California Water District Uses Wireless Mesh To Connect, Secure Remote Utility Sites

After exploring and trying alternative solutions for two years, the Otay Water District of Spring Valley in Southern California has selected and deployed Firetide’s  wireless mesh infrastructure solution for connecting Otay Water District facilities. The system was designed and implemented by Sage Designs Inc., a local SCADA specialist.

“We’ve achieved real speeds in the 100Mbps range utilizing 802.11n technology,” said Bruce Trites, network engineer, Otay Water District, Spring Valley, Calif. “To date, we have rolled the wireless network out to more than 12 sites, creating a mesh point-to-multi-point design that has exceeded our expectations.”

The Otay Water District has about 125 square miles of service area and 50,000 customers and has been in business serving customers for more than 50 years. Many of its more than 50 remote facilities, reservoirs, pump/hydro stations are in geographically isolated and non-densely populated areas. As a result, options for getting land method communications to these sites (T1, DSL, cable etc) was cost prohibitive, with some bids coming in as high as nearly $100,000 a month.

Otay Water’s goal was 30 Mbps plus to each of their sites, enough to handle SCADA, security including video surveillance, and local Wi-Fi access at each site for operators and staff. During a very difficult trial phase with another wireless vendor, they spent a year trying to get an acceptable bandwidth. Finally, they abandoned their original vendor and called upon Sage Designs in partnership with Firetide to provide a demo.

“We recommended Firetide for this project because their family of wireless mesh infrastructure products provide the best performance and reliability in the industry and are perfectly matched to meet Otay’s challenging requirements,” said Ken VandeVeer, Southern California sales manager of Sage Designs Inc. “Firetide MIMO product gives Otay the highest performance possible and Firetide’s non-line-of-sight radios are the highest performing 900 MHz solution bringing the benefits of mesh to utility applications.”

For some of the water well and booster stations where trees make it impossible to use the frequencies in 5 GHz, Sage used the Firetide HotPort 6200-900 non-line-of-sight mesh. These dual-radio units have one radio at 900 MHz and one radio at the higher frequencies. The 900 MHz frequency helps overcome obstacles such as vegetation and trees, and is used to send the data to higher elevations at the reservoirs. Once the 900 MHz link reaches the reservoirs, the second radio on the mesh node uses the 5 GHz frequency to send the data back to the control center.

“In these times of heightened security and lower budgets, utilities need a more economical yet reliable way to connect and secure their facilities. Acts of vandalism can cost the utilities hundreds of thousands of dollars and disrupt municipal services,” said Bo Larsson, CEO of Firetide. “Firetide’s Otay deployment demonstrates the breadth of our product line in meeting the needs of utilities, providing high bandwidth MIMO backhaul and none line-of-site solutions all controlled by the same Firetide management system.”

Featured

  • New Gas Monkey Garage Venue Uses AI-Enhanced Video Technology

    Gas Monkey Garage, the automotive custom shop and entertainment brand founded by Richard Rawlings of Fast N’ Loud TV fame, has opened a vibrant new restaurant and bar in South Dakota, equipped with advanced, AI-enhanced video tech from IDIS Americas. Read Now

  • Data Driven, Proactive Response

    As cities face rising demands for smarter policing and faster emergency response, Real Time Crime Centers (RTCCs) are emerging as essential hubs for data-driven public safety. In this interview, two experts with deep field experience — Ross Bourgeois of New Orleans and Dean Cunningham of Axis Communications — draw on decades of operational, leadership and technology expertise to share how RTCCs are transforming public safety through innovation, interagency collaboration and a relentless focus on community impact. Read Now

  • Integration Imagination: The Future of Connected Operations

    Security teams that collaborate cross-functionally and apply imagination and creativity to envision and design their ideal integrated ecosystem will have the biggest upside to corporate security and operational benefits. Read Now

  • Smarter Access Starts with Flexibility

    Today’s workplaces are undergoing a rapid evolution, driven by hybrid work models, emerging smart technologies, and flexible work schedules. To keep pace with growing workplace demands, buildings are becoming more dynamic – capable of adapting to how people move, work, and interact in real-time. Read Now

  • Trends Keeping an Eye on Business Decisions

    Today, AI continues to transform the way data is used to make important business decisions. AI and the cloud together are redefining how video surveillance systems are being used to simulate human intelligence by combining data analysis, prediction, and process automation with minimal human intervention. Many organizations are upgrading their surveillance systems to reap the benefits of technologies like AI and cloud applications. Read Now

New Products

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.

  • HD2055 Modular Barricade

    Delta Scientific’s electric HD2055 modular shallow foundation barricade is tested to ASTM M50/P1 with negative penetration from the vehicle upon impact. With a shallow foundation of only 24 inches, the HD2055 can be installed without worrying about buried power lines and other below grade obstructions. The modular make-up of the barrier also allows you to cover wider roadways by adding additional modules to the system. The HD2055 boasts an Emergency Fast Operation of 1.5 seconds giving the guard ample time to deploy under a high threat situation.