Uninterrupted Motion: Why Factories Need a New Class of Wireless

Picture this: A robotic inspection vehicle speeds along the production line. Its cameras scan every component, transmitting high-definition video in real time. Suddenly, it detects a microscopic crack in a crucial part—something invisible to the human eye. Instantly, its onboard AI flags the defect and alerts the central control system to halt the process, preventing a costly recall and ensuring only perfect products leave the factory.

Now, imagine if that robot’s wireless connection dropped for just a split second as it crossed the factory floor. The video feed freezes, the defect goes undetected, and a faulty part slips through. The cost? Potential downtime, rework, or even reputational damage.

In modern manufacturing, this isn’t science fiction. Companies like BMW and Samsung Electronics are already deploying vision-enabled mobile robots and AI-powered inspection systems to automate quality assurance on the move. For these systems, connectivity is as critical as electricity—any interruption can mean missed defects, lost productivity, or compromised safety.

This isn’t just about productivity or product quality—safety is also at stake. If a robot or AGV loses its network connection, it will typically stop immediately to prevent accidents—a necessary safety measure, but one that can halt the entire production line. In environments where heavy AGVs and mobile robots operate alongside human workers, reliable network connections are crucial not only for smooth operations, but also to ensure that real-time safety systems—such as proximity alerts and emergency stop signals—continue to function as intended. If connectivity is lost, these alerts may be delayed or interrupted, increasing potential safety risks on the factory floor.

The Common Thread: Mobility and Data-Hungriness

What do today’s most advanced manufacturing devices have in common? They move—fast and unpredictably—and they generate and consume enormous amounts of data. For example:

• Mobile robots patrol the floor, using cameras and AI to detect defects or safety hazards, requiring real-time video streaming and instant feedback.
• Automated inspection vehicles scan parts with high-definition imaging, sending gigabits of data per hour to edge AI models that spot tiny flaws invisible to the human eye.
• Heavy-weight collaborative robots shift between workstations, working in close proximity to humans, continuously collecting and processing proximity data to trigger instant alerts and avoid accidents—any lapse in connectivity could mean a missed warning and a potential safety incident.

Why Wi-Fi Alone Isn’t Enough

Traditional Wi-Fi has served factories well for general-purpose connectivity, but it wasn’t engineered for the demands of these new, highly mobile, mission-critical devices. The challenge isn’t just about speed—it’s about ultra-low latency, seamless handoffs, and rock-solid  reliability. In many industrial environments, Wi-Fi can struggle with:

• Lost connections as devices move between access points or through RF-challenged areas
• Latency spikes that delay real-time decision-making
• Interference from machinery, metal structures, or high device density

Enter Ultra-Reliable Wireless Backhaul (URWB): The Perfect Complement to Wi-Fi

To meet the needs of modern manufacturing, a new class of wireless—engineered specifically for mobility, low latency, and reliability—is required. URWB is designed for just this purpose. URWB provides:

• Near-zero latency (less than 10 ms) for real-time control and feedback
• Uninterrupted handoffs as devices move throughout the facility
• Performance comparable to private 5G but using unlicensed spectrum avoiding costs and complexities of spectrum management.

URWB is integrated into many of Cisco’s Wi-Fi 7, 6E, and 6 wireless access points, allowing manufacturers to run Wi-Fi and URWB side-by-side on the same device. This means both general-purpose and mission-critical applications can be supported—without adding new infrastructure or complexity.

Cisco’s Ultra-Reliable Wireless Backhaul (URWB) is specifically designed to deliver deterministic, high-bandwidth connectivity in environments with heavy mobile assets and dense interference. By ensuring that safety-critical data and alerts flow instantly, URWB enables factories to enforce dynamic safety zones, trigger automatic slowdowns or stops, and provide workers with real-time warnings when machines approach. In real-world deployments, this level of reliability isn’t just a technical upgrade—it’s a foundational requirement for protecting both people and equipment.

Smarter Design for Modern Manufacturing: Introducing the Industrial Automation Wireless Design Guide

Deploying next-generation wireless for industrial automation isn’t just about choosing the right technology—it’s about designing your network for reliability, security, and performance from the ground up.

That’s where our new Industrial Automation Wireless Design Guide comes in, providing you with a comprehensive, practical resource developed by experts to help you plan, deploy, and optimize your wireless network for Industrial Automation Control Systems (IACS). Specifically created for manufacturing and industrial environments and distills best practices, real-world lessons, and detailed technical recommendations into an actionable blueprint you can follow. Inside you will find:

• Clear explanations of key use cases for wireless in industrial automation, including mobile robots, real-time monitoring, and machine-to-machine communications.
• Detailed design guidelines for integrating Wi-Fi and URWB, ensuring seamless and resilient connectivity for both general-purpose and mission-critical applications.
• Reference architectures that illustrate proven network designs to support modern manufacturing workflows.
• Deployment best practices and configuration tips to help you achieve reliable, high-performance wireless in challenging industrial settings.

With this guide, you can move forward confidently—knowing you have a blueprint built on industry expertise and real-world deployments.

The Bottom Line

The future of manufacturing depends on the ability to connect a new generation of mobile, intelligent devices—securely, reliably, and with ultra-low latency. Wi-Fi remains essential, but it needs a specialized companion: URWB. Together, they unlock new applications, new efficiencies, and new possibilities for your factory.

Ready to see what uninterrupted motion and smarter wireless can do for your operations? Dive into our Industrial Automation Wireless Design Guide to get started, or explore our solution overview to learn more.

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