Transforming Smart Railway Applications with Advantech AIW-357

April 2024, Taipei, Taiwan — Advantech, a leading global provider of industrial wireless solutions, proudly unveils the latest addition to its AIW-300 series — the AIW-357. This cutting-edge 5G module represents a significant achievement for Advantech Industrial Wireless (AIW), underscoring our commitment to deploying advanced 5G technology to enable ubiquitous and reliable connectivity for AIoT devices. The AIW-357 module is exceptionally well-suited for a diverse range of applications, including smart cities, industrial automation, edge computing devices, remote healthcare, and various IoT applications.

Enhancing Compatibility Across Diverse Interface Platforms

The Advantech AIW-357 features the MediaTek T700 5G modem, delivering high speeds and ultra-low latency. With support for both standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) 5G networks, AIW-357 ensures compatibility with diverse network infrastructures worldwide, offering users maximum connectivity options. Moreover, it maintains full compatibility with previous-generation networks like 4G LTE for comprehensive coverage.   

With an M.2 3052 B-Key form factor, the AIW-357 module supports both USB and PCIe 5G communication interfaces, ensuring optimal compatibility across various signal interface platforms. These advantages seamlessly integrate into AIW-357 modules, effectively addressing common integration issues. Additionally, it supports multi-GNSS satellite receivers, including GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo, providing precise positioning. Furthermore, the AIW-357 is made in Taiwan, catering to customers sensitive to products made in China.

Paving The Way for Innovative Smart Railway Applications

The AIW-357 5G module revolutionizes a multitude of applications, including transportation, remote medical treatment, industrial monitoring, and high-quality surveillance systems, by delivering high-speed capabilities. In smart railway applications specifically, traditional signaling systems encounter limitations in flexibility and scalability. However, leveraging the AIW-357 module's high bandwidth and reliability empowers railway operators to implement dynamic signaling and control mechanisms. This facilitates the real-time transmission of train location data and traffic conditions, optimizing train schedules, adjusting signaling patterns, and dynamically allocating track resources to minimize delays and maximize throughput.

The AIW-357 enhances the efficiency of public security infrastructure by leveraging data from sensors embedded in trains and infrastructure to deploy predictive maintenance strategies. Its capability to capture critical data along railway networks through a network of sensors and cameras, transmitted via 5G network infrastructure, supports various functionalities, including video backhaul analysis, real-time monitoring, remote control capabilities, and predictive warning systems. Additionally, the AIW-357 module supports the AIWTOOL service, enabling industrial customers to efficiently monitor restricted areas, reduce downtime, and lower operational costs with Advantech's AIW-357.

AIW Design-In Services

The AIW-357 module is enhanced by the inclusion of standard AIW-533 antennas, which not only optimize connection efficiency but also facilitate easy device installation. Additionally, the AIW-533 antennas have obtained certification from a Japanese telecommunications provider, saving time and costs for customers. These benefits can be seamlessly integrated with AIW-357 modules to expedite time-to-market.

Moreover, Advantech has developed the AIWTOOL based on Linux OS, which integrates driver porting while also providing real-time reconnection mechanisms in case of sudden disconnection, along with connectivity status monitoring, thereby enhancing user-friendliness. These advantages seamlessly integrate into AIW-357 modules to effectively address common integration issues.

Advantech’s AIW-357 5G Wireless Module is available now. For more information regarding AIW-357 or other Advantech products and services, please contact your local sales support team or visit our website at www.advantech.com.

AIW-357 Key Features:

• MediaTek T700 5G NR SUB6 chipset
• Wide operating temperature range -30 ~ 80° / -22 ~ 176°F (3GPP compliant, with appropriate thermal design) 
• Provides M.2 3052 B-Key form factor, USB 3.1 / PCIe interfaces
  
• Diverse OS compatibility: Windows and Linux (Ubuntu 20.04)
  
• Supports GNSS positioning