BridgeWave Technology Powers Wireless Video Surveillance During Inauguration

BridgeWave Communications recently announced that its gigabit wireless products provided the network backbone to support mission-critical video surveillance traffic run by local and national security agencies during the 2009 U.S. presidential inauguration.

BridgeWave’s AR80 and AR80X products were chosen due to effectiveness and reliability, as well as the ability to handle demanding video bandwidth requirements.

In January, more than 1 million people witnessed President Barack Obama's historic inauguration in Washington, D.C. With such crowds, it was imperative for local, national and international security agencies such as the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, FBI, CIA, Secret Service and National Guard to use video surveillance to monitor and track suspicious activity in the crowds surrounding the newly elected president.

Connectivity Solutions Inc, a VAR specializing in the design and deployment of wired and wireless solutions, was tasked with implementing the mission critical video surveillance project. CSI looked to BridgeWave to provide high capacity, high performance radios for the backhaul network, supporting video traffic from surveillance cameras.

The network required ultra-high capacity Gigabit Ethernet to handle the copious volume of video traffic, not to mention a solution that could be installed in a short amount of time. CSI had 10 days to build out the network before the inauguration activities began, so relying on easy to deploy equipment was essential.

Although several wireless vendors were evaluated, BridgeWave was selected over competing products due to high-capacity links offering superior reliability and flexibility. Moreover, BridgeWave was also easy to deploy and manage for CSI’s eight-person team. The locations for installing the radios were in highly protected government areas with limited access, making complex product installations too difficult, costly and time-consuming.

CSI set up two AR80X links and two AR80 links on various roof top locations spanning a range of one to three miles. Despite having to install the radios in rain, snow and six-degree weather, CSI had the entire solution up and running in five days. When the inauguration activities were underway, the cameras operated flawlessly garnering high praise from law enforcement officials.

“Our team provided the city with an advanced video surveillance network for this momentous occasion in large part due to BridgeWave’s robust products,” said Andy Mortenson, president at Connectivity Solutions Inc. “Their gigabit wireless links never experienced a hiccup while easily handling the real-time demands of video surveillance traffic. We are extremely impressed with the effectiveness and flexibility of BridgeWave’s radios as well as with the technical expertise of BridgeWave’s support team. BridgeWave and its products went well beyond the call of duty to make this deployment a success.”

“We are pleased to be a part of the 44th presidential inauguration success,” said Amir Makleff, CEO of BridgeWave. “This historical event requiring quick deployment, high capacity, and reliable operation was a perfect match with our products that were designed to perform in such demanding circumstances. Video surveillance requires a dependable, high-performance backbone network to backhaul high-resolution traffic from digital IP-based cameras to law enforcement monitoring stations, ultimately empowering security agencies to be more vigilant than ever.”

Featured

  • From Surveillance to Intelligence

    Years ago, it would have been significantly more expensive to run an analytic like that — requiring a custom-built solution with burdensome infrastructure demands — but modern edge devices have made it accessible to everyone. It also saves time, which is a critical factor if a missing child is involved. Video compression technology has played a critical role as well. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in video coding standards — including H.263, MPEG formats, and H.264—alongside compression optimization technologies developed by IP video manufacturers to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. The open-source AV1 codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a consortium including Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and others — is already the preferred decoder for cloud-based applications, and is quickly becoming the standard for video compression of all types. Read Now

  • Cost: Reactive vs. Proactive Security

    Security breaches often happen despite the availability of tools to prevent them. To combat this problem, the industry is shifting from reactive correction to proactive protection. This article will examine why so many security leaders have realized they must “lead before the breach” – not after. Read Now

  • Achieving Clear Audio

    In today’s ever-changing world of security and risk management, effective communication via an intercom and door entry communication system is a critical communication tool to keep a facility’s staff, visitors and vendors safe. Read Now

  • Beyond Apps: Access Control for Today’s Residents

    The modern resident lives in an app-saturated world. From banking to grocery delivery, fitness tracking to ridesharing, nearly every service demands another download. But when it comes to accessing the place you live, most people do not want to clutter their phone with yet another app, especially if its only purpose is to open a door. Read Now

  • Survey: 48 Percent of Worshippers Feel Less Safe Attending In-Person Services

    Almost half (48%) of those who attend religious services say they feel less safe attending in-person due to rising acts of violence at places of worship. In fact, 39% report these safety concerns have led them to change how often they attend in-person services, according to new research from Verkada conducted online by The Harris Poll among 1,123 U.S. adults who attend a religious service or event at least once a month. Read Now

New Products

  • 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.

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.

  • 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.”