Sep 23, 2014

In 2013, the 19th National Congress of Kuomintang was held in Taichung, Taiwan. Before the high profile political event took place, officials placed a high priority on the security of those in attendance, including President Ma Ying-Jeou. To ensure their safety, officials called upon Firetide, along with other local partners, to establish a high-definition mesh network for surveillance purposes.

Officials were especially concerned about event security, as the location had been changed previously due to safety issues. Furthermore, when other wireless network technology was deployed, it did not operate up to the standards that event organizers required.

In order to create the network, which had to provide 150 to 200 Mbps bandwidth for the high-definition video feeds, Firetide worked alongside its regional partners V&V International Trading Co., Ltd. and Hi-Power Solutions Group. The three companies collaborated to install the mesh network within three days, demonstrating its high-definition capabilities upon the system’s launch.

The Firetide network solution provided pan, tilt and zoom abilities on several of the cameras put in place. In addition, the network was able to support over 216 hours of continuous video recording from the 18 cameras within the system while also standing up to network interruptions. Overall, event organizers were seeking a solution that would offer high-definition video quality without latency, blackouts or jitter, and also featured self-healing properties.

Protesters caught on camera

On the day of the event, the Firetide mesh network allowed officials to ensure security despite the actions of protesters. According to The Straits Times, there were hundreds of demonstrators at the event, many of which threw shoes and other items at riot police attempting to restore order.

Although demonstrators threw projectiles and attempted to breach barricades, the surveillance system enabled officers to quickly respond, preventing any injury or damage. For instance, the cameras were able to capture images of one protester who launched firecracker rockets at police and event attendees. However, thanks to the surveillance system in place, the demonstrator was arrested. The Strait Times noted that another demonstrator was apprehended after climbing over barbed wire placed outside a gymnasium near the event.

“Working in close collaboration with an expert technical partner, we were able to help local authorities ensure the safety and security of President Ma Ying-Jeou and his VIP party,” said Jeremy Koh, Firetide Asia-Pacific vice president of sales. “This is an excellent example of how Firetide can deliver a reliable mesh network to facilitate public safety and security at crucial events.”