Why it matters
Mobile robots and connected equipment depend on continuous communication with fleet managers and control systems. The network becomes part of the production system.
A wireless design that serves handheld scanners was built for a different device, moving at a different speed, with a different tolerance for interruption.
What can go wrong
- Robots pause or stop at the same locations because of roaming delays between access points.
- Coverage measured in an empty building changes once racking is full of product.
- Interference from neighboring networks or other equipment appears only at certain times.
- The robot’s radio behaves differently from the devices the network was tuned for.
- A single controller, switch, or uplink failure stops the whole fleet.
What evidence to examine
| Evidence | What it can establish |
|---|---|
| Vendor’s published network requirements | The target the network must meet for this equipment |
| On-site wireless survey, taken with racking loaded | Actual coverage and signal quality in operating conditions |
| Roaming tests using the intended device class | Whether handoffs meet the equipment’s tolerance |
| Spectrum analysis across shifts | Sources and timing of interference |
| Network architecture and capacity records | Headroom, redundancy, and single points of failure |
| Access point and controller configuration and firmware levels | Compatibility with the intended devices |
| Coverage results for docks, freezers, mezzanines, and yards | Whether edge areas in the travel path are served |
Warning signs
- The last wireless survey predates the current racking layout.
- The survey was predictive only and was never validated on site.
- Scanner users already know the “dead spots.”
- Network requirements have not been requested from the automation vendor.
What to do next
- Obtain the vendor’s network requirements before evaluating the current network.
- Commission a validated survey along the planned travel paths, with product in place.
- Test with the actual device, or the same radio, before fleet deployment.