Remote Maintenance Is at Hand

With the web-based remote maintenance solution u-link by Weidmüller, machines can be monitored efficiently and securely. Its intuitive interface can be easily configured to match the system and quickly customised

Seamless production sits at the core of every company’s operations. Thanks to remote maintenance, estimates assume that up to 60% of errors can be resolved or at least supported via remote access. Moreover, remote maintenance is also beneficial for setting up and maintaining the plant, as well as for carrying out optimisation work. In this field, Weidmüller’s u-link remote access service offers a system that is easy to install, easy to configure and easy to manage.

A simplified and secure service

With the remote access tool u-link, Weidmüller provides a service for secure remote access that is particularly easy and intuitive to use. The company pays particular attention to the security standards, which are designed in accordance with the recommendations of the German “Federal Office for Information Security”. It is not uncommon for providers of remote maintenance solutions to outsource their cloud storage to countries whose data protection laws do not meet German standards. However, all the servers accessed by u-link are located in Western Europe and meet all the relevant security standards. With the u-link concept, each customer receives their own u-link instance, which prevents third parties from accessing the plant. What’s more, Weidmüller is currently able to establish a secure VPN connection to China.

Access with a three steps

Fast setup and effective use are some of the most important aspects of a remote access solution. For the user, remote access with u-link means a connection is established with a single click. Various steps run in the background.
First of all, a VPN client is installed on the service technician’s computer, via which a secure, outgoing connection to a meeting point server (cloud server) is established. Starting from an industrial security router or other u-link-capable Weidmüller products, a VPN tunnel to a meeting point server is also set up. And finally, both tunnels are connected internally. The PC is now connected to the network virtually, as though it were connected locally via an Ethernet cable. In the event of a malfunction, the system operator can decide whether and when the service technician can access a machine.

Administration and firmware management

The administration of u-link is very simple: u-link manages users, groups and their access rights according to individual specifications. This means that access can also be granted to the end customer or supplier, with the security of knowing that they can only carry out actions that are relevant to them.
Administration work also includes firmware management. These updates often include security updates for each installed device. With u-link’s management, current firmware statuses are clearly displayed and a secure method is offered to update them automatically at an individually defined point in time. Evaluations of the connections are an elementary component of a good solution.