Industrial environment characterization for future M2M applications

Combining electronics, telecommunications, and information technology to connect devices and remote systems is perhaps the best feature of the future Machine-to-Machine (M2M) technology. Wireless communication technologies for managing future M2M applications are becoming mature, but electromagnetic interference and time dispersion in industrial environments can limit the successful functioning of these wireless systems, leading to a failure in the control of critical functions. The characterization of these environments is necessary for collecting and specifying M2M requirements. In this paper, we present the conclusions from measurements carried out in four different industrial environments during the past three years.