Smooth transition to 5G

As mobile devices move from one network to another, SmartTE is enabling these organisations to seamlessly overcome potential 5G and private-5G network connectivity issues.

StayLinked’s chief technology officer Justin Griffith explains: “Even under today’s WLAN conditions, connection issues and dropped sessions, occur at an alarming rate. This results in a warehouse worker’s workflow being disrupted and often. With the introduction of 5G and private-5G networks, connectivity issues are likely to increase leading to a further reduction in worker productivity and operational efficiency in warehouses. This not only wastes expensive IT resources as they try to resolve connection issues, but also worsens the worker experience.”

StayLinked uniquely addresses 5G connectivity issues in warehouses. Unlike other terminal emulation software, StayLinked’s SmartTE uses a resident server to securely connect workers to the warehouse management system (WMS). This ensures session persistence and seamless connectivity, enhancing operational efficiency.

StayLinked server

“With sessions residing on the StayLinked server and not on the worker’s mobile device, connectivity to the WMS remains uninterrupted even if connectivity issues arise, preventing dropped sessions,” continued Griffith. “A simple reconnect takes the worker back to exactly where they were in the workflow, with no data loss and no need to involve anyone from IT.”

5G connectivity issues are likely to be particularly prevalent for warehouse operations which are spread out over several buildings or where goods are stored outside i.e. ports, timber yards and railway yards. 

PD Ports

“Having wasted a lot of time and effort trying to solve our connectivity issues with traditional TE software the issues remained unsolved,” says Rob McGregor, service desk IT manager for one of the UK’s major port groups, PD Ports. “StayLinked’s SmartTE worked immediately and all of our connectivity problems went away!”

The rise of 5G and private-5G networks could significantly increase connectivity issues, posing a huge challenge for supply chain organisations and warehouse operators. If these challenges are not addressed, they could prevent companies benefiting from the giant leap forward in wireless communications which 5G offers.

“SmartTE’s session persistence eliminates data loss and lost productivity by its elegant handling of mobile device roaming and connectivity between different networks,” says James Mellor, business development manager for StayLinked partner, OpalTec International Ltd. “It is a challenge which some supply chain organisations and warehouse operators do not understand can be easily solved by StayLinked and its enterprise-grade SmartTE software, which will enable them to take full advantage of 5G.”

For more information, visit www.staylinked.com