Add another coverage area
A GRIT Hub provides one radio cell. A GRIT Mesh Xtndr can add another on a separately planned channel, increasing both physical coverage and device capacity. Channel planning and site testing determine the practical layout.
Connect the equipment you already own. Without rewiring the whole floor.
GRIT uses a local radio mesh and an on-site Hub to connect compatible equipment without new control cable at every device. For a large building or separate location, the facility network connects the Hub and GRIT Mesh Xtndrs while existing PLCs and safety controls stay in place.
Connect devices across the shop—and between buildings.
The local mesh connects GRIT devices without running a dedicated control cable to every tool. A radio cell is the group of devices sharing one GRIT Hub or GRIT Mesh Xtndr channel. GRIT Mesh Xtndrs use the facility network to add another radio cell where a large facility, separate building, or difficult construction calls for another point of connection.
- Up to
- 200 ft theoretical spacing between devices
- Up to
- 10 hops one hop is one device relaying a message to the next
- About
- 12.6M sq. ft. mathematical maximum at a 2,000 ft radius
- Current design limit
- 150 devices in one radio cell; traffic and site design still matter
What these numbers mean: 200 feet multiplied by 10 hops gives a 2,000-foot theoretical radius. A circle with that radius is about 12.6 million square feet. That is a mathematical maximum, not a coverage promise. Devices share the capacity of their radio cell, so GRIT sizes an actual system from the floor plan, building materials, interference, device placement, how often devices send messages, and total message load.
Hub hardware can grow with the system
Larger installations can use more capable Hub hardware as processing needs grow, without replacing compatible GRIT devices throughout the facility.
Keep critical controls wired. Connect the rest without running control cable everywhere.
Programmable logic controllers, or PLCs, and wired industrial networks remain the right answer for high-speed machine control and certified safety functions. GRIT connects retrofit automation, access, status, and sensors across equipment that was never wired together.
| Design question | PLCs and wired industrial networks | GRIT Hub and local mesh |
|---|---|---|
| Best used for | Fast machine inputs and outputs, drives, motion, certified safety functions, and tightly controlled processes | Retrofit automation, machine events, access, status, sensors, and coordination between equipment |
| How devices connect | Dedicated cable runs, shared cable trunks, connections to each device, termination, and control cabinets | The facility network connects Hubs and GRIT Mesh Xtndrs; local radio cells connect GRIT devices at the equipment |
| Adding devices | Often requires new cable, conduit, controller connections, cabinet space, and downtime | Add or reposition a compatible GRIT device or GRIT Mesh Xtndr, then test the radio path |
| If a device or wire fails | A cut shared cable or failed controller can affect everything downstream; redundant designs are available at added cost | A device can use another available mesh path; a device with no remaining path is isolated |
| Data capacity | Ranges from small serial messages to high-throughput industrial Ethernet | Shared radio capacity for short events and commands, not continuous high-bandwidth data |
| How messages are protected | Depends on the protocol, network separation, gateway design, and age of the installed equipment | Mesh application messages are encrypted. The Hub is managed on site, and authorized remote-site traffic uses the GRIT tunnel |
Common network approaches, in plain terms
Actual performance depends on cable length, how devices connect, device settings, how often messages are sent, and the version of the protocol in use.
Modbus RTU
- Data capacity
- Commonly tens of kilobits per second on one shared RS-485 cable
- Why it works well
- Simple, widely supported, inexpensive, and practical over long cable runs
- What to plan for
- Devices share one cable and are usually asked for updates in turn. A cable, termination, or addressing problem can disrupt the segment. Classic Modbus adds no authentication or encryption.
CAN bus
- Data capacity
- Up to 1 Mbit/s for Classical CAN at shorter cable lengths; speed falls as distance grows
- Why it works well
- Devices can take turns without one polling master, and the network includes strong error detection
- What to plan for
- Devices share one cable, and correct termination matters. A physical fault can split or disrupt the bus. Classical CAN adds no authentication or encryption.
Industrial Ethernet
- Data capacity
- Commonly 100 Mbit/s or 1 Gbit/s, depending on the installed system
- Why it works well
- High throughput, managed network switches, diagnostics, and options for redundant paths
- What to plan for
- Requires cable, switches, configuration, and network separation. Timing and security depend on the specific protocol and design.
GRIT local mesh
- Data capacity
- Shared radio capacity for short, event-driven messages—not a fixed amount for every device
- Why it works well
- Fast retrofit, alternate paths when available, local Hub rules, and expansion through additional radio cells
- What to plan for
- Radio conditions and message load affect capacity. The mesh is not safety-rated or intended for precise timing or continuous high-bandwidth traffic.
What GRIT does not replace
GRIT is not a replacement for safety-rated emergency stops, safety PLCs, high-speed motion control, or other functions that require certified or precisely timed control. It complements those systems by connecting the operational work around them.
IT moves information. OT runs equipment. GRIT connects the two.
Information technology, or IT, moves and protects data. Operational technology, or OT, controls and monitors physical equipment. GRIT connects them while keeping operating decisions on the Hub.
IT · Information Technology
The facility network
Ethernet, local IP addressing, managed internet access, and the GRIT tunnel between authorized locations. IT provides the route and can apply normal network policy around the Hub.
Bridges facility connectivity and on-site operating rules without making the internet the control center.
OT · Operational Technology
The working equipment
Tools, dust collection, gates, sensors, readers, relays, and existing controls. OT is where availability, predictable behavior, and safe integration matter most.
The internet carries the connection. The Hub makes the decisions.
A remote location can find the GRIT Hub through the GRIT tunnel, a protected network route between authorized locations, even when the buildings are far apart. The internet carries the connection; it is not a database holding the shop’s record of what happened.
Decisions and records stay on the Hub
Automation rules and operating data live on the Hub. A required cloud subscription is not part of the control path.
Connect separate locations
A network-connected GRIT Mesh Xtndr can reach the Hub through the GRIT tunnel and project a local mesh in another building.
What happens if the internet connection is lost: A remote GRIT Mesh Xtndr needs a working network route to reach the central Hub. If that facility network or internet path is unavailable, the remote location cannot exchange messages with that Hub until the route returns. Operating data still lives on the Hub, not in a cloud database, but remote communication depends on that network path.
Connect more equipment. Keep purpose-built controls in place.
Use GRIT to
- Connect compatible equipment that was never designed to work together
- Coordinate dust collection, gates, sensors, access, and operating records around the same tool activity
- Add separately planned radio cells as a facility needs more coverage or device capacity
- Reach separate buildings through network-connected GRIT Mesh Xtndrs and the GRIT tunnel
Keep purpose-built controls for
- Certified safety interlocks and emergency-stop circuits
- Servo motion, drives, and high-speed synchronized machine control
- Continuous high-bandwidth process data, audio, or video
- Any function requiring precisely timed control or a certified control architecture
Connect the equipment you already own. Without rewiring the whole floor.
GRIT uses a local radio mesh and an on-site Hub to connect compatible equipment without new control cable at every device. For a large building or separate location, the facility network connects the Hub and GRIT Mesh Xtndrs while existing PLCs and safety controls stay in place.
Connect devices across the shop—and between buildings.
The local mesh connects GRIT devices without running a dedicated control cable to every tool. A radio cell is the group of devices sharing one GRIT Hub or GRIT Mesh Xtndr channel. GRIT Mesh Xtndrs use the facility network to add another radio cell where a large facility, separate building, or difficult construction calls for another point of connection.
- Up to
- 200 ft theoretical spacing between devices
- Up to
- 10 hops one hop is one device relaying a message to the next
- About
- 12.6M sq. ft. mathematical maximum at a 2,000 ft radius
- Current design limit
- 150 devices in one radio cell; traffic and site design still matter
What these numbers mean: 200 feet multiplied by 10 hops gives a 2,000-foot theoretical radius. A circle with that radius is about 12.6 million square feet. That is a mathematical maximum, not a coverage promise. Devices share the capacity of their radio cell, so GRIT sizes an actual system from the floor plan, building materials, interference, device placement, how often devices send messages, and total message load.
Add another coverage area
A GRIT Hub provides one radio cell. A GRIT Mesh Xtndr can add another on a separately planned channel, increasing both physical coverage and device capacity. Channel planning and site testing determine the practical layout.
Hub hardware can grow with the system
Larger installations can use more capable Hub hardware as processing needs grow, without replacing compatible GRIT devices throughout the facility.
Keep critical controls wired. Connect the rest without running control cable everywhere.
Programmable logic controllers, or PLCs, and wired industrial networks remain the right answer for high-speed machine control and certified safety functions. GRIT connects retrofit automation, access, status, and sensors across equipment that was never wired together.
| Design question | PLCs and wired industrial networks | GRIT Hub and local mesh |
|---|---|---|
| Best used for | Fast machine inputs and outputs, drives, motion, certified safety functions, and tightly controlled processes | Retrofit automation, machine events, access, status, sensors, and coordination between equipment |
| How devices connect | Dedicated cable runs, shared cable trunks, connections to each device, termination, and control cabinets | The facility network connects Hubs and GRIT Mesh Xtndrs; local radio cells connect GRIT devices at the equipment |
| Adding devices | Often requires new cable, conduit, controller connections, cabinet space, and downtime | Add or reposition a compatible GRIT device or GRIT Mesh Xtndr, then test the radio path |
| If a device or wire fails | A cut shared cable or failed controller can affect everything downstream; redundant designs are available at added cost | A device can use another available mesh path; a device with no remaining path is isolated |
| Data capacity | Ranges from small serial messages to high-throughput industrial Ethernet | Shared radio capacity for short events and commands, not continuous high-bandwidth data |
| How messages are protected | Depends on the protocol, network separation, gateway design, and age of the installed equipment | Mesh application messages are encrypted. The Hub is managed on site, and authorized remote-site traffic uses the GRIT tunnel |
Common network approaches, in plain terms
Actual performance depends on cable length, how devices connect, device settings, how often messages are sent, and the version of the protocol in use.
Modbus RTU
- Data capacity
- Commonly tens of kilobits per second on one shared RS-485 cable
- Why it works well
- Simple, widely supported, inexpensive, and practical over long cable runs
- What to plan for
- Devices share one cable and are usually asked for updates in turn. A cable, termination, or addressing problem can disrupt the segment. Classic Modbus adds no authentication or encryption.
CAN bus
- Data capacity
- Up to 1 Mbit/s for Classical CAN at shorter cable lengths; speed falls as distance grows
- Why it works well
- Devices can take turns without one polling master, and the network includes strong error detection
- What to plan for
- Devices share one cable, and correct termination matters. A physical fault can split or disrupt the bus. Classical CAN adds no authentication or encryption.
Industrial Ethernet
- Data capacity
- Commonly 100 Mbit/s or 1 Gbit/s, depending on the installed system
- Why it works well
- High throughput, managed network switches, diagnostics, and options for redundant paths
- What to plan for
- Requires cable, switches, configuration, and network separation. Timing and security depend on the specific protocol and design.
GRIT local mesh
- Data capacity
- Shared radio capacity for short, event-driven messages—not a fixed amount for every device
- Why it works well
- Fast retrofit, alternate paths when available, local Hub rules, and expansion through additional radio cells
- What to plan for
- Radio conditions and message load affect capacity. The mesh is not safety-rated or intended for precise timing or continuous high-bandwidth traffic.
What GRIT does not replace
GRIT is not a replacement for safety-rated emergency stops, safety PLCs, high-speed motion control, or other functions that require certified or precisely timed control. It complements those systems by connecting the operational work around them.
IT moves information. OT runs equipment. GRIT connects the two.
Information technology, or IT, moves and protects data. Operational technology, or OT, controls and monitors physical equipment. GRIT connects them while keeping operating decisions on the Hub.
IT · Information Technology
The facility network
Ethernet, local IP addressing, managed internet access, and the GRIT tunnel between authorized locations. IT provides the route and can apply normal network policy around the Hub.
Bridges facility connectivity and on-site operating rules without making the internet the control center.
OT · Operational Technology
The working equipment
Tools, dust collection, gates, sensors, readers, relays, and existing controls. OT is where availability, predictable behavior, and safe integration matter most.
The internet carries the connection. The Hub makes the decisions.
A remote location can find the GRIT Hub through the GRIT tunnel, a protected network route between authorized locations, even when the buildings are far apart. The internet carries the connection; it is not a database holding the shop’s record of what happened.
Decisions and records stay on the Hub
Automation rules and operating data live on the Hub. A required cloud subscription is not part of the control path.
Connect separate locations
A network-connected GRIT Mesh Xtndr can reach the Hub through the GRIT tunnel and project a local mesh in another building.
What happens if the internet connection is lost: A remote GRIT Mesh Xtndr needs a working network route to reach the central Hub. If that facility network or internet path is unavailable, the remote location cannot exchange messages with that Hub until the route returns. Operating data still lives on the Hub, not in a cloud database, but remote communication depends on that network path.
Connect more equipment. Keep purpose-built controls in place.
Use GRIT to
- Connect compatible equipment that was never designed to work together
- Coordinate dust collection, gates, sensors, access, and operating records around the same tool activity
- Add separately planned radio cells as a facility needs more coverage or device capacity
- Reach separate buildings through network-connected GRIT Mesh Xtndrs and the GRIT tunnel
Keep purpose-built controls for
- Certified safety interlocks and emergency-stop circuits
- Servo motion, drives, and high-speed synchronized machine control
- Continuous high-bandwidth process data, audio, or video
- Any function requiring precisely timed control or a certified control architecture