What connectivity does a commercial building need for robots?
Map the actual routes, network dependencies, cybersecurity boundary, dead zones, and offline behavior before adding robots to building networks.
Short answer
What to know
There is no universal bandwidth requirement for every robot. Obtain the vendor’s documented network, latency, coverage, security, and offline assumptions, then measure the intended routes and review them with facility IT. A route that works in a lobby may fail in a basement, elevator, stairwell, or shielded service area.
Measure coverage on the operating route
Ask what functions depend on cloud access, local network, cellular, Wi-Fi roaming, or onboard autonomy. Obtain the supplier’s supported bands, authentication method, latency assumptions, data usage, and response when connectivity drops. Walk and measure the actual route, including elevators, loading areas, parking levels, and service corridors.
Do not use a single lobby speed test as proof of coverage everywhere. Identify known dead zones, handoff delays, interference, network maintenance windows, and congested periods. Decide whether a local network change is justified or whether an alternative route or offline-safe behavior is more appropriate.
Review security and degraded operation
Place devices on an approved network segment with least-privilege access and a defined update process. Understand identity, encryption, remote support, logs, data retention, vulnerability disclosure, and vendor access. Coordinate review with the organization’s security team rather than connecting a device directly to a sensitive building or clinical network.
Test loss of network, DNS, cloud service, authentication, and fleet-management connection. Define whether the robot stops safely, finishes a local task, or requires staff intervention. Document who receives outage alerts, how a robot is recovered, and what logs are available after restoration.
Put it into practice
A site-planning checklist
- Vendor network dependency specification
- Measured end-to-end route coverage
- Approved segmented network design
- Offline and outage behavior
- Remote access and update governance
Further reading
Primary references
- ISO — ISO 3691-4:2020
International safety requirements and verification for driverless industrial trucks and their systems; confirm current editions and scope before use.
- VDA — VDA 5050
Interface specification for communication between mobile robots and a master control system; it does not certify a building or robot.