CANOBEAM FREE SPACE OPTICS CHOSEN AS INTEGRAL
PART OF MAJOR PUBLIC TRANSIT SECURITY SYSTEM IN FLORIDA
Four Canon Canobeam DT-120s Installed by Trident Telecom Provide
Reliable, High-Bandwidth Video Over Data Transmission to Enhance
Public Security
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., July 19, 2006 -- Passengers riding public
transit trains in a major city in southern Florida are more secure
these days thanks to a local county’s ongoing emphasis
on maximizing public safety. As part of this, the county has
installed a sophisticated video system that includes four Canon
Canobeam DT-120 optical wireless data transceivers for dependable
high-bandwidth video over data connections.
“Canobeam was a key component in creating an increased
video/data bandwidth connection for this particular transit system,
as well as enabling support of applications that hadn’t
been possible with other technologies,” stated Chris Sellati,
General Manager of Miami-based installer Trident Telecom. “For
transporting data over short-to-medium range distances, especially
in areas where the RF frequency spectrum is crowded, the Canobeam
DT-120 makes a great deal of sense.”
Trident Telecom specified Canobeam for highly reliable transmission
of live streaming video over data from each rail car to the county’s
central operations facility. In the system, digitized footage
from security cameras on each rail car is sent wirelessly via
RF to the nearest station. From there the data moves via a mobile
access router to four Canobeam-equipped central aggregation points,
which connect to matching Canobeam units on the roof of the county
headquarters.
“Canobeam was the ideal video over data backhaul in this
case due to a number of factors,” continued Sellati. “The
ease of installation and alignment was impressive. Also, with
the distances we were dealing with -- ranging from 2200 to 3800
feet -- it had plenty of signal strength. Since we’ve set
up the Canobeams, we haven’t had a single problem with
the links. It’s just a very, very easy product to use.”
In addition to saving space on the crowded roof of the county
government’s headquarters building, Canobeam’s streamlined
size also saved the county money. “The DT-120 helped us
to save what little space we have left on this roof for adding
future devices,” explained Sellati. “It’s lighter
than many of the other free space optics solutions that are out
there, which was very important considering the high wind-load
restrictions that we have in South Florida due to hurricanes.
A smaller footprint and lighter installation requires less of
a structure to support it, so Canobeam, which is already at a
competitive price point, was even more attractive, all things
considered.”
Canobeam systems use a line-of-sight beam of light to transmit
data; set-up is quick and easy because no radio-frequency licenses
are required. All Canobeam models -- the DT-110, DT-120, and
DT-130 -- incorporate Auto Tracking as a standard feature to
maintain beam alignment and signal strength despite vibrations
caused by wind, weather, and building vibrations. Canobeam is
protocol-independent (like fiber), and the data transmitted is
secure and can not be intercepted.
The Canobeam DT-120 has a range of 2 kilometers (1.24 miles)
and provides data speeds of up to 156 Mbps. The Canobeam DT-110,
meanwhile, offers outstanding value and performance for shorter
distance applications, from 20 meters to 500 meters, at speeds
of from 25Mbps to 156Mbps. The flagship DT-130 provides transmission
speeds of up to 1.25 Gbps for supporting Gigabit Ethernet networks,
a transmission distance of up to
1 kilometer, and also incorporates a 3R Function (Re-shaping, Re-timing, and
Re-generating), which allows the data signal to be relayed without loss of
strength or quality.
Sellati’s comfort level with Canon’s reputation
for high-quality technology and after-sale support were also
important considerations for making Canobeam integral to the
security system protecting his client’s public transit
trains. “I think everybody is familiar with Canon’s
history,” he commented. “Just knowing Canobeam was
made by Canon made me confident in recommending it. Response
and reliability of service are extremely important in this field,
because if links like this go down, communication is cut off.
To us, good service is what it’s all about, and with Canon
we know we can make a phone call and speak with someone who’s
knowledgeable.”
The thousands of rail commuters who travel on public transit
trains in southern Florida each day are safer and more secure
thanks to county officials who recognize the value of video monitoring.
For wireless specialist Chris Sellati of Trident Telecom, knowing
about the capabilities and advantages of Canobeam is equally
important. “More and more counties and municipalities are
in search of a more efficient technology for wireless high-speed
data connections,” he concluded. “For transmitting
in a wide variety of environments and applications that require
increased bandwidth, Canobeam is the perfect answer.”
About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial
imaging solutions. The Company is listed as one of Fortune's Most Admired
Companies in America and is rated #35 on the BusinessWeek list of "Top
100 Brands." Its parent company Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ) is a top patent
holder of technology, ranking second overall in the U.S. in 2005, with global
revenues of $31.8 billion. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com.
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EDITORS Please note corporate contact information for this division:
For more information, please call Canon Broadcast and Communications division at
800-321-4388 or visit www.canobeam.com.
