5G & Edge Computing for Industry
Straight facts for factories — what works, where it doesn't fit, and how to deploy safely
📡 Why 5G + Edge for Factories?
Low latency & local processing
Keep inference/control near machines to cut round-trip delays and survive WAN outages.
Mobility at scale
AMR/AGV, handhelds, cameras on moving rigs across large plants/yard/outdoor areas.
Deterministic QoS
Private 5G can reserve radio/core resources for critical flows; SIM/eSIM gives per-device identity.
Data governance
Process sensitive video/OT data on-site; send only summaries to cloud.
🔀 When to use 5G vs Wi-Fi vs Wired
🔌 Wired + TSN
Hard real-time control, sub-ms loops, highest determinism.
📶 Wi-Fi 6/6E
Cost-effective indoor throughput, dense APs, simple LAN integration.
📡 Private 5G
Campus-wide mobility, outdoor yards, SIM-based security, QoS/slicing.
Use the right mix: many sites run wired for control loops, Wi-Fi for office/benign areas, and 5G for mobile/mission-critical wireless.
🧠 Core Concepts
Edge Computing (MEC/On-prem)
Containers/VMs near machines for CV inference, stream processing, alarms.
5G Service Types
Network slicing/APN
Logically isolate traffic classes (e.g., safety vs CCTV vs IT).
Time sync
Secure NTP/PTP; jitter matters more than average latency in control/vision loops.
Continue reading: Security, Performance & Implementation Guide