IOT: What is URWB?

PETER WELCHER | Solutions Architect 

Why IOT? First, it is an expanding area of networking, with increasing use cases. Secondly, it is impacting current organizations, especially healthcare and retailing, but touching anything where new forms of sensor may provide valuable security or cost saving benefits, or enable new capabilities (better inventory, better products, etc.).  

This blog extends the IOT blog series, summarizing another IOT protocol in more detail: URWB (Ultra-Reliable Wireless Backhaul).  

This summary is heavily based on the Cisco links listed below. It is intended as a quick technical brief for the reader with links for those who wish to quickly investigate URWB more deeply.  

See the Links section for links to my prior blogs on IOT. 

Key starting point: URWB is a Cisco feature, not a multi-vendor standard.  

Why URWB? 

Here are the key aspects of URWB, apropos of why you might want to design for and use URWB: 

• URWB is used to connect critical assets reliably over unlicensed RF spectrum. 

• URWB is a Wi-Fi alternative, one which leverages new Wi-Fi technology such as Wi-Fi 6E and 7.  

• It provides nearly zero packet loss. URWB leverages multipath for redundancy, speed, and built-in security, ultra-low latency, seamless very fast handoffs (moving end system to infrastructure). (Claim: handoffs at up to 225 miles per hour.)  

• URWB is based on 802.11 standards, and deploys like Wi-Fi: easy to install.  

• It lets you extend wireless anywhere, scalably, providing long-range high-throughput connectivity where fiber is not viable or cost-effective.  

• URWB works with both fixed infrastructure and mobile assets, e.g moving vehicles. 

• URWB supports flexible topologies: point to point, point to multipoint, mesh, and mobile/changing topology. 

• It supports VLANs, QoS, and industrial protocols such as Profinet and QNET.  

URWB Use Cases 

URWB is intended for use in settings such as the following:  

• Transportation 

• Ports, terminals, intermodal facilities 

• Smart cities 

• Mining 

• Oil and Gas 

• Campus, e.g. outdoor backhaul 

• Manufacturing, e.g. expanding the network beyond building interiors 

• Drones, robotics 

• Government and military 

• Smart City 

• Multi-day events 

Cisco’s marketing positions URWB with the following eye-catching statement:  

“Nowadays it (URWB) is a solid alternative to 4G and the new coming 5G cellular solutions. That’s why it has been selected as the technology of choice by a large number of systems integrators looking for a reliable backbone solution for trains, light rail systems, mining trucks, terminal yard cranes, ferries, buses, police cars, and much more.” 

Given what I hear about private 5G having challenges (slow support by vendors, limited resources, etc.), that may be another strong market position for URWB – as a private 5G alternative.  

URWB also could provide a single hardware-vendor approach to extending building networks with something in-house staff or a managed service provider (and not a telco provider) would support.  

More Tech Details 

The following CiscoLive presentation (2023) contains a lot of recent information about URWB: https://www.ciscolive.com/c/dam/r/ciscolive/emea/docs/2023/pdf/fsODzJ2l/TECIOT-2584.pdf. It also contains a lot of pictures of Cisco IOT hardwareas well as info about cellular site survey and other useful content! 

Caveat: The above makes it quite clear that outdoor/cellular site survey is a complex topic requiring specialized skills, whether for URWB, private cellular, or something else. Be sure to factor that into any planning! 

Other good resources for what’s “under the hood.” a TechFieldDay video from 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rEyaupEUb8, also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ608CuMYi0.  

The short version (my re-wording):  

• URWB leverages multiple uplink paths at the access layer over unlicensed RF spectrum. 

• It can duplicate important traffic, in effect doing pre-roaming as compared to Wi-Fi. 

• A key aspect of URWB is proprietary rapid handoff and path reconfiguration.  

• URWB uses an MPLS underlay to transport IP data. 

• As of 2022 developers were working to add support for multiple uplink paths in the upstream network. (Not sure of present status.) 

• NOT duplicating traffic based on QoS marking is an option.  

I also found the following, which provides more technical info (albeit a bit dated): https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/wireless/ultra-reliable-wireless-backhaul/device-software/cisco-urwb-fluidity-specs-usermanual.pdf.  

Links to Prior IOT Blogs 

• https://www.blueally.com/cisco-iot-overview-part-1-background/  

• https://www.blueally.com/cisco-iot-overview-part-2-iot-hardware/  

• https://www.blueally.com/cisco-iot-overview-part-3-iot-essentials/  

• https://www.blueally.com/cisco-iot-overview-part-4-cisco-meraki-and-iot-skillsets/  

URWB Links 

• Cisco main page re URWB: https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/products/networking/industrial-wireless/ultra-reliable-wireless-backhaul/index.html — two tabs: Overview, Resources.  

• Note also the nifty marketing video about URWB and many use cases for it. 

• See also the assessment link, which asks 8 questions and recommends a wireless technology. Looks like a guided algorithmic version of the white paper URL below.  

• Cisco white paper about Best-Fit Wireless matching for Industrial Networks: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/internet-of-things/iot-network-connectivity/wireless-operations-ind-network-wp.html. Goes into spectrum, data rates, and other requirements and which wireless technology matches those requirements.  

• Cisco brochure (and downloadable PDF): https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/wireless/ultra-reliable-wireless-backhaul/wireless-backhaul-infra-mobility-br.html  

• Support docs: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/wireless/ultra-reliable-wireless-backhaul/series.html  

• “Architecting for End-to-End Low Latency in Wireless Networks White Paper”: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/wireless/arch-end-to-end-low-latency-wireless-networks.html#Cloudanddatacenterproximityandlatency  

• Video showing use cases then representative topologies for URWB deployment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M3l8kO3IYA  

Conclusion 

URWB sounds like cool technology, providing reliability at a reasonable cost where you need it. And yes, it takes some design, e.g. making sure there are always dual AP’s reachable for devices in motion.  

The above referenced video’s example is a forklift moving between rooms in warehouse.  

Disclosure Statement