Page 60 - Security Today, July/August 2020

But it was clear that a conventional point-to-point/multipoint network set-up would not work in the urban environment of Wind- sor. Only a true mesh network would provide the resilience and coverage required, especially at crucial points where network fiber infrastructure, for the essential additional cameras, was unavailable.
MESH INFRASTRUCTURE DEALS
WITH A MASSIVE DEMAND FOR IMAGES
Unlike traditional mesh, Rajant’s private Kinetic Mesh® net- works offer reliable, intelligent, and secure wireless broadband connectivity that not only survives but thrives in evolving and mobility-driven environments. It forms a “living” mesh network that can move with and adapt to the evolving communication requirements of public safety organizations. Crucially, Rajant’s network can seamlessly integrate with existing communications infrastructure, which was vital when linking together newly in- stalled and existing CCTV cameras at the royal wedding.
Kinetic Mesh also provides high bandwidth with high through- put and low latency across networks. This was vital in a situation where large amounts of video data needed to be delivered fast and when massive amounts of wireless output from broadcast- ers, other security organizations, and the general public could have prevented transmission of the vital imagery. According to Thames Valley Police, “The imagery provided over the Rajant network was several seconds ahead of the television broadcasters covering the event and met the expectations of our users.”
But size and speed are nothing if the system is not secure. Rajant BreadCrumbs, fitted to cameras around the royal wed- ding location, offered many levels of encryption to protect the network from devices and people accessing them directly up to and including the use of B military-grade encryption. Thanks to Rajant, the delivery of fast, stable and high-definition CCTV was achieved. Hundreds of thousands of visitors and guests in Wind- sor, who wanted to catch a glimpse of the royal couple, were ef- fectively covered during the wedding - ensuring that the day was enjoyable, but more importantly, safe for all those involved.
A REAL-LIFE WILDFIRE DEMONSTRATION
The royal wedding was a planned event that, even with the difficulties the urban environment created, it had a defined route and ran with clockwork timing. Emergency services can benefit from a Kinetic Mesh network in much more dynamic settings too.
Back in October 2019, the heat from the sun combined with winds gusting through the foothills of El Capitán Canyon in Cali- fornia and sparked a bush fire in the overly dry, desert hills. Word reached the emergency services and crews from the Santa Barba- ra County Fire Department, Cal Fire, the U.S Forest Service, and other agencies who were immediately dispatched to contain the blaze before it spread. More than 200 firefighters were dispatched to fight the fire and reinforce containment lines with helicopters and drones in the air and bulldozers on the ground.
Nearby, members of Rajant and its technology partner Dejero were planning to meet with the Santa Barbara County Fire Depart- ment and the Department of Homeland Security to deliver a live safety demonstration. The proposed solution uses mesh radio com- munications, bonded cellular, and satellite technologies to bridge the communication gap in locations where signals are often dropped and lost to provide firefighters with the mission-critical connectivity they seek. Realizing how it could use the equipment brought for the
“Only a true mesh network would provide the resilience and coverage required [through the winding streets of Windsor and up through Windsor Castle’s Long Walk], especially at crucial points where network fiber infrastructure, for the essential additional cameras, was unavailable.”
demonstration to help in a real-life situation, the Rajant and Dejero team systematically offered support to the fire department, and Ra- jant BreadCrumb nodes were mounted to the fire-breaking bulldoz- ers. These 30-ton dozers, manned by trained firefighters, uprooted vegetation and eliminated the food needed to fuel the fire.
The firefighters manning the bulldozers were now able to com- municate wirelessly from within the smoke-filled valley. As the flames and smoke created conditions with minimal visibility, the firefighters were able to utilize the data from both terrestrial and aerial sources to guide the dozers through the terrain. Video foot- age and data was sent from the bulldozers to the tactical truck and central command post over cellular and SAT networks. The SAT comms on the vehicle were powered by Kymeta’s flat-panel dish technology, enabling true “comms on the move” to best le- verage Rajant Kinetic Mesh. Four days after it started, the fire was 100% contained. Four hundred twenty acres had burned with no structures damaged and no reported injuries.
MESH MAKES A DIFFERENCE
Making sure that police, firefighters, and emergency units can access and send large amounts of data from wherever they are and in real-time can make a big difference to the security of planned and unplanned events. A wireless mesh network can sup- port emergency services by ensuring there are no single points of failure throughout the network – whether individuals or equip- ment are stationary or in motion. In complex
and fast-moving environments, this can thwart
potentially high-risk situations before they
have a chance to develop.
Angel Quinn is the senior vice president of Public Safety, Robotis and Drones at Rajant Corp.
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