Tunnel Management: Providing High Bandwidth and Power for IP Surveillance Cameras

Tunnels are one of the most dangerous traffic environments. A tunnel accident can quickly escalate into a tragedy. But tunnel management, monitoring and incident management systems are only as good as the network infrastructure being used to collect and send critically important data.

The EKI-7710E-2CPI management switch from B+B SmartWorx powered by Advantech provided a leading integrator with a reliable, safe and robust network — and solved previous application challenges. Tunnel monitoring data can now be passed to control rooms and emergency services with confidence and reliability.

The Challenge

Prior to the tunnel opening, all of the necessary safety measures and equipment checks needed to be completed. It was required that the traffic management engineers could monitor the status of the tunnel’s traffic in real-time via the Internet. Inter switch links were often greater than 100m, so fiber was used to create rings to interconnect the various switches distributed within the tunnel.

Due to the use of high-definition PTZ cameras, the application required power up to 25W per camera for video surveillance. In addition to a high-bandwidth need, engineers also had to consider the likely possibility of future growth — devices that would grow with the application. The non-stop tunnel surveillance, in combination with the harsh operating environment within the tunnel, demanded a high-tech, innovative and intelligent system of Ethernet devices.

Another necessary requirement for the safe operation of the tunnel was a reliable network with redundancy and fast recovery function in case of node failure. They needed to be able to monitor all fiber connection statuses in real-time, including transmission power, voltage, temperature, etc. Due to the large number of modules equipped in the system, such as speed detectors, smoke detectors, temperature detectors, PIS LED information board, PoE (Power over Ethernet) IP cameras, voice broadcasting, PoE IP phones, license plate recognition system and traffic light controls, a reliable and fast redundancy network was essential.

The system was expected to support wide industrial-grade temperatures since the equipment would be installed outdoors. The entire mechanism had to be able to withstand harsh environmental conditions. Because of the size of the network, engineers also had to jump the hurdle of mass deployment in the field. Deployment and multiple manual configurations of devices would be a hassle and risk the possibility of human error.

The Solution

To meet the many challenges of the application, the system integrator chose B+B SmartWorx’s EKI-7710E-2CPI full managed industrial switch The switch includes eight 10/100 RJ-45 and supports IEEE 802.3 af/at PoE ports and two Gigabit Copper/SFP (Small Form Pluggable) fiber combo ports. The industrial-grade switches are fully-managed, have a wide operating temperature from -40 to +75°C and support 802.1x authentication processes.

With Gigabit bandwidth, the EKI-7000 series has the built-in intelligence to transform with the network. The series utilizes compact sizes, the ability to connect multiple network layers and unique port combination options, such as up to 28 ports for Gigabit in 19-inch rackmount and a 20-port Gigabit in DIN-Rail option.

Each of the Ethernet ports (ports1~8) provides up to 30W power to connected devices with PoE/PoE+ port monitoring and configuration. This eliminated the need to run dedicated power lines to the camera locations. Administrators and operators can monitor power consumption, voltage and temperature from the managed switch interface.

To solve mass deployment issues and concerns, EKI-7710E-2CPI uses IXM Intelligent Provisioning Technology. With IXM, administrators can upgrade firmware and deploy and restore configurations to groups of switches quickly and efficiently. IXM offers auto synchronization of firmware updates and push configuration settings for individual or groups of switches via an easy-to-navigate Web GUI.

With comprehensive diagnostic and prioritzation functionality, such as SNMP, syslog, RMON, IGMP, traffic grooming, 802.1ad and DDMI, remote monitoring and prevention of network issues keeps engineers informed to avoid downtime and keep motorists safe. The DDM monitors fiber status through a system log and aids in identifying required service levels.