IoT Remote Monitoring and Management
By John Keever
December 18, 2023
Solutions, Modules, Connectivity, Platforms
Remotely monitoring and managing IoT devices is crucial whether a company deploys 500 or over a million. Physically upgrading, replacing or fixing IoT devices is costly and time-consuming. If a deployment is large enough, it is not feasible to manually interact with every single device.
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IoT Remote Management: How Does It Work?
Remote IoT monitoring and management involve two sets of data:
- Data from the application
- Data from the physical device
By remotely monitoring and managing IoT devices, operators will have insight into the state of each device. These insights include identifying issues like data transmission problems or evaluating application performance.
IoT remote monitoring and management capabilities mean operators do not need to access their IoT devices physically. For example, heavy equipment rental businesses need to understand how customers treat their vehicles. With IoT remote monitoring and management systems, the company can ensure renters are not mistreating the equipment. A business can do this through a digital platform rather than painstakingly evaluating the status of each rental.
Connectivity is another key element of remote monitoring and management in IoT. If companies cannot reliably connect to their IoT devices, they cannot update, configure or provision them. They would need to send engineers on-site to perform those tasks manually.
Benefits of IoT Remote Monitoring and Management
IoT devices are often located in hard-to-reach places, such as moving vehicles or heavy equipment that may be bolted to a shop floor. Sometimes, these devices could be many miles away. It is not uncommon for businesses to fly their engineers or technicians to help correct issues on their IoT-enabled products.
With remote IoT capabilities, companies and their customers gain numerous benefits, including:
- Rapid remediation for issues
- Eliminate islands of hardware
- Avoid prolonged downtime
- Minimize the cost of updates
- Boost customer satisfaction
- Save money and time on truck rolls
- Enhance productivity
IoT Remote Monitoring Case Study: Enhancing Fleet Management Services
A leader in industrial and commercial cleaning equipment sells fleets of machines to cleaning companies that work in stadiums, airports and hospitals. These companies asked for help managing their fleets because the fleets and areas of operation are large.
The floor cleaning equipment company addressed these concerns by creating a telemetry system called Intelligent Remote Information System or IRIS. Moreover, it utilized Telit Cinterion’s modules, connectivity services and platforms. The result was an innovative value proposition that empowered customers to leverage their assets more effectively.
The equipment sends data from IoT sensors to the cloud every day. Back-end systems use this information to track the overall status of the machines. The company can now help customers before their equipment breaks or loses power because of these IoT remote monitoring capabilities.
IRIS helped increase machine usage and maximize ROI for the equipment. This system became the foundation of their bundled offering, which guaranteed fleet uptime by 95%. This enabled the company to surpass its first-year revenue estimates by 3,000%. With the adoption of its new IoT-led strategy, the company achieved $1 billion in annual revenue.
Watch this video to discover how we also enable global roaming and localization for fleets.
Simplify Your IoT Deployment with Telit Cinterion
We offer everything you need to succeed, including modules, connectivity plans and platforms, with a proven end-to-end system approach. We can also build a ready-to-launch custom IoT remote monitoring and management solution.
Speak to our IoT experts to learn how we can help you streamline and scale your IoT solution.
FAQs
How does IoT remote monitoring work?
IoT remote monitoring uses sensors to collect data from physical devices. Those sensors collect information, like:
- Temperature
- Pressure
- Humidity
- Location
- Vibration
- Operational status
- Energy consumption
That data travels over a network — usually cellular or Wi-Fi — to a central system for processing and analysis.
Depending on the application, data may be sent to a cloud platform or a local edge system to minimize latency and reduce bandwidth usage. Once processed, the system can:
- Display real-time status
- Detect issues or anomalies
- Trigger alerts
- Allow remote diagnostics and control
This improves efficiency and reduces unnecessary on-site visits.
Is remote monitoring IoT?
Remote monitoring is a significant use case of the Internet of Things (IoT). However, it’s distinct from IoT itself. IoT provides the technology that enables remote monitoring, including:
- Sensors
- Connectivity
- Platforms for data processing and control
Remote monitoring relies on IoT devices to collect and transmit data. These devices connect to the internet and send information to centralized systems.
Remote monitoring allows users to track and manage systems remotely. This solution reduces the need for on-site presence and improves operational efficiency.
How do I monitor IoT remotely?
Remote IoT monitoring utilizes connected devices to track physical assets and systems remotely. The process begins by identifying what needs to be monitored and why, like:
- Tracking equipment performance
- Ensuring safety
- Improving efficiency
Once you have set your goals, you will need to select sensors and devices that can operate in the intended environment and accurately measure the required values.
These devices must be connected to a wireless network. Depending on location and power availability, this could be:
- Cellular
- Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth technology
- Wired ethernet
- LoRaWAN
In some cases, a gateway is required to relay data to the internet. For cellular connections, proper APN settings must be configured.
Data from the devices is sent to a central platform in the cloud or on-site. This platform processes and stores the data, making it accessible for real-time monitoring and historical analysis.
Dashboards help visualize system status, while alerts notify users of any issues. Some platforms also support remote control, allowing users to adjust settings or perform diagnostics without being on-site.
Security is critical throughout the system. Devices, networks and platforms must be protected to ensure data integrity and prevent unauthorized access.
Most organizations begin with a small pilot to test the setup in real-world conditions. Once the system proves reliable, it can be scaled to support more devices and locations.
