Networking & Communication Systems

KBC Networks has announced its new WESII line of wireless products that build upon the success of the company's wireless point-to-point and point-to-multipoint offerings with a host of new features and capabilities. The new line delivers 802.11a/n compliance, increased bandwidth of 300Mb/s as a wireless access point (100Mb/s of usable throughput), and MIMO technology to enable up to 23dBm output power.

A new project is under way in Minnesota, investigating whether smartphones are technically and publicly acceptable for use in road user charging. Jason Barnes reports. In Minnesota, trials have been launched to determine whether smartphones are technologically viable and acceptable to the public for distance based road user charging (RUC). The Midwestern US state has engaged with Battelle to explore RUC technology options in a project which falls under the auspices of the US Federal Connected Vehicle progra

Imran Hayee of the University of Minnesota Duluth's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering talks about efforts to bring V2I and V2V communications into work zones. With USDOT backing and under the auspices of the ITS Joint Program Office Connected Vehicle Research (formerly IntelliDrive) research programme, M. Imran Hayee of the University of Minnesota Duluth's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering along with team of his students, have been conducting research into the application of

Blue Sky Network has launched the HawkEye 5300 dual-mode tracking device leveraging both GSM and Iridium satellite capabilities. It offers two-way real-time communication which automatically and seamlessly switches between Iridium and quad-band GSM networks. This provides land fleet operators with lower monthly tracking costs while delivering 100% global visibility.

Communication Networks (ComNet) has expanded its ComWorx VL line by introducing a cost-effective fibre-optic, eight-port Ethernet switch for commercial security applications. The CWGE2FE8MSPoE is the company's cost-effective managed Ethernet switch that provides a high port density in a compact package and provides Power over Ethernet (PoE) to peripheral devices, such as IP cameras, video encoders and access control equipment, and is designed for use in benign environments. The device makes available eight

Moxa has unveiled the VPort 364 series, a four-channel industrial video encoder featuring the bandwidth-efficient H.264 video compression algorithm. Using the company's innovative DynaStream functionality for streaming optimisation, the VPort 364 is ideal for harsh industrial surveillance environments thanks to a wide operating temperature, built-in fibre Ethernet ports, IP30 form factor protection and industrial certifications. In addition to MJPEG, the VPort 364 supports H.264 technology to ensure high da

The LockIT LC optical fibre adapter lock has joined Siemon's LockIT line of secure network connectivity. This new, tamper-proof adapter lock protects against unauthorised access to unused LC ports and can be used to secure nearly any LC optical fibre-based network infrastructure. The system is designed to provide physical layer security without adding complexity or impacting overall functionality and density.

AMG Systems has launched a new series of multi-beam free space optical transmission solutions that can bridge the gap between two sites that have fibreoptic cabling but where installing additional cables is not feasible. SkyBeamMaxi is available in two versions, 155 and 1G for longdistance transmission. 155 can transmit up to 155Mbps over 2km line of sight while 1G can transmit 1.25Gbps over 1km line of sight. Meanwhile, SkyBeam Mini 1G transmits full-duplex 1.25Gb Ethernet up to 500m line of sight, which A

One of the biggest problems facing US ITS professionals, says Georgia DOT's Hugh Colton, is the constrained thinking which is sometimes forced upon those making procurement decisions. It is time, he says, to look again at how we do things. In the November/December 2010 edition of this journal, Pete Goldin interviewed Joseph Sussman, chairman of the US's ITS Program Advisory Committee. Amongst other observations that Sussman made was that, technologically, ITS in the US is 10 years behind that in the world-l

Midland Expressway Ltd's Tom Fanning discusses deployment of Near Field Communicationbased payment on the M6 Toll facility The M6 Toll's introduction from early next year of Near Field Communication (NFC) is a pragmatic response to the relative scarcity of tolled facilities and the concomitant low levels of tag take-up in the UK, according to the road's operator, Midland Expressway Ltd (MEL). Nevertheless, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC)-based tags operating at 5.8GHz are still a key part of the