The scenario is simple: Place your IoT box high up, where it gets the most wind, rain and sun. That is the clearest line of sight to the next installation point. Make it a mobile maritime environment, because you are a masochist. And there is no nearby on-site power supply. In the realm of IoT deployments, often overlooked components (screws, fasteners, enclosures and mounting systems), are crucial in ensuring communication devices operate reliably across a range of diverse environmental conditions.
Have you ever seen a Dell laptop in military spec? Well, the parallel is exact. The same machine (more or less) you use to send messages over the internet, those guys use, while bouncing over a badly ploughed field, in the rain. It weighs more, it has a lot of structural integrity, the battery needs to last… only the working conditions have changed.
Corrosion resistant materials, weatherproof design and good gasketing come at a cost. When the deployment is in thousands of units the client sometimes gets fixated on fixings, but “…penny wise, pound foolish,” as the English say. It makes no sense to sponge on high quality screws.
Corrosion-resistant material, like stainless steel, prevents degradation over time, especially in humid or wet environments. There are variations in stainless too, depending on the metal mix. Polycarbonate and fiberglass are non-conductive and resistant to moisture. Aluminum is lightweight and provides a balance between strength and corrosion resistance.
Sometimes your IoT is immersed and submerged. The device still needs to send its data packets in those situations, which means that batteries become a bigger consideration, which inevitably leads to a redesign of the form factor.
It is hard to complete regular maintenance schedules in remote sites. In a forest the trees will have grown, so that in summer your access might be restricted by foliage. In winter the same site might be under several sugar scoops of snow. Applying a protective sealant over electronic components can prevent moisture-related damage. Using the right IP rating helps. You can add sensors to your sensors and remotely monitor the condition of your enclosures; we do that with large pivot irrigation systems.
At the end of the day, there is a balance between cost, quality and scope. Your use case may not require a lot of complex engineering. It might be plain sailing. Standard enclosures and mountings will be more than enough. But, when we are talking about in- dust – real conditions on a busy factory floor, then we err on the side of caution. Quality work extends to the box it comes in.
