Introduction
Cargo container security involves creating a system that
secures and tracks shipping containers. The system can
detect theft, smuggling, terrorism, and track freight containers
to streamline the supply chain as it moves through the
port infrastructure and intermodal rail and road connectors.
System Description
The surveillance system requires PoE switches that can power each cargo container and then transmit data back to the control room for analysis and monitoring.
To be able to connect the control room to the sensors installed in the cargo containers, the PoE switches used for this application needed to have at least 6 ports: 2 Ethernet ports for connecting to the control room and other PoE switches, and 4 ports to power card readers used to monitor access to the containers.
PoE switches not only transmit data to and from Ethernet devices, but they also deliver power to devices, giving administrators more versatility for placing devices in out of the way places. In fact, using PoE switches for this application resulted in great reduction in the cost of installing power cables in hundreds of cargo containers.
The switches are installed in weather protected metal cabinets that can experience
significant temperature changes as the sun rises and
sets, and as the container is transported from one
place to another. Temperatures inside the cabinet could
reach as high as 70°C, or as low as -30°C. To ensure
that the switches operated reliably in extreme temperature
conditions, the application called for switches that
support an extended operating temperature range of
-40 to
75°C.
Network System Diagram
Business Benefits
