Radiofrequency
Radio technology for warehouse management
A radiofrequency, better known as RF, indicates an electric signal or an high frequency electromagnetic wave that propagates in space.
The radiocommunication
The term radiocommunication includes any type of communication technology without wires (wireless), it means that it uses as propagation mean, a radio channel that brings distance information towards electromagnetic signals linked to a certain frequency band and they are called radiofrequency.
Radiocommunication is an alternative form of telecommunication compared to the wired one, and it uses different physical communication system.
This type of technology is used since a lot of years on industrial environment, as a support to warehouse logistic.
Radiofrequency and warehouse logistic
In order to create a wireless network on a logistic warehouse, it is used to adopt a radiofrequency technology respecting 802.11ac / 802.11n standard, based on a frequency that could change from 2.4 giga hertz to 5.0 giga hertz for information communication. This standard guarantee compatibility between different hardware systems that uses it. On the advantages of radiofrequency technology there is:
- Speed and easy installation instead of a wired network;
- Flexible architecture;
- Realtime information access and in any place on the warehouse.
A radio frequency network is usually characterised by two hardware types: access point and radiofrequency equipment.
Access point
An Access Point is an electronic tool, connected to a wired network, that allows to the mobile user to access on wireless mode using his radiofrequency equipment
Thanks to transponder, this instrument allows to receive and send a radio signal to the user, in order to create a wireless connection between him and the software.
An Access Point is usually capable to communicate within a radius of 100 meters, even if the range can be reduced a lot for some metallic and liquid obstacles, who doesn’t favourite the radio signal diffusion. Typically, the radio frequency network within the warehouse is created by partially overlapping the coverage radio of each access point, thus ensuring total radio coverage of the working surface.
It is necessary to give particular attention to position and access point number installed on warehouse, in order to avoid an excessive concentration of equipment’s that will create, a loss of network performance for the continues attempt to connect.
Radio frequency Terminals
The radio frequency terminal is a hardware equipment that uses services made available by wireless network, and in particular it is an instrument dedicated to a collection and data exchange on the logistic warehouse.
This equipment, on a company network, is connected to the radio signal issued from access point, that allows the Realtime exchange of information between warehouse WMS or with other company software.
On the logistic management, the radio frequency terminal is connected to WMS and it is used as a mean to supply information to the store operator and to maintain the traceability of every operation during logistic flow, towards barcode reading and data placing by operators.
Automa is a web software, so it doesn’t need to be installed on every terminal but it is sufficient a browser presence on the terminals.