Wade4Wireless

Private Wireless Use Case Foundations


I focus most of this on P5G and PLTE, but I am looking into Wi-Fi and LoRa as well. I think LoRa will continue to grow, it’s got a lot going for it. I see LoRa being a competitor to Wi-Fi, P5G, and PLTE for IOT specifically. It’s way more cost effective to deploy and it’s a proven technology. Not only that, but there is a plethora of devices that work in LoRa compared to maybe a dozen affordable devices in P5G.

But…….. Wi-Fi, P5G, and PLTE can serve as backhaul connections for the hubs of LoRa. I am telling you that moving forward we will need to rely on the Hetnet models more and more. After all, look at Wi-Fi inside your home and the Cable modem or FWA connection to the internet. They need to work together.

While you like to think you’re building something for the customer, it’s not the wireless nor the network you’re making customer specific, but the application and end user’s interface. It’s the backend that will be unique to your customer. 

There’s the rub, right? When you talk to these customers you must explain that it’s not the network, but the use case that really matters. It has to either make them money or save them money. Unfortunately you can’t just build it because it’s cool unless you can afford to do it for free. 

Trust me, they all want it for free, so much so I had people soak as much information out of me that they could and they thought it would be easy to take that knowledge and run.

Guess what, it didn’t work that way. It turns out these networks take time, a lot of work, and ongoing commitment. That is why people like to use an out-of-the-box model because they think it’s less complicated. Sometimes it is but if they want to grow the network or expand its use, then it takes work. 

However, I have worked with a lot of utilities that had one use case and for them that was good enough. They never wanted to touch it again. Set it and forget it. That works for them. 

So let’s look at the foundational use cases first. 

Drones

Flying magazine wrote an article about the FAA allowing UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) in September of 2023, link here and listed below, where drones can go beyond the VLOS (Visual Line of Sight). This is something that could be on a public network. However, public networks, even the major carriers, do go down. If they go down, then what?

Your drones have to be smart and know how to return compared to when the self-driving cars shutdown and caused traffic jams in San Francisco back in August of 2023. The cars needed a connection to guide them. I feel this is a major mistake.

If you have a smartphone then you know when they lose connection to the network they tend to lock up. 

With a drone, you can’t work that way. The drones usually have brains in them to return to a starting point on their own, with or without the wireless connection.

So what can a drone do? Well, I have a couple of use cases below.

  • Delivery – I am not a fan of this because I feel that drones have a long way to go to carry heavy loads. While Amazon is testing this, I wonder how well the actual model will work. The problem right now is the battery and power of the drone. Then I think about how people will steal the drones and the packages they’re carrying. Theft may be easier. Then I think the weather will mess things up. Also, you need some type of air traffic control to manage all the drones in the air.
  • Remote inspections – this is something utility companies are trying today. They want to be able to deploy a drone to inspect wires, gas lines, or any type of line where the people need to take spare parts with them. It makes sense to deploy a drone moments after a disaster or storm so that when you dispatch people, they know where to go and what equipment will be needed to do the repair. Bridge inspections are also popular.
  • Emergency and rescue missions – this is a key tool today in rescue missions. They usually rely on VLOS to control the drone, but if they would connect to a working network then they could deploy them farther and quicker. They would have to hold the controller up in the air to maintain connectivity. 
  • Messaging – delivering actual contracts or paper messages is another thing that could take off when time is critical. There are still courier services in cities because contracts still require signatures. 
  • Air traffic control – someone has to monitor and track all the drones in an urban or suburban area for safety. For some reason the FAA doesn’t think this is critical, at least not until they transport people in drones. Then they will have to monitor all the air traffic. Granted, for all the use cases I have listed will be low flying and out of hazardous air space, but someone will have to track all the drones as traffic gets heavier and heavier. I think it’s only a matter of time until the government requires some type of control for the drone traffic as it increases.
  • Venue – This could be a critical service for venues. They need to understand the crowd movement, have security that is mobile and quick, and track problems before it becomes a major issue. Drones with cameras are the best solution for that. The drones could also deliver critical supplies to a remote area, think of someone collapsing and the ambulance can get there due to traffic, yet if someone is going into anaphylactic shock due to an allergy, you can get supplies there in minutes. I think having this at sporting events could be a big help, not just to monitor the event and broadcast it but to monitor the crowd for safety and security. 
  • Crowd control – when security teams need support, the best way to see the crowd is from the air. Video is critical in situations where the crowd is not letting people or vehicles through. Not only that but if they record the video they can review it a day later to identify people who caused problems. 
  • Privacy – This has to be addressed because in the US privacy is a huge issue. What does that mean to drones? Any picture taken from above with someone’s face in it could be an invasion of privacy. In many other countries it’s not as critical, but in the US we have to be very careful about what we share, how we share it, and what content is available. Be aware of this as you work with end users. 

Links:

Broadband Communications

This is the basis for a majority of PWNs, whether it’s Wi-Fi, PLTE, or P5G. No matter if it’s a campus system or if it’s a wider area ISP. Many users are looking to make this the foundation of their network. 

In the US we have CBRS spectrum to make this happen. While the spectrum is available, the carriers have their dedicated spectrum to use if they wish which may limit GA users. However, if there is nothing there, like on many reservations in the US, then it makes complete sense to deploy. 

It’s not just for smartphones, but to connect all people, students for schoolwork, adults so they can work from home, and businesses. This may make the community more connected and help them increase education and sales. 

I really think this use case is obvious and overblown in the news, so I didn’t want to spend more time on it than necessary. Yet, I needed to lay it out here because in the industry use cases this will come up again and again. Wi-Fi has been the foundation of broadband networks at home and in business mainly because it’s so cheap to install and setup with few roadblocks and very little OpEx. However, you still need backhaul, generally fiber, to connect it. This is where CBRS can make a difference. It can offer a wider area coverage for areas with no fiber. 

Remember, it must fill a use case, meaning, if there’s nothing there now it’s going to help. Maybe if it’s cheaper than fiber it’s going to let small businesses use it to save money. People need a reason, usually financial, to install it. Not many will do it because it’s cool unless they have deep pockets. 

IOT Use Cases

When looking at IoT use cases, remember that there is a lot of competition out there. I want to cover the competition because they are proven and sound solutions. It is going to be hard to displace them with a new network. 

This is why I often point you towards supporting these networks in new ways, so instead of displacing them, you can build a network to support them and provide a sound solution to get them connected in a cost effective way compared to what they have today. Then you can put a new solution on the roadmap when their existing solution is sunset. 

  1. Sensor monitoring is the one thing that people think of when it comes to IoT and yet, it’s been done for years. Most systems are on Wi-Fi or LoRa. They already have good solid solutions. If you think about Alexa and Siri, they can help you control or monitor anything in your home. Amazon has done a great job of building up their in-home LoRa network and expanding to Amazon Sidewalk. That was ingenious! I am so impressed how they offer a “free” network that almost anyone can connect to and use. In business they could monitor meters, equipment, or anything that could fail. It’s called predictive maintenance and it’s where they see a problem that is about to happen and they repair it before it breaks. This is so they can control when they fix it and perhaps make sure they have the spare parts on site before taking it offline. This is a huge use case but one that has been solved. I do see systems migrating to P5G over time. So the best bet is to offer backhaul support by connecting all the hubs to your network then finding solutions as the market matures. Also remember that you need a system on the backend that will monitor everything 24/7 and keep logs as well as alert the right people as required. It’s not just a device solution but a network solution as well. Think end to end for this solution. 
  2. Device control is another way for companies to use IoT. Above I spoke about the sensors, this is basically the same thing. You can have Alexa control so much in your home, like the thermostat, lights, outlets, and the list goes on. Businesses that have large offices also like this because they want to save electricity any way they can. One of them is to turn the lights off when there is no one around or control the thermostats in the office to save energy. Again this problem is solved by Wi-Fi and LoRa solutions in place today. Create the backhaul solution until the devices for P5G are ready for your particular solution. Also, like the sensors, you need a backend solution for logging, alarming, control, and interfacing with other devices. The backend should be smart. 
  3. Tracking is one of the main things being used today. Maybe for people, but that’s mostly done with video. What I am talking about is to monitor anything from a shipped package, vehicles, toolboxes, expensive equipment (think medical devices), or anything of value that could get lost or stolen. Some type of sensor may be required here. Today, I see RFID and BLE doing the smallest packages in a warehouse and logistics scenario. I see LoRa as the main solution for device tracking. If you want automobile tracking, the carriers are already solving this solution. So pick your battles here. Again, the backend monitoring system is where most of your money and resources will be tied up after installation. 
  4. Video cameras are the main thing connected today. Video can solve so many solutions while creating challenges. The challenges are all around private in the US. You have to be careful about not tracking someone unless you have a search warrant. In other countries, that is why they have video, like in. According to the March 7th, 2023, article “Who’s watching: the cities with the most CCTV cameras” on geographical.co.uk, they estimate that Chinese Cities have about 373 cameras per 1,000 people. They have roughly 1 camera for every 3 people. So, if you go to China, you are being watched. Now, in the US the main use cases for video isn’t facial recognition outside of law enforcement, but it’s use to track devices, safety monitoring, traffic monitoring, learning patterns, AI teaching, and things like that. For anything video, you need something on the backend, even if it’s a simple recording device. This is where ML and AI integrated into a solution that will enable video to automatically detect and alert someone when it’s necessary. That is where the real value is. The network is there to connect the camera to the recording device so it can make automated decisions about what happens next. Safety and alerts can be taken from video for almost anything.  
  5. Point-of-Sale (PoS) systems are an enabler for networks because now you can have an iPhone be your credit card machine. While the carriers currently own this market along with Wi-Fi. I don’t see the carriers giving up anything and people that use a carrier want to be mobile, so that may not be a market we can crack. However, for the Wi-Fi connected devices you could push the secure and private network advantages that P5G has over Wi-Fi. It’s your call, but this is how I see the market evolving.

More Stuff:

Promos for a Win-Win:

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Finally, here are some other updates.

Update on next book! I am putting together a new book on Private Wireless Networks. Hopefully by the end of January.

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