What You Need To Know About Keeping Your Customers Connected With Wireless

By Cheryl Knight, contributing writer

With machine-to-machine (M2M) and the Internet of Things (IoT) applications dominating current talk in the field service market, an area that you can’t forget is wireless connectivity, the necessary part of the solution that allows the data and communications to travel back and forth.

With the global wireless network growing at an ever-increasing rate, companies need to look at potential solutions to the challenges presented in developing a robust network. The Field Technologies Online Field Mobility report covers this in more detail.

Wireless Connectivity And Its Effect On The Job

Field Technologies Online’s survey shows 77 percent of workers outside the office communicate back with the office while out performing their job. They do this in real time using various mobile devices that take advantage of 3G, 4G, and wireless networks found in their local areas.

At least 72 percent of those surveyed said they have problems connecting. While not everybody has a critical needed for wireless communication, at least 31 percent say they cannot get their job done properly without it. Another 65 percent of those surveyed said that while important, connectivity was not critical to their job, and 4 percent said they could work just fine without access to a wireless network.

Current Challenges To A Robust Wireless Network

Currently, the biggest challenge to any kind of wireless connectivity is the poor signal often found in rural areas, while inside a house or place of business, and in metro areas. One possible solution is looking into software with offline capabilities, so your IT clients’ field service employees can at least save your work if the connection is lost.

Cellular signal boosters are another potential fix for low signal strength, and another option is the use of a mobile virtual private network (VPN) solution.