Page 2 - Metroid Mag - November 2016_Neat2

2 METROID MAG

WELCOME

to MetroidMag

November 2016 edition

Metroid Electrical Engineering is a trusted
control solutions partner to OEMs and system How much does it cost?
builders all around Australia. MetroidMag is a The good news is that the whole solution is not expensive.
compilation of technical and business articles Depending on the capabilities required, the hardware, program-
to assist you in growing and improving your ming, setup and training can be all provided for between $1000-
1500 + GST. If the solution saves you one trip to a remote site,
business. We trust you find the content engag- it will have paid for itself.
ing, interesting and helpful.
Any ongoing costs?
We’d love to hear from you at any time. The remote gateway connects to the Internet via a 3G/4G data
Please send ideas, feedback and criticisms connection, similar to a mobile phone. As such it requires an active
to feedback@metroid.net.au SIM card with a M2M (machine to machine) data plan. These range
from $5-20 per month. We can assist our customers to purchase
their own SIM cards, or include this in the package.
Happy reading!
What actually does it look like?
Below is an image of a remote connection on a smartphone to a
control system over 3000km away. Once set up, you can simply
tap on the relevant icon to initiate a connection. The connection will
take a few seconds, and your HMI view will open up. From here,
you can view exactly what’s your system is doing. You can press
buttons and change settings exactly as if you were standing in front
of the control panel. Once you’re finished, simply disconnect. The
Remote Access
control panel will continue running exactly as you left it.

When was the last time you had to travel to site
to repair a minor fault, or spent hours on the
phone to someone onsite to troubleshoot a
basic problem?
What if you could dial into your control system
from your smartphone or tablet?

With a remote access gateway fitted to a com-
patible PLC/HMI control system, you can not
only view and control your system from any-
where, but tweaks and changes to the PLC and
HMI software can be remotely uploaded and
tested.

What’s involved in setting it up?
Remote access can be fitted and set up in the factory, or retro-fitted to
a control panel in the field. A remote access gateway needs to be in-
stalled, and an Ethernet connection established between the gateway,
PLC and HMI.
For retro-fits, additional hardware such as an Ethernet switch and PLC
communication card may need to be added.