By Paul McHugh, area director UK at Cradlepoint

Paul McHugh, area director UK at Cradlepoint

Following the rollout of 5G technology, businesses have begun to experience very positive outcomes and its impact on connected vehicles has been significant. From the ability to connect emergency service vehicles to headquarters, leading to better resource management, to monitoring temperature conditions in food transport, its positive use cases are far-reaching and highly varied. Today, vehicle fleets of all shapes and sizes are capitalising on the benefits of 5G, raising the bar for safety and operations throughout the industry.

Technologies such as IoT present a huge opportunity to businesses. But, to truly take advantage of them, firms need strong, flexible connectivity. Cellular is the only service that offers both. However, creating a 5G-powered fleet is no easy task. There are many considerations to undertake, and there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution.

Before diving into creating a perfect symphony of IoT-powered telematics, video streaming, communications and in-vehicle WiFi, it is essential to understand the challenges that may impact your fleet.

Connection considerations

Creating high-speed networks within vehicles is riddled with unique challenges that have no workaround. Imagine the complexities of providing high-speed connectivity, but then up the ante by placing that network in a moving target.

Whether it is collecting geographic information from various vehicles, providing WiFi to passengers, or setting up tyre monitoring sensors, there are several considerations that, once ironed out, should make connecting your fleet a smooth process.

• Vendor specificity: It’s imperative to work with experienced fleet vendors. While not an issue most would face, you want to avoid being a vendor’s first fleet client, as it could mean they are using you as a possible testing project. This can lead to an array of issues, one of the biggest being unplanned downtime.

• The ability to support multiple cellular networks: One of the most important aspects to get right is safeguarding your fleet against unplanned downtime. As vehicles move around, the possibility of downtime compounds for various reasons, including driving out of a pre-determined coverage area. Choosing a dual-modem system nullifies this risk, allowing a fleet to connect to multiple cellular networks.

• Getting security right: As vehicles become more digitally dependent, it heightens the risk of a potential security breach, such as unwarranted access to AVL information. Luckily, when adding a 5G router into the mix, its security wall significantly limits the risks posed by threat actors compared to other forms of connectivity such as hotspots.

• Vehicle router size: Most fleet vehicles are packed to the hilt with essential technologies that allow said fleet to perform an array of important tasks, from temperature-controlled trailers to medical equipment to on-vehicle video footage. As a result, it’s crucial that the 5G router used takes up as little room as possible. There should never be a situation where the functionality of a vehicle is sacrificed for connectivity.

• Single pane of glass: It’s important to consider your vehicles as part of the organisational bigger picture, including fixed and temporary locations. With this in mind, creating a common platform between the above is critical, allowing for consistent management across the entire network.

• Performance is critical: At the end of the day, 5G’s greatest benefit is the incredible speed it provides. Thus, fleet managers must choose a product with the highest speed performance. Think about the remarkable technologies coming out daily; as a fleet, you never want to be hamstrung by your ability to get the best out of what is at your disposal due to the constraints of your router. Ensure that your router will support all of your upcoming cloud-based applications for the next five years.

Making the most of space

Many fleet managers have a concurrent issue that plagues their vehicles, too many cables and not enough room. No matter the vehicle, several cables will connect to a router that is mission-critical to the vehicle’s operation, from broadcasting alarms to fleet coordination. The issue is this takes up unnecessary space that is otherwise used for essential technologies. As such, looking for solutions that address this issue is vital.

If you’re looking to take your fleet to the next level and make use of all that 5G has to offer, taking the considerations above into account is the best starting point.