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Video Surveillance: Managed Hardened Gigabit PoE+ Switch, SISPM1040-384-LRT-C By Transition Networks

A major metropolitan department of transportation (DOT) agency is undertaking a smart city project that brings intelligent transportation infrastructure citywide to make its city safer, more efficient and easier to navigate. To achieve this, the city needed to connect and power thousands of traffic intersections with security cameras and intelligent monitoring systems to collect traffic, pedestrian and safety data. Due to the significant number of devices that would be connected at the intersections, the customer needed a way to manage each device’s operating status and power easily, remotely and in real-time so that the team can prioritize equipment maintenance if a smart device becomes unresponsive. Scalability was also a necessity.

The Managed Hardened Gigabit PoE+ Switch (SISPM1040-384-LRT-C ) is ideal for connecting and powering devices in outdoor environments. The switch can supply up to 30 Watts per port on all eight ports simultaneously. The switch is also TAA-compliant. Transition Network’s switch was ultimately chosen by the customer because it not only provides power and connectivity, but also several unique troubleshooting features that save the agency time and cost associated with network outages or failures of connected equipment, according to the company.

Currently, if a smart device stops working at an intersection, the agency has multiple actions they must take prior to deploying a repair technician. This includes gathering permits to close traffic lanes, deploying a bucket truck to reach the device and scheduling a technician to evaluate the issue. Once the technician is at the site, the lane closures cause significant stress and traffic delays for motorists. Many times the fix is a simple reboot of the device. The time required for this process will be greatly reduced with Transition Networks’ solution. Troubleshooting and repairs are simplified with Transition Networks’ Auto Power Reset (APR) feature which automatically and in real-time reboots an unresponsive PoE-powered device connected to the switch. This feature alone will save the agency significant costs associated with sending a technician to an intersection just to reboot the equipment and reduces traffic disruptions.

Another key feature is Transition Networks’ Device Management System (DMS) software which creates an interactive map for the agency to see all of their connected devices, quickly pinpoint issues and take appropriate action. Within the DMS, auto-discovery creates an error-free “as built document.” The agency can log-in, configure, monitor, and reboot any attached device. Each device is tracked by unique identifiers (IP address, MAC address and custom naming) so the user knows exactly what device they are controlling remotely. In addition to management features, the agency put the switch under a multi-year test to guarantee it could withstand cybersecurity intrusions.

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