Logistics Warehousing
Industrial wireless solutions enabling uninterrupted AGV operation and full-facility coverage for smart warehouses.
Background
A large smart warehouse in China features 10-meter-high heavy-duty racks, equipped with 6 stacker cranes and 6 rail-guided vehicles (RGVs), serving the raw material and finished product storage needs of large-scale manufacturing industries. The core operations rely on real-time collaboration between stacker cranes, RGVs, and the WMS (Warehouse Management System) / WCS (Warehouse Control System).
The stacker cranes travel at high speeds along 150-meter aisles, handling precise storage and retrieval operations on 10-meter-high racks, with extremely high positioning accuracy requirements. The RGVs shuttle along 300-meter tracks, frequently interfacing with stacker cranes and inbound/outbound conveyor lines to handle cargo transfer tasks.
However, the dense metal racks and stored goods inside the warehouse severely obstruct wireless signals, creating communication dead zones and packet loss. The PLC modules on the RGVs must communicate with multiple masters simultaneously — if one end fails to communicate, the system immediately triggers an alarm and terminates operations. The customer urgently needs an industrial wireless communication network with high-speed roaming, low latency, and high reliability, ensuring 100% reliable data exchange between all warehouse equipment and WMS/WCS systems.
The Challenges
Signal Obstruction
Dense metal racks, 10-meter-high heavy-duty shelving, and stored goods severely obstruct wireless signals, creating communication dead zones and packet loss across the facility.
High-Speed Roaming
Stacker cranes travel at high speeds along 150-meter aisles, while RGVs shuttle along 300-meter tracks — both require millisecond-level seamless handover between APs to prevent communication interruptions.
High Reliability
RGV PLC modules must communicate with multiple masters simultaneously. Any communication failure triggers an immediate alarm and system shutdown, bringing operations to a halt.
EMI
Variable-frequency drives, motors, and other high-power equipment generate strong electromagnetic interference, affecting wireless signal stability and data transmission quality.
Solution Architecture
Stacker Crane Dual-Band Redundant Network
Two KXA-3100 52N industrial bridges are deployed in each 150-meter aisle, operating on 5.2GHz and 5.8GHz bands respectively with a 50-meter spacing between them. This ensures the stacker crane receives dual-band signals at any position in the aisle, with signal strength ≥ -60dBm. A dual-band redundant KXC1100-5N client is integrated inside the stacker crane control cabinet, supporting simultaneous reception from both bridges. The client connects directly to the stacker crane PLC via Ethernet, enabling low-latency communication between PLC instructions and network transmission.
RGV Smart Roaming Network
Two KXA5100-5N dual-band wireless APs are deployed on pillars along the 300-meter RGV track with a 150-meter spacing, ensuring full-track signal coverage with adjacent AP signal overlap ≥ 40%. Each RGV is equipped with a KXC1100-5N client featuring a quad-core processor and Wi-Fi 6 protocol support. The client connects directly to the RGV controller via RS485 interface, enabling rapid response to task instructions and action execution.
System Integration & Data Backhaul
Instructions and status data from stacker crane PLCs and RGV controllers are transmitted via dedicated clients to the bridges/APs, then aggregated through KXS408 industrial switches (ring network architecture with redundant backup) to the WMS/WCS systems, achieving full-link collaboration between equipment and systems.
Recommended Products
KXA-3100 52N
- Wireless Access Point
- Data Rate: 300Mbps
- Concurrent: 200unit
- Distance: 150 meters
KXA5100-5N
- Wireless Access Point
- Data Rate: 300Mbps
- Concurrent: 100unit
- Distance: 200 meters
KXC1100-5N
- Wireless Client
- Data Rate: 300Mbps
- Distance: 100 meters
KXS408
- Industrial Switch
- Ring network architecture
Redundant backup
Technological Advantage
Zero-Interruption
- 6 stacker cranes and 6 RGVs maintain real-time communication with zero interruptions
- Achieving 100% reliable data exchange between all warehouse equipment and WMS/WCS systems
Low Latency
- Wireless network latency consistently below 50ms under complex operating conditions
- The communication has good real-time performance
High Reliability
- Dual-band redundancy + ring network architecture ensures automatic failover, maintaining production continuity
Flexible Expansion
- Wireless devices not only reduce the complexity of wiring, but also support production line transformation and equipment expansion without the need for rewiring
Field Deployment
Get a Tailored Solution
Tell us about your operational environment — our engineers will review your requirements and provide a customized wireless communication solution, typically within 48 hours.
✓ Free site survey support
✓ Solution design included
✓ Samples available upon request
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