SCADA & Specialty Communications

Reliable Connectivity for the Systems Your Business Depends On

Not every communication line connects to a telephone.

Businesses, utilities, municipalities, industrial facilities, and property operators often depend on specialized equipment that communicates quietly in the background—monitoring conditions, reporting data, controlling equipment, or connecting remote locations.

Link Business Communications provides SCADA and specialty communication solutions for applications that require dependable connectivity beyond a traditional business phone system.

Whether you're replacing an aging analog telephone line, connecting remote monitoring equipment, or trying to determine how a legacy device communicates, we'll help you identify the requirements and develop a practical solution.

SCADA Communication Solutions

SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems are used to monitor and control equipment, processes, and infrastructure from local or remote locations.

Depending on the application, SCADA equipment may communicate using technologies that were installed many years ago—including traditional POTS lines, analog modems, dedicated circuits, or other legacy communications services.

As telecommunications networks evolve, maintaining those older connections can become increasingly expensive or difficult.

Link Business Communications can help evaluate existing SCADA connectivity and determine whether modern IP, cellular, or other communication technologies can provide an appropriate alternative.

Replacing Legacy POTS Lines Used by SCADA Equipment

A traditional telephone line serving SCADA or telemetry equipment can be easy to overlook.

It may have been installed years—or even decades—ago and simply continued working in the background.

Then the telephone bill increases dramatically, the carrier announces changes to copper service, or the line suddenly becomes difficult to support.

Before replacing it, however, it's important to understand exactly what that line is doing.

SCADA and telemetry systems may depend on specific signaling, modem behavior, connection characteristics, or equipment configurations. Simply replacing an analog line with an ordinary VoIP adapter may not provide the same functionality.

Link evaluates the application before recommending a replacement.

Remote Monitoring & Telemetry Communications

Specialty communications are commonly used to connect equipment located away from the people responsible for monitoring it.

Applications can include:

• SCADA systems

• Remote telemetry equipment

• Water and wastewater systems

• Pump and lift stations

• Utility monitoring

• Tank and level monitoring

• Environmental monitoring

• Building systems

• Industrial equipment

• Remote alarms

• Control systems

• Modems and legacy analog equipment

Depending on the application and equipment, connectivity may be provided through IP networks, cellular communications, analog replacement technology, or other specialized solutions.

Industrial & Municipal Communication Solutions

Industrial and municipal environments often present communications challenges that don't exist in a typical office.

Equipment may be located in a mechanical room, warehouse, treatment facility, utility building, remote enclosure, or another location where conventional communications aren't practical.

Some installations may also involve equipment from multiple manufacturers and systems that have been operating for many years.

Link Business Communications takes a solution-first approach.

We start by determining what the equipment needs to accomplish, how it communicates today, and what connectivity is available at the location. From there, we can help determine an appropriate path forward.

Modern Connectivity for Legacy Equipment

Older doesn't necessarily mean obsolete.

A piece of equipment may continue performing its job perfectly well while the telecommunications service connecting it becomes outdated.

In those situations, replacing an entire control or monitoring system simply because its communications method has changed may not make sense.

Where compatible, Link can help bridge the gap between legacy equipment and modern communications networks, allowing businesses to preserve existing investments while moving away from outdated connectivity.

Specialty Communications Beyond SCADA

Sometimes the challenge doesn't fit into a standard category.

That's where our specialty communications experience becomes particularly valuable.

Link Business Communications can evaluate communication requirements involving analog devices, remote equipment, emergency communications, monitoring systems, entry systems, elevators, alarm panels, paging systems, gates, modems, and other specialized applications.

If it communicates somehow, there's a good chance we can help determine how to keep it connected.

Don't Know What That Old Phone Line Does?

You're not the first.

Businesses frequently discover old telephone numbers and communication services on their monthly bills with little documentation explaining what they're connected to.

Disconnecting an unknown line to see what stops working isn't a particularly good troubleshooting strategy—especially when that line could be supporting critical equipment.

Link can help investigate the application, identify the equipment associated with legacy communications services, and determine whether the service should be retained, replaced, upgraded, or eliminated.

A Solution Designed Around the Application

Specialty communications shouldn't be approached with a one-size-fits-all product.

Before recommending a solution, we consider factors such as:

• Existing equipment and compatibility

• Communication protocols and signaling requirements

• Available internet or network connectivity

• Cellular coverage

• Reliability requirements

• Backup power

• Redundancy requirements

• Remote location considerations

• Monitoring requirements

• Existing wiring and infrastructure

When necessary, we can also coordinate with your equipment manufacturer, IT provider, monitoring company, facilities department, or other vendors involved with the system.

Professional Installation and Support

Link Business Communications doesn't simply ship equipment and leave you to figure out how everything connects.

We provide hands-on installation, configuration, testing, and support for the communications solutions we deploy.

For unusual applications, that personal involvement can be especially important.

Our goal is to understand what your equipment needs to do and build a communications solution around that requirement.

Have a Communications Problem Nobody Seems to Know How to Solve?

Talk to us.

Some of the most interesting projects we work on begin with a customer saying:

“We have this piece of equipment connected to an old phone line, and we're not really sure what to do with it.”

That's exactly where Link Business Communications can help.

Talk to Link About Your SCADA or Specialty Communications Project

Whether you're replacing legacy POTS service, connecting remote monitoring equipment, modernizing SCADA communications, or dealing with an unusual communications requirement, Link Business Communications can help you evaluate the problem and find the right solution.

Tell us what the equipment does, how it's connected today, and what you're trying to accomplish.

We'll take it from there.