Always Connected: How Connectivity Enables Safety and Insight

Connectivity is the silent force behind many of our embedded solutions. It may not be visible on the outside, but in practice, it's often an indispensable part of it. Internet of Things (IoT) might sound like yesterday’s trend, but every system we develop communicates in some way with other devices, a server, or directly with the user. This is perfect for updates, maintenance, monitoring, and safety assurance.

Connectivity in embedded systems

“We build systems that are designed to be connected from the ground up,” explains Rob Schalken, Managing Director at Core-Vision. “That connection can be made through LoRa, 4G, Bluetooth, or industrial protocols such as Modbus. Depending on the application, we select the right technology to ensure reliability, scalability and safety.”

“In practice, think of a device that reports its status to a central server daily or receives automatic firmware updates (FOTA: Firmware Over The Air). It could also be a system that continuously reads sensors and shares the real-time data with the user. This might be through fault messages or dashboards with statistics. It enables faster responses to issues, performance optimization, and reduced risk. Below are two practical examples.”

Example 1: railway safety

A clear example is the ZKL 3000 RC, a system developed in collaboration with Dual Inventive. It is used in railway infrastructure and automatically shorts a section of track to prevent trains from entering, enabling safe maintenance work. This used to be a manual task but is now fully remote-controlled. The system continuously reports whether the short-circuit is active and functioning correctly. Thanks to its permanent 4G connection, railway workers can do their jobs with greater confidence and safety.

Example 2: gas detection with real-time monitoring

Connectivity plays a key role across all market segments, including industrial and maritime environments. For Consilium Safety, we recently renewed the software – and in part the hardware – of their gas detectors. These detectors are connected to other systems via the Modbus protocol. They can be remotely read, configured, and linked to alarm systems. When gas levels exceed safe thresholds, the system immediately triggers an alert – often with automated responses, such as closing off rooms or activating suppression systems. This enables faster evacuation and prevents dangerous situations.

Standard when possible, custom when needed

“Whenever we can, we build on proven connectivity technologies,” says Rob. “That way, systems can be easily integrated into existing infrastructures. We’re talking about systems like MQTT, LoRaWAN, or LWM2M.” “At the same time, we know that few problems are truly standard. We specialize in custom development and can create entirely new solutions when needed. This is something our team enjoys a lot because it’s what makes our work both challenging and meaningful, especially for clients facing technical problems with no ready-made solution.”

Smart updates with FOTA

Connectivity also allows systems in the field to remain secure and up to date. With FOTA, software updates can be performed remotely, eliminating the need for on-site service. The firmware is first downloaded, stored temporarily on the device, and only installed after internal validation. If the new firmware fails to launch, the system automatically rolls back to the previous version. “In practice, this rarely happens, but it’s vital to have a safety net in place,” Rob adds.

Get in touch!

Interested in the possibilities of embedded systems for your organisation? We would be happy to meet with you to discuss these possibilities. Get in touch for an exploratory meeting.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Teamfoto van medewerkers tijdens meeting | Core-Vision