Implementing an Advanced Traffic Management System with Network Structure Upgrade

The Challenge

A city traffic department in the Midwest needed to implement an advanced traffic management system that included traffic detection, traffic cameras, adaptive traffic control management capabilities and a wireless radio system. Additionally, in order to meet the needs of the new advanced traffic system, the existing field traffic network structure had to be upgraded. The field network structure had to move to a full Gigabit Ethernet connection with multiple fiber uplinks and multiple functionalities in the network system.

The design requirements of the new network structure included the following:

• High-bandwidth Gigabit Ethernet connection with multiple fiber uplink/downlink streams; at least 3 fiber connections
• High-power PoE capabilities delivering up to 30 watts for outdoor PTZ IP cameras without running additional power cabling
• Network managed features to operate network segmentation, security and redundancy
• Rugged devices to operate in a traffic cabinet safely without potential failure issues

The Solution

To solve the city’s network system upgrade requirement, B+B SmartWorx powered by Advantech recommended the EKI-7712G-4FPI-AE L2 managed switch, which supports a 12-port 10/100/1000M + 4 GbE SFP physical configuration. With a full suite of L2 managed features, VLAN for network segmentation between video detection, traffic controllers, traffic cameras and wireless radio is available.

The compact, mechanical design of the EKI-7712G-4FPI-AE was a significant benefit to the city engineers due to the limited space in traffic cabinets. Because of the design, traffic engineers didn’t need to upgrade the entire existing cabinet; they simply upgraded the single network device.

Additionally, utilizing Advantech’s X-Ring allowed a build-up of the overall networking redundancy in the entire city traffic network. The device supports PoE+ capabilities that directly power outdoor PTZ cameras through Ethernet; the entire POE budget can run up to 240 watts. Plus, the managed switch has NEMA TS2 certification, which solves any harsh environmental issues present due to Midwest seasonal weather.

IXM technology— Intelligent Provisioning technology — is an exclusive built-in WebGUI feature in the managed Ethernet switch that allows engineers to mass deploy and mass upgrade the network system. The one-time process for deployment, configuration and IP assignment is convenient and useful for system deployment in the field.

In addition to the breadth of devices and technology, the city traffic department mentioned the responsiveness of the B+B SmartWorx network engineering support team as a major benefit in solving upgrade challenges. According to the traffic engineers, the B+B SmartWorx support team addressed all customer questions and/or issues in a timely manner. And the knowledge of the team helped add additional value to them while in the field.

The Products

EKI-7712G-4FPI-AE, 8-port GbE(PoE/PoE+) + 4 GbE SFP Full L2 Managed Ethernet Switch

SDR-120-48, DIN Rail Power Supplies

SFP-GSX/LCI-AE, 1000Base-SX Multi-Mode SFP module, 550m

SFP-GLX/LCI-10E, 1000Base-LX Single-Mode SFP module, 10km