Fluidmesh and Avrio RMS: A Winning Ticket at 2012 DNC

During the 2012 Democratic National Convention (DNC), Charlotte, N.C. was in charge of ensuring the safety of its residents and visitors.

  • Jan 08, 2013

The City of Charlotte was charged with ensuring the safety of its residents and visitors when it played host to the 2012 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in September. The North Carolina city was allotted federal funding from the DNC to harden security in preparation for the roughly 30,000 people who came through during the convention.

They put out an RFP and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) selected Avrio RMS Group, an industry leader in IP-surveillance solutions for the public safety market.

"We were chosen because of our experience with large events," stated Avrio RMS CEO, Mark Jules. "We were the integrator on the last DNC, the RNC, the G20 in Pittsburgh, the inauguration in D.C. and the Super Bowl in Phoenix."

There were several challenges inherent to this install, Jules points out. Primarily, lead time was very limited, and interference was a huge concern, given all the different agencies that would be there operating within a confined space.

"We overcame the interference issues through good design and partnering with Fluidmesh," he added. "Their radios are very robust and can operate on different channels and frequencies. They consistently deliver an extremely reliable wireless solution for video surveillance. For this installation, we went with 4.9Ghz Fluidmesh 1100, 3100 and 2200 radios."

Over 95 cameras were deployed throughout the city via wireless. Fluidmesh radios were used for mesh radios and also as backup backhaul radios. The network architecture involved using high rise buildings as a collecting point for all the wireless devices to bring camera feeds. A majority of the cameras and radios were deployed to cover the entrances, exits and gathering areas for DNC events and venues. Skywatch Manned Mobile Units were also deployed throughout the city and then connected to the camera network using Fluidmesh radios.

Captain Steve Willis of the Charlotte Police Department is satisfied with the system. "We are very, very pleased with the results," he says. "We've relied on the system since the convention to enhance day to day public safety and assist in our investigations."

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