14.10 Use of Wireless IP Networks for Telemetry and Telematics

One of the applications that can benefit from wireless data networks is telemetry. An example of this is parking meters throughout a city or electric meters in rural communities. Since the capacity requirements of wireless networks are high and the usage of these resources is based on the time of day, telemetry applications can be designed to use these networks to transmit data about usage, violations, and maintenance during off-peak hours.

Telematics is another application that can use wireless data networks. As automobiles are becoming increasingly sophisticated, they could also be enabled to transmit engine conditions and location information to a monitoring center. This will enable the manufacturer to provide services that can be revenue generating. Many other types of applications can be considered for use. It is easy to imagine a scenario in the near future where the local gas station could be a wireless access hot spot capable of delivering content such as music, video, directions and other information at very high speeds to automobiles which are equipped with devices that can use these services. With the deployment of IPv6, address space will no longer be a concern, and hence it is conceivable that every electric and gas meter could have an IP address and a wireless interface can upload usage information to the utility companies automatically.