offs and broad coverage even to hard-to-reach areas, enabling consistent and reliable coverage.
Increased Mobility
The need to enable continuous mobility—whether it is keeping employees’ tablets connected as they move through a large warehouse, enabling autonomous forklifts to move inventory across the warehouse floor, or providing the ability for employees to use operational software to communicate and update data—all require reliable connectivity and complete coverage.
Broad, Reliable Coverage
Private cellular networks are designed to provide complete coverage across indoor and outdoor spaces — from the factory floor to outdoor lots. Starting at 4x the output power of WiFi, private cellular can cover expansive areas where Wi-Fi signals can struggle to reach and can offer targeted signal where needed most.
Ability to Overcome Highly Reflective Environments
Environments can become reflective when they contain more metallic materials (such as stocked shelves, vehicles, equipment and metal containers, etc.) — exceedingly common in spaces such as manufacturing and distribution facilities. The range of Wi-Fi can be diminished in highly reflective environments. In contrast, private cellular’s range actually gains signal strength from reflective surfaces, supporting broad, reliable connectivity.
Application-Level Control
Private cellular networks provide application-level control, allowing organizations to prioritize critical data traffic, manage Quality of Service (QoS), and help ensure optimal performance for mission-critical applications. Higher levels of control are essential for logistics and distribution facilities that rely on real-time communication and require consistent connectivity for time-sensitive operations.
Use Cases for Private Networks in Warehouse
As the trend towards digitizing warehouse operations, production assets, and workflows continues, connectivity between machines and systems will become essential. New pieces of technology that serve as key use cases for private networks include, but are not limited to:
- Push to Talk Radios, connecting workers on the move with instant communication at the push of a button thanks to unobstructed private cellular connectivity.
- Worker Safety Solutions, including reduced equipment malfunctions and quicker security alerts due to reliable connectivity.
- Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs)/Robotics that use sensors and maps to “see” their environment as they navigate through the warehouse floor, requiring continuous connectivity to detect and avoid obstacles as they transport goods.
- Asset Tracking & Inventory Management via real-time monitoring of inventory and equipment using connected sensors.
- Connected Workers utilizing devices such as iPads and inventory scanners, navigating reflective, indoor/outdoor facilities without connectivity interruptions.
- 911 Calling in case of emergency, reliably accessible within all parts of your facility thanks to neutral host public cellular.
- Visitor Connectivity to keep guests connected during important visits to your facility, also leveraging neutral host public cellular.
Approach for Efficient Warehouse Private Network Design
Working with a holistic service provider — such as Cox Private Networks — can provide immense benefits for manufacturing facilities. Here are a few specific perks, highlighting our unique approach.
Consultative Approach
Developing a deep understanding of your pain points and needs leads to the development of customized, tailored solutions. The right service provider will take the time to have the right conversations — understanding what technology is currently in place and what customized solutions will help provide seamless connectivity and continuous operations.
Right Technology to the Right Use Case (OEM Agnostic)
From turnkey technology stacks to the augmentation of a specific capability, holistic service providers build networks using only the technology your use case requires. A holistic provider will guide your team toward selecting the right technology to suit your needs, not based on a particular vendor or brand, aiming to ultimately deliver the most effective and efficient solution to meet your needs.
End-to-End Network Delivery
While other providers may specialize in just one aspect of network delivery — whether that be design, installation, deployment, or network support — holistic service providers handle all aspects of your network via one provider. As end-to-end experts, we work to streamline the communication process and eliminate any synergistic concerns, delivering a full end-to-end solution from design to deployment to ongoing network monitoring and management, offering a turnkey solution that makes private wireless technology adoptable for your teams.
Broad Wireless Toolset
An adaptable, holistic service provider will offer a comprehensive suite of networking solutions tailored to meet the diverse needs of modern enterprises. From wired and Wi-Fi to private cellular, MOCN (Multi-Operator Core Network) neutral host public cellular, 60 GHz, LoRa, and 80 GHz solutions, the breadth and depth of tools will mean the right tech can be matched with the right use case.
Cost and Return on Investment (ROI) Considerations
An experienced service provider will not overengineer Wi-Fi, private cellular or any technology — instead matching your specific use cases to the right technology and advising you on how to best set up your IT infrastructure to accomplish your goals. This approach allows your team to make the most of your technology investment and delivers a cost-efficient ROI.
