Feb 24, 2016

All over the globe, the wide variety of seasonal shifts precipitate unique challenges for security monitoring and video surveillance. Changes in weather patterns, increased tourist activity and crime rates, as well as the occurrence of seasonal events and festivals, can all affect the ability of public officials such as law enforcement to perform certain tasks. 

There is no way to completely safeguard surveillance systems against nature – all it takes is a storm and a power outage to knock everything offline. Even wireless mesh networks that do not rely quite so heavily on fiber are exposed to the elements.

That said, network redundancy, supplied by the use of multiple mesh nodes that can reroute traffic as needed, make wireless video surveillance more robust, even in parts of the world that experience unique seasonal conditions.

Winter

Parts of the world that experience significant snowfall are perpetually at risk of outages. These can be caused by too much accumulation of snow and ice on power lines or nearby branches, high-speed winds, cars slipping into telephone poles and much more. For law enforcement and other public officials as well as organizations in the private sector, the outage is a problem in and of itself, but the fact that key surveillance systems will shut down as a result is also a major problem.

In Chicago, for example, city officials deployed a wireless mesh network for its affordability as well as its flexibility in order to enhance security monitoring throughout the city. A concern with having mesh nodes out in the open, however, was the notoriously unforgiving Midwestern winters.

But even though the technology would regularly be subjected to ice, snow and high-speed winds, wireless mesh nodes allow network traffic to be rerouted in the event of a disruption. For instance, if one node is damaged in a particularly destructive snowstorm, video surveillance in that area does not necessarily go down. The only way that the entire video surveillance network would suffer is in the event of a large-scale power outage, in which case even a hard-wired solution would likely be knocked out.   

The key to consistent connectivity in a wireless mesh network is that there are multiple mesh nodes in communication with one another through various possible network paths. This redundancy makes for a wireless surveillance system that, while certainly not immune to mother nature's fury, can take a punch or two. 

Summer 

Wireless technology benefits the Windy City in the summer months as well, when the humidity starts to strain electronics and yield blackouts and brownouts. A redundant, self-healing mesh topology improves the chances that video surveillance will stay online in the event of a localized power outage. For example, just because one city block loses power, doesn't mean that it also loses security monitoring. This is especially important during the summer, when crime rates typically spike. 

Summer is also a time for outdoor celebrations and festivities. Large, outdoor gatherings such as the Labor Day fireworks show held along the Ohio River in Cincinnati, which sees as many 500,000 attendees, are a blast. But they're also accompanied by unique security and public safety challenges that reliable video surveillance can help with. Petty thefts, children wandering off and people falling down or getting hurt are all concerns at such large-scale events, and the ability to have an eye on the crowd at all times can be hugely beneficial. A wireless mesh network supports even the most spread-out surveillance cameras, so that summer hot spots such as the banks of the Ohio River continue to be well-monitored. 

Seasonal spectacles create unique security monitoring challenges.

Spring 

For much of North America, spring is considered the more temperate of seasons, but in other parts of the world, this couldn't be further from the truth. In Thailand, for example, late spring into fall marks the monsoon season. In 2011, the nation's principal river, the Chao Phraya, experienced significant flooding that took an economic tool on the nation, and also cost human life. The river basin, which is prone to flooding and harsh, wet conditions also happens to be extremely populous near larger cities such as Bangkok, as well as a vital stretch of land for agriculture and industry. 

The Royal Irrigation Department of Thailand therefore sought to create an early warning system that would help farmers and residents react more quickly in the event of rising waters. They opted away from a cabled network, because it would be too difficult and costly to install, and would likely take several years to complete. Instead, they deployed a wireless mesh network comprised of 64 mesh nodes. Spanning 231 miles, the network officially became the largest wireless mesh network in the world as of 2013.  

With the network built, and wireless surveillance cameras in place, the Royal Irrigation Department succeeded in locking down a better method for water-level monitoring. In addition to improving safety for the people along the river, the surveillance system made it possible to remotely operate water gates, and view changes in real time. Furthermore, if for whatever reason, one mesh node is damaged, the system can continue to be operational. 

Fall

Fall also has its unique seasonal impacts, not the least of which is the Atlantic hurricane season, with large storms striking into November. Tropical storms often make their way into the inland U.S., and sometimes all the way up the country's coasts. In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc along the East Coast, pummeling New York City and causing widespread outages. In events such as this, at the very least, a resilient wireless mesh network might be able to help keep video surveillance operational for a little bit longer. 

The Big Apple made a fairly quick recovery, and in March, was geared up to host one of the most highly anticipated New York Marathon events in history. To prepare for the seasonal event, the city needed to secure the marathon route with video surveillance, especially near the finish line, where the largest number of people tend to congregate.

Officials went with a wireless mesh network that could support IP surveillance cameras, mainly because they needed something that wouldn't require extensive infrastructure overhauls, and could be deployed quickly over a large area. They were able to install mesh nodes and IP cameras on poles put in place by the NYPD's Counterterrorism Bureau. Deployment was quick and unobtrusive, and it provided the athletes and spectators with the security monitoring they needed. 

From New York to the Chao Phraya river basin, in the monsoon season or in the dead of a Chicago winter, wireless mesh solutions have proven themselves to be a reliable platform for video surveillance connectivity.