The Industrial Connectivity Lab – embedded in the Siemens Technology Centre at the Erlangen campus – enables testing for Industrial WLAN, 5G, real-time localisation systems (RTLS), and radio frequency identification (RFID).
Axel Lorenz, CEO of Process Automation at Siemens, said: "The increasing convergence of OT and IT in industrial plants is creating an enormous demand for custom communication solutions. Many users find it difficult to assess the benefits and framework conditions of wireless technologies in their own operations. The Industrial Connectivity Lab offers our customers the great advantage of being able to combine different connectivity technologies and test them with us in industrial conditions.”
In addition, the lab also serves as a training and education environment and is used for Siemens' internal technology tests.
For tests of 5G applications, Siemens has a private 5G license that covers the entire Siemens Technology Centre Erlangen. The test environment is also supplied with industrial WLAN. A variety of scenarios for localisation solutions can also be tested via the RTLS system installed on-site. In addition, industrial identification solutions using RFID are available for users in the lab. Finally, remote control and remote maintenance scenarios can also be studied on-site via a digital subscriber line connection.
"At the Industrial Connectivity Lab, Siemens experts advise our customers on all established wireless technologies – and test them in real industrial conditions," Lorenz added. "This is how our customers get the desired performance and also save time and costs before installation in their own facilities."