IP Video Protects Famous Boston Marathon

  • May 02, 2008

The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest, most prestigious and widely viewed sporting event in the U.S. The 26-mile course runs through Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, and Brookline, to the center of the city of Boston. This year the event, ran on April 21, attracted over 20,000 registered runners and more than one million spectators.

The magnitude of the event requires a dramatic increase in safety measures to provide event and crowd management, as well as to limit the potential for threats during such large events in one of the Department of Homeland Security’s designated Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) regions.

Galaxy Internet Services, having successfully built and managed the Brookline, Mass., border-to-border wireless mesh network and Boston's metropolitan Wi-Fi network projects, provided secured access to video surveillance cameras utilized by law enforcement and public safety officials.

The Integrated Wireless Surveillance System (IWVS) powered by Strix Systems Edge wireless mesh network technology enabled "live" viewing and recording of multiple cameras during the event. In addition to feeding the video to various fixed and mobile command centers, Brookline's Emergency Operations Center served as host to several state and local public safety agencies.

The IWVS, a rapid deployment platform, supports 802.11a, 4.9GHz (DSRC-C), 802.11g and 99 percent of all available PTZ cameras. The IWVS radios are self-configuring and allow flexible radio assignment for any client/backhaul configuration desired with automatically secured/encrypted Wi-Fi backhaul access to the wireless mesh network. IP video is switched at high-speed supported by Strix Virtual/One and Strix Priority/One capabilities providing high priority for video with Quality of Service preserved through the wireless mesh network.

Live video and recording management is enabled by the Axis IP video surveillance cameras and client-server application of choice: Milestone Systems XProtect platform.

Connectronics of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a Strix Systems value added distributor specializing in custom integration of products and enclosures, incorporated Axis Communications PTZ video surveillance cameras into the deployed Integrated Wireless Video Surveillance Systems (IWVS).

Galaxy installed the IWVS on light poles and routed the video traffic over its WiFi network. Securitas, a worldwide leader in security, provided the integration of the easy-to-manage Milestone Systems XProtect user interface and server hosted by the Brookline Police Department.

"Strix's IWVS camera systems were a resounding success," said Officer Scott Wilder, Director of Technology for the Brookline Police Department. "This will revolutionize the way we handle the marathon and other large events. We can quickly deploy these cameras for temporary use in key areas without the concerns that accompany other video surveillance solutions."

Featured

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services

  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”