An operator looks at the SCADA screen and notices something is missing. A remote pump station isn’t communicating. The tank level isn’t updating. An alarm isn’t reaching the central system.

Where do you start?

For Team UIS SCADA technicians, troubleshooting a communication problem can involve much more than simply checking the radio or network connection. The first step is understanding exactly what information isn’t getting through. Then, the goal is working backward to determine why.

The problem could involve a failed piece of communications equipment. But it could also be a power issue, antenna or cabling problem, PLC or RTU malfunction, network configuration, programming issue or even an instrumentation problem at the remote site.

That’s what makes troubleshooting SCADA systems challenging: the symptom isn’t always the source of the problem.

Our technicians may have to work through multiple components and systems to isolate the location of the failure. They might examine the equipment at the remote facility, check communications hardware, review programming or network configurations and determine whether the field device is producing the information the SCADA system expects to receive.

For facility owners and operators, there’s an important lesson here: A communication failure doesn’t automatically mean the communications equipment needs to be replaced.

Proper troubleshooting can help identify the actual cause and prevent unnecessary replacement of functioning equipment.

And when replacement or modernization is necessary, understanding the root cause helps create a better solution.

The next time a remote site disappears from the SCADA screen, don’t just ask, “How do we get it back?” Ask, “Why did we lose it in the first place?”