Symposium 2: The Realities of Satellite and Cellular for Sensor Networking

Speaker |  Joel Young  | CTO and SVP of Research and Development | Digi International
7 Jun, 2010 | 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

There is perception that satellite connectivity is hard, expensive, inaccessible and difficult to deploy. This isn’t true. With recent innovations in satellite technology, cost—both hardware and service plan—is no longer prohibitive. Attend this symposium and learn how to combine cellular and satellite that allow end users to switch easily from one technology to another. Take a deep-dive into this emerging space and examine how the proliferation of satellite and solutions that combine satellite with cellular is enabling a whole new world of “anywhere connectivity” ideal for numerous sensor networking applications.

• The basics of satellite: A broad tutorial on satellite connectivity.
• Overview of cellular: A tutorial on the current status of cellular connectivity for sensor networking.
• How to deploy a satellite sensor network: What is necessary to deploy a satellite sensor network and receive some general guidelines and tips to make satellite sensor network deployment easier. Additionally, the benefits and pitfalls of each of the major satellite networks—Orbcomm, Iridium and GEO—will be discussed.
• How to deploy a cellular-based, end-to-end application: How to deploy a cellular sensor network and receive some general guidelines and tips to make the process easier. The session also includes a discussion of the benefits and pitfalls of the different cellular technologies available as well as the major carriers.
• Mixing multiple wireless technologies into a satellite or cellular network: How to add Wi-Fi, ZigBee and proprietary RF into a satellite and/or cellular sensor network and the potential benefits of doing so.
• Wireless application examples: Review a smart energy application using cellular, an asset management application using satellite and a “people counting” application using multiple wireless technologies to demonstrate how this can all be brought together.
• Live demonstration: A sensor network will be established in the classroom that uses both cellular and satellite technology.