Remote Monitoring Systems Aren’t New

Hello, and welcome back to the Mazik Things blog! In today’s world, remote monitoring systems are all around us. More objects that we interact with on a daily basis are becoming connected to the internet, and with this connection comes an amazing amount of data that can be analyzed and used to increase the productivity of thousands of processes and systems. Here at Mazik Things, our remote monitoring systems are more business oriented, helping you keep track of important resources, but today we wanted to take a quick look at how remote monitoring systems have become so far reaching. In the first of a three-part blog series, we are going to cover the past, present, and future of remote monitoring systems.

Remote Monitoring in the Past

The Internet of Things (IoT) grew out of a very simple need. Industries needed to be able to monitor their machinery from anywhere while also eliminating the need to physically be present to complete this task. This early need was met in the form of Remote Terminal Units used in public utilities such as power grids, water lines, and wastewater purification plants. Because of the time period that these RTUs were developed, they functioned through land-based communications systems such as telephone lines or LANs (Local Area Networks). These, by today’s standards, ancient systems were simple in nature, and often only alerted someone when something went wrong with a machine. Data collection was beyond the reach of these early systems however, they did lay the groundwork for the more advanced systems that would follow.

The Technology Boom Improved Remote Monitoring Systems

Like most technology, remote monitoring systems saw an amazing increase in both use and functionality in the technology boom of the 90s. During this time, networking technology greatly improved, and the world got its first taste of what the internet could truly do. As communication technology between machines increased, so did the ability of these machines to relay information about their operational processes. No longer were remote monitoring systems simply reporting whether the machine was working or not, they were able to give specific data on how the machine was operating. With this information, technicians could better predict if a machine or system was going to fail based on the information that they received through the remote monitoring system attached to the machine. The ability to accurately predict the failure of a machine before it happened helped to increase productivity and allowed industries to better maximize the resources they possessed. Additionally, all of this data could be easily collected and used as a baseline to show how a machine performed over a given amount of time.

Join us again next time, as we continue to delve into the exciting world of remote monitoring systems. Here at Mazik Things, we offer remote monitoring solutions for businesses that allow them to keep track of, and collect data on, vital industrial resources. To learn more about our products and services visit our website today.