An industrial roll includes: a substantially cylindrical core having an outer surface; a polymeric cover circumferentially overlying the core outer surface; and a sensing system. The sensing system includes: a first signal carrying member serially connecting a first set of sensors; a second signal carrying member serially connecting a second set of sensors; and a signal processing unit operatively associated with the first and second signal carrying members and configured to selectively monitor the signals provided by the first and second set of sensors.