What is an RTU?
Remote telemetry units (RTUs) are one part of a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system. The hardware unit is placed at the site of a managed asset, like a railway switching point or electricity distribution station, where it collects, stores, analyses and even acts on data.
The RTU is a multitasking tool, and can be considered the Swiss Army knife of remote monitoring. Operators can choose the variables they want the RTUs to monitor, and even set a point at which the RTU should act — for example, turning on a heater once the temperature falls beneath a certain threshold. As a result, RTUs can be programmed easily to suit a particular application or environment.
The benefits of remote telemetry units
By collecting and transmitting so much data, RTUs help businesses to make better and more informed decisions about their critical assets. Not only that, RTUs also remove the strain from human decision-makers, as the units are able to automate decisions and report to the SCADA system that everything is under control.
Operators at the SCADA communications interface can supervise operations by setting new key performance indicators (KPIs) or updating instructions — examples include ‘open/close’ or ‘start/stop’. RTUs can act upon these commands and manage them locally.
In critical situations, RTUs can help prevent or resolve problems almost immediately. This saves time, manpower and costly repairs.
Ovarro monitoring and control devices
Ovarro offers several different ranges of RTU including the TBox, Seprol, Kingfisher and Datawatt. All are trusted by our customers to protect and manage their assets, helping our customers to advance productivity, safety and security, around the globe.
Each RTU range has its own unique features, making it possible to find an RTU that’s perfectly suited to manage a particular asset or application — even in the most demanding or harsh environments.
