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Wireless solutions offer cost effective alternatives

Wireless products will generally cater for any IP security installations where cabling is not an option. Jan Keyser, product manager of wireless IP convergence company Miro, says that you can use wireless products on both indoor and outdoor projects.

For the indoor projects there are a number of products available, from standalone SOHO wireless access points, all the way through to centrally managed switches for larger scale projects. On outdoor projects, one can use a range of low-cost PtP (Point-to-Point) and PtMP (Point-to-Multipoint) products, as well as carrier-class PtP and PtMP products, depending on the scale of the project.

“One of the features of these products is their use of TDMA (time division multiple access), which allows synchronised communication between access points and radios. These products range from entry level through to carrier grade and cater for large-scale projects like housing estates or office parks, as well as mining installations and manufacturing plants,” says Keyser.

Generally, security measures in South Africa are reactive, rather than proactive and due to the short roll-out times of these projects, trenching and laying of cables is time-consuming and often not a feasible option. As a result, the advantages of wireless become clearly apparent and often remain the only option for security.

When tackling smaller projects, the cost of wireless is minimal and the installation procedures are so easy, that wireless becomes a first choice for most clients. For bigger projects, the cost of trenching and laying cables can become prohibitive and because of this, wireless becomes a much more attractive option.

Wireless products have become so advanced and reliable, that they can be used almost anywhere. Keyser believes that wireless isn’t just a nice-to-have anymore; it is a must-have. He adds that these products have become so dependable that they are suitable for a number of markets including housing estates, office parks, street surveillance, highway monitoring, shopping malls and the mining industry.

Planning around networks has become so commonplace that wireless fits quite comfortably into becoming the norm rather than the exception. Due to its versatility, wireless technology is suited to any form of security from perimeter detection and control, to intruder detection, surveillance, building management and access control.

“Just as you have to have security for any wired system, for instance firewalls, wireless similarly has its own form of security. All the radios that we sell use WPA2 encryption and all firmware updates from the suppliers have the latest security updates for the encryption that prevents hackers getting into your wireless system,” he points out.

Wireless vendors and wireless products have shown their trustworthiness on successfully run large scale projects. Miro has been involved in many successful projects, including a large manganese mine, which proves that integration into business communications infrastructure is not only possible, but also necessary.

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