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Overview
Stillwater Police rolled out a fleet of patrol vehicles equipped to connect to the city’s internal network via cellular. A few months into the deployment, these consumer-grade communication devices began breaking down due to the Oklahoma heat. It was critical that they replace the equipment with something more rugged and Peplink was their answer.
Requirements
- Able to withstand the elements
- Cellular WAN, wireless and wired LAN
- Remote monitoring and management
- power consumption considerations
Solution
- Pepwave MAX BR1
- Peplink InControl2
Benefits
- Ability to connect to internal city Wi-Fi network as WAN
- Remotely manage firmware and view usage reports
- Proven ruggedness
- Meets US Federal requirements
- Highly cost-effective when compared
- Runs on the vehicle’s battery
- Fleet management (planned)
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“Consumer-grade solutions just could not stand up to the Oklahoma heat.”
[RIGHT]Aaron Kelly, Public Safety
City of Stillwater[/RIGHT]
Stillwater Police Looks for Rugged Solution
With an average high of 95℉ and the occasional spike into the hundreds, how do you keep critical electronics devices from overheating? This is exactly the challenge Stillwater Police were faced with for their fleet of 50 patrol vehicles.
Initially, consumer-grade solutions were used for their mobile connectivity deployment. These worked fine for a few months but then began malfunctioning as the Oklahoma heat began whittling them down.
This just won’t do for Stillwater Police. A crippled communication system puts lives at stake. So they decided it was absolutely crucial that they replace it with a different solution. A solution that is proven to fit their situation. It was time they called Peplink.
Peplink Does It Again
Peplink sent a demo device in at no charge. It was decidedly the Pepwave MAX BR1’s ruggedness that could uniquely satisfy their requirements as well as remain fully functional where no others could. With a rated operating temperature between -40℉ and 149℉, the MAX BR1 was more than enough.
Sure enough, Stillwater Police loved it moments into the initial testing. The BR1 offered them the crucial ability to monitor connection health and signal strength. It was also versatile enough to allow them to lock down their wireless access and manage different SSIDs, fully meeting Federal security requirements. Because of the BR1’s ability to support fast roaming on Wi-Fi, they also plan to integrate it with their mesh network around the city, effectively creating a failover solution between cellular and Wi-Fi.
Simple Solution, Huge Implications
Stillwater Police’s setup is simple yet elegant. With a 4G LTE SIM in place, there’s enough cellular bandwidth to serve their purpose. But the BR1 is also capable of using Wi-Fi connection as WAN, so it’s also been configured to connect to the internal city Wi-Fi network to utilising it as an additional layer of resilience is already under consideration as the next rollout phase.
This simple setup is then distributed across all of Stillwater’s 50 patrol vehicles. Custom mounts were put in place to adapt to each vehicle’s layout. The MAX BR1 has its own independent power supply and is wired to a On/Off button on the center console. As a result, due to the MAX BR1’s relatively low power demands, it will work off the vehicle’s battery without having to engage the ignition. And officers can make use of the convenient On/Off button to manage the communications system literally with the press of a button.
And because of Peplink’s InControl2 and the Router Utility app, practically every aspect of the network can be managed via the cloud. From firmware rollouts to individual device status to usage reports, everything can be accessed remotely.
“Instead of driving 15-20 minutes, I can check the network status wherever I am.”
With the a proven rugged solution in place, Stillwater Police will never have to worry about communication problems again. They can finally concentrate on what do they best: bringing justice to the City of Stillwater.
“I’ve never had to contact Peplink support because we’ve never had a problem. The BR1 offers substantial value over the competition.”
“I’ve made recommendations to other PDs before and will continue to do so.”
[RIGHT]Aaron Kelly, Public Safety
City of Stillwater[/RIGHT]
