The Impact of 5G on Factory Automation

 

5G may still be in its infancy, but the industrial space is excited for the possibilities this technology may bring in terms of improvements in factory automation.

Barry Turner, Technical Business Development Manager at Red Lion Controls, walked Tyler Kern through the current state of 5G and the future advantages of factory automation as adoption progresses.

Today, many applications in the industrial sector utilize wireless communications. Thus far, though, the most expansive use cases require low bandwidths over a long communication path. 900 MHz frequencies are what these applications use. 5G allows for higher frequencies.

Higher frequencies mean more power, and more muscle equates to more data flow. But more power and data means less distance that data can travel before it dissipates.

Remote access is a way of life for most technical applications, and this requires access to more bandwidth.

“You need a way to be able to communicate with a system over a secure tunnel,” Turner said. “So, you’re going to need more bandwidth to make that happen. 900 MHz is going to make that very difficult. You need higher bandwidth for that, as well as pulling data out of these remote applications, too.”

Additional radio antennae need to be installed throughout a business’s telemetry system to account for the distance issues created by greater frequencies. “Instead of having one every couple of miles, now you’re talking about maybe four a mile,” Turner said.

Although 5G may require some additional infrastructure to gain the maximum benefits of its low-latency and high data speed capabilities, Turner said he believed it would eventually replace Wi-Fi in many instances. 

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

How Branded Moving Trucks Help Storage Facilities Attract More Customers
August 1, 2025

You know that feeling when you see the same truck three times in a week? First at the grocery store, then outside your friend’s place, then stuck in traffic next to you. By the third sighting, that company name is burned into your brain. Smart storage facility owners figured this out years ago. They’re…

Read More
Winter is Coming: 9 Battle-Tested Strategies to Shield Your Commercial Property from Skyrocketing Insurance Costs
August 1, 2025

The numbers are brutal. Insurance deductibles that used to be a manageable $2,000 flat fee have morphed into percentage-based nightmares tied to property values. What was once a minor business expense can now hit six figures with a single burst pipe or ice dam incident. Meanwhile, insurance premiums have surged 20.4% on average, leaving property…

Read More
From Zero to 460% Engagement: 6 UGC Campaigns That Broke All the Rules
August 1, 2025

Picture this: You spend months crafting the perfect marketing campaign. Professional photographers, expensive equipment, polished copy. You launch it and… crickets. Meanwhile, your competitor posts a simple challenge asking customers to share their stories, and suddenly they’re swimming in engagement, leads, and brand loyalty. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. The biggest mistake brands make with…

Read More
Purpose Factory Event 2025
Lights, Camera, Action
August 1, 2025

The Purpose Factory Event 2025 emerges at a moment when organizations are being challenged to redefine what success really means. Beyond profits and projections, the gathering champions a model of growth that intertwines cultural impact with strategic vision. It’s a forum where companies explore how values can be engineered into operations, not just marketed in…

Read More