In a follow up to the panel discussion, hear a more in-depth discussion of trends in remote devices. In a world of connected devices, we see a trend toward expecting more usable information from remotely accessible devices. If devices are "connected" that means that they should provide valuable data about what is happening at a remote location. This data can be collected and provide historical information to allow for proactive trend monitoring. Most importantly, the connected monitoring devices are expected to be used to determine when notifications should be sent to interested parties when something is in an alarm state or is functioning abnormally at a remote location. One major benefit of remote monitoring systems is providing live site data and logging capability for predictive trending. These capabilities allow you to respond to critical system emergencies or prevent them from happening altogether. This type of remote monitoring is a requirement for mission-critical communications systems.

We will explore how one can make use of connected RF monitoring devices at remote radio site locations and create a monitoring platform, which is low cost and self-maintainable. To best maintain and assure the optimal performance at mission critical (LMR) sites, it is essential for the maintainers to have RF system performance information and event notifications. Getting this information remotely can save time and money by avoiding unnecessary trips to do invasive testing on location. Modern RF signal monitoring devices provide for remote connection in various ways, but we will concentrate on the use of SNMP as a means since modern IP networks use this protocol for collecting and organizing information about managed devices. SNMP has become an network communication standard.