IIoT, SCADA & Edge Connectivity worked example

Sensor Installation Cost at 61% first-attempt install success rate: a worked example

This worked example runs the sensor installation cost numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 61% first-attempt install success rate instead of the typical 85%. Estimate the loaded cost of a sensor rollout (vibration, temperature, current, pressure) from sensor count, installed unit cost, the share of installs that complete on the first attempt, and a fixed program engineering and commissioning adder.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Sensors to install: 180 sensors (held at the documented default)
  • Installed unit cost per sensor: 450 $ / sensor (held at the documented default)
  • First-attempt install success rate: 61 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 85)
  • Fixed engineering and commissioning cost: 22,000 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Variable sensor install cost = sensor count × installed unit cost × first-attempt install rate.
  • Total sensor install cost works out to 71,410 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Sensor install cost per sensor works out to 397 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Variable sensor install cost works out to 49,410 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed engineering and commissioning cost works out to 22,000 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where first-attempt install success rate sits at 85% and the headline result is 90,850 $, this scenario comes in 21.4% below the baseline at 71,410 $.
  • Use it when quoting a condition-monitoring deployment, budgeting a predictive-maintenance pilot, or comparing in-house labor against an integrator's turnkey price. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Total sensor install cost: 71,410 $ (headline result)
  • Sensor install cost per sensor: 397 $ / piece
  • Variable sensor install cost: 49,410 $
  • Fixed engineering and commissioning cost: 22,000 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Sensor Installation Cost calculator, set first-attempt install success rate to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.