Mesh Networking Solves Communications Case For Island Police
Mesh Networking Solves Communications Case For Island Police
By Ryan Canning
The Department of Homeland Security has been charged with developing a national strategy and standards for public safety communications, intended to help overcome the communications challenges faced by public safety officials on a daily basis: different applications, hardware, frequencies, range of operation, and rules that make it virtually impossible for first responders to communicate with each other.
Although wireless communications options such as Wi-Fi, cellular, licensed and unlicensed radio abound, most have significant limitations in terms of range, throughput, security challenges, initial and ongoing costs, or other factors that limit their usefulnessespecially in the public safety arena.
An example of one such application is the Marco Island Police Department (MIPD) in Marco Island, FL.
According to the department’s network administrator Officer Paul Keys, MIPD needed to enhance its ability to communicate on multiple levels and over significant distances, and this included data and images.
When the time came to implement a wireless data network, MIPD deployed NovaRoam, which is part of Cincinnati-based Nova Engineering, Inc.. The network combines RF, digital, and real-time embedded software design into communication systems for real-world applications. One area of focus in recent years has been public safety, and NovaRoam has specialized in developing value-added wireless data solutions that combine the practicality of long-range communications and the versatility and flexibility of mesh networking.
‘Self Healing’ Network Provides Mobile Solution
Mesh networking, or Mobile Ad Hoc Networking (MANET) technology, was ideal for MIPD because such networks form spontaneously without the need for a centralized controller. In essence a “peer-to-peer” system is formed, with each user or node in the network serving multiple roles by operating as an endpoint or an intermediate repeater.
The units in the field automatically create a dynamic mobile network. Each user actually strengthens the network and, depending on the location of the user, also expands the network. If a user were to move out of range, the network would “heal” itself, reforming with the remaining nodes.
This type of application presented a distinct advantage to MIPD for two reasons. First, since Marco Island is a 24 square-mile barrier island off Florida’s southwest coast, the NovaRoam solution would help meet MIPD’s unique needs for its land- and marine-based mobile units. Second, the areas of dense vegetation throughout the island, including large expanses of mangroves, presented unique challenges to long-range communications.
Although they were beautiful to look at and formed essential habitats for birds, fish, and other creatures, the mangroves also served as a kind of “black hole” that prevented effective transmission of radio signals. So, the NovaRoams mesh networking technology would help overcome these difficult conditions.
Deployment and Implementation
Prior to full network installation, Officer Paul Keys and Lieutenant Dave Baer conducted a field test in order to determine the best locations to install repeater sites for maximum coverage. A NovaRoam was first installed at police headquarters, the hub of communications for MIPD. A second NovaRoam was installed at a potential repeater site location. Officers drove around the island in a cruiser equipped with another NovaRoam, noting the quality of the NovaRoam signal at various locations. This test was repeated using several prospective repeater sites until MIPD was confident that they had determined the best locations for repeaters.
Ultimately, MIPD purchased 18 NovaRoam units to create its wireless mesh network. The product is mounted into each of the 13 police vehicles, plus four fixed antenna sites that are deployed on towers located at each quadrant of Marco Island, and a central antenna site at the police station.
Because MIPD chose to install the NovaRoam system itself rather than use a system integrator, Nova Engineering’s sales and support coordinator Eric Lefebvre assisted MIPD throughout the process. He worked closely with Officer Keys to ensure that deployment went smoothly, helping determine the optimum NovaRoam configuration for their network. Throughout the deployment process Nova Engineering and MIPD worked together to make adjustments to the entire system in order to achieve the best network performance possible.
. During deployment, MIPD had several typical service and support inquiries, but Eric Lefebvre and the Nova Engineering team worked closely with MIPD to ensure that issues were addressed in a timely manner.
One challenge that occurred had to do with the department’s report software. MIPD began experiencing timeouts during transmissions, which needed to be corrected immediately. After researching the root cause, Nova Engineering recommended that MIPD install a third-party network connectivity program, which provided a buffer to the data and stopped the timeouts from occurring.
Currently, 50 to 60 percent of the island is covered by the wireless network. To ensure that officers always have the information they need, a second phase is planned involving the installation of additional repeaters throughout the island to expand the coverage area.
The NovaRoam installation helped MIPD meet a key objective: equipping officers in the field with the ability to view data-intensive files, including field reports, evidence photos, and similar information. With many communications solutions, bandwidth is a limitation, but because NovaRoam operates in the 900 MHz spectrum, it overcomes many of the limitations of other frequencies and eliminates the need to trade throughput for range: NovaRoam offers both exceptional range and bandwidth capable of accommodating the exchange of very large files.
The network meets all current state and federal security standards by providing 128-bit AES encryption. As an IP-based solution, it also enables interoperability with existing Internet software applicationssuch as CAD, RMS, and state and federal criminal databases.
Speed, Range, and Throughput Drive Decision-Making; Low Cost Helps ROI
MIPD chose NovaRoam based on four key criteria:
Speed of network
NovaRoam Mobile Routers provide sufficient throughput to deliver fast network access to remote users. Large data files, such as field reports and photographs, can be transmitted quickly to or from officers in the field.
Range and mobility of the wireless routers
NovaRoams 900 MHz frequency band offers better RF coverage and less interference than 2.4 GHz, 4.9 GHz, and 5.8 GHz, providing a communication range that can span several miles. With mesh networking technology, NovaRoams create adaptable peer-to-peer networks without single points of failure, unlike traditional hub-and-spoke data communications systems. Furthermore, continuous enhancements to NovaRoams mesh networking technology are able to be leveraged by current users through field upgrades.
Immediate Return on Investment
Like most police departments and public safety entities, MIPD has a limited budget. Yet, it was able to purchase and install NovaRoam within budget and saw a fast return on investment for several important reasons. First, the nature of the technology requires a smaller investment in hardware. Fewer repeater towers are required (compared to Wi-Fi and similar technologies). Second, with only a modest upfront investment, MIPD owns the product and there are no recurring costs. Third, there are no monthly access fees like there are with cellular products. Monthly access fees for cellular data services do not fall under Homeland Security or Department of Justice-sponsored Public Safety Communications grant applicability. NovaRoam networks can be completely funded through federal and state public safety grants.
Inherent Durability and Security
With NovaRoam, MIPD has its own secure radio infrastructure that offers a high degree of interoperability with Internet software applications. The broad spread spectrum signal provides the benefit of enabling police to transmit while staying “under the noise floor,” making it much more difficult for someone outside the network to detect the wireless transmission.
Results Drive Increase in Productivity and Public Safety
According to Officer Keys, the introduction of the NovaRoam communications solution has provided two important benefits. First, the new technology is enabling officers to spend more time in the field and fewer hours in the office completing paperwork and other reports. This change not only helps improve relations with the community but also has increased productivity.
The second and perhaps most important benefit is that officers in the field are able to make informed, time-sensitive decisions quickly. Now during a traffic stop or other critical event in the field, officers have real-time access to information and other vital data.
The NovaRoam mobile networking solution enables officers to make informedsometimes split-seconddecisions that have significant implications for their personal safety, and the safety and security of the lives and properties of others.
Editors Note: Ryan Canning is NovaRoams product manager. He has been with Nova Engineering, Inc. for five years, serving in sales engineering. Ryan received a bachelors degree in electrical engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 2001 and an MBA from Xavier University in 2005. Ryan can be reached at [email protected]. For more information on NovaRoam, visit: http://www.nova-eng.com