The new specialised Wi-Fi network RCT Connect – developed by RCT – is the first ever mining communications system created specifically to support all underground autonomous mining equipment.

RCT Connect is truly flexible in that it is designed to engage with any third-party systems and can even enhance the performance of any mining automation and control solutions available on the market.

Since the network’s launch in 2019 it has been deployed into multiple active mines around the world and it has generated strong and positive feedback from site personnel.

RCT Automation and Control Product Manager Brendon Cullen said RCT Connect is the best underground communications network option available.

“The system is inexpensive and very user friendly so it can be set up quite easily by mine site technicians who do not need specialised training in order to establish and maintain this technology,” he said.

“RCT Connect is designed to be agnostic and so can integrate with all of the commercially available automation and control solutions offered by global manufacturers.”

“The network is designed to deliver very stable performance and low, consistent latency between operator stations in secure, remote locations and the machine located in production areas.”

Customers will be able to cheaply scale RCT Connect to suit their needs as their underground mining operation evolves.

The network can be adjusted to suit various tramming distances and can ensure effective machine operation over shorter runs as well as longer runs.

Mr Cullen said one key aspect of RCT Connect is its smart roaming feature which is always searching for new wireless access points as underground mining equipment auto trams between certain locations.

“Many commercially available communications networks are configured to access certain nodes for too long and as mobile mining equipment continues to traverse a site it can result in communication failures,” he said.

Autonomous solutions specialist RCT has just released RCT Connect, the first digital WiFi communications network designed specifically for machine automation and control in underground mining operations.

The product is designed to be very user friendly and portable and can be installed into a production area and commissioned with minimal time and expertise.

RCT Connect has been ruggedised to withstand the harsh conditions common in underground mining environments and can operate in temperatures ranging from -20°C (-4°F) to +60°C (140°F).

The platform uses a coaxial cable which is able to transfer power and information to access points for up to 1.5 km before additional power insertion is required along the length of a drive.

This feature offers several major benefits over traditional WiFi deployments such as reduced requirement for configuration, eliminating costly cables to run between access points and a simple installation with only 2 connections

Once operational, RCT Connect provide’s a simplistic connection to a ControlMaster® Area Access Control at strategic locations which then links into the mine-wide backbone to transfer information to a machine operator located in a ControlMaster® Automation Centre on the mine’s surface.

The platform operates at 2.4GHz and is capable of carrying out remote diagnostics, live machine tracking and delivering live health and production data from the machine.

RCT Product Manager Automation & Control Brendon Cullen said RCT Connect offers several distinct advantages over commercially available digital communication networks.

"RCT Connect is specifically designed to ensure uninterrupted communication between the machine and the operator regardless of location," he said.

"The platform has very stable performance with low, consistent latency and so ensures reliable communications between command inputs from the surface station and subsequent machine activities."

"We have also optimised the platform to enable smart roaming and therefore seamless handover between wireless access points so that there is no dropout along the length of the drives."

In other commercially available communications networks node handover is configured quite differently so if the machine is looking for a node or hangs on too long then you see communication failures, he said.

The network has been tested at a mine site in Western Australia and was recently deployed in an underground mining operation overseas.

RCT Connect can be sold as a standalone package or in conjunction with RCT’s ControlMaster® automation products.