Proxim Wireless connects video surveillance network to enhance public safety in Venezuela

Proxim Wireless Corporation, a leading provider of end-to-end broadband wireless systems, recently announced that the state of Bolivar, Venezuela has deployed Proxim's point-to-point wireless technology as part of a large, integrated public safety network in Bolivar City. The network, which connects both state and local police, the National Guard, state transportation and public safety agencies, utilises Proxim's TsunamiQuickBridge.11 radios to create a wireless video surveillance network.

In addition to Proxim's wireless backhaul technology, the "Emergency Bolivar 1-7-1" network also incorporates closed circuit television (CCTV), digital telephony via Voice over IP (VoIP), fleet management, call management, video conferencing, emergency call management, and fire detection and access control systems. The end result is a fully-integrated public safety network that enables all connected organisations to monitor streaming video surveillance footage throughout Bolivar City, manage all incoming emergency calls, and automatically deploy emergency vehicles and services.

"When it comes to video surveillance networks, the performance demanded of the wireless network is considerably higher than in most network scenarios. In most networks, you have periods of usage where traffic demands spike -- but in video surveillance networks, there is a constant demand to ensure the quality transmission of the video streams," said Christian Cooper, Project Coordinator for CorpData, the integrator that deployed the Emergency Bolivar 1-7-1 network. "We have had a great deal of experience with Proxim, and no other wireless vendor can provide the high-performance, QoS and VLAN capabilities that Proxim delivers."

Phase One of this deployment has been up and running successfully since May 2009, and is currently backhauling 18 Pelco video surveillance cameras streaming video from six different locations. The deployment is currently being expanded to cover 10 additional sites with 30 more cameras throughout the city.

"The performance demanded of the wireless network is considerably higher than in most network scenarios"

"The Emergency Bolivar 1-7-1 network has been a huge success, and is a critical component in our ongoing efforts to serve and protect the people of Bolivar," said Carlos Arias Delgado, Director of Servicio Autonomo de Emergencias del Estado Bolivar 1-7-1. "The scope of this state-of-the-art security and surveillance network demands that we utilise the best technologies on the market today, and we have been very pleased with CorpData's selection of Proxim as our wireless network provider."

When evaluating technologies for this deployment, both CorpData and officials from the State of Bolivar emphasised the importance of achieving the necessary network performance and bandwidth while also finding a cost-effective solution. They determined that Proxim's wireless network could not only provide similar performance as wired technologies, but at a fraction of the cost of deploying fibre or utilising leased lines. And due to the flexibility of Proxim's products, the ability to utilise the 5 and 10 Mhz channels enabled more efficient use of available wireless spectrum.