An Industrial Private 5G Testbed for Networked Automation Systems

Interest in integrating wireless communication capabilities into industrial Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) has surged recently. Driven by advantages like ease of deployment, reduced maintenance costs, and asset mobility, CPSs now employ wireless communication for manufacturing control, logistics tracking, process control, and heavy machinery management. While wireless technologies such as IEEE 802.11, 5G cellular networks, and redundant IEEE 802.15.4 networks offer possible solutions, the challenge to the adoption of these solutions for control systems lies in ensuring reliable and deterministic data delivery. Software-based private 5G implementations emerge as an intriguing solution, offering architectural flexibility, potential cost-effectiveness, and adaptability for diverse traffic types. We present a novel software-based 5G industrial wireless testbed with precision wireless channel measurement and control to support measurement-based research in the application of private 5G networks to these operational scenarios.