Guest post written By Daniel Ephraty, Siklu.

Security is a growing concern in the modern world. The need to restrict access, monitor site integrity, and generally protect from harm, has never been greater. Seaports and airports of course are no exception: with so many people and vehicles coming and going on a regular basis, so much cargo in various stages of transit, etc., it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain effective security.

Fortunately, technology has been rapidly evolving to address modern security needs, and innovative ‘smart’ sensors and devices are now, more than ever, readily available and affordable. However, being ‘smart’, also means these sensors and devices are data-hungry. They generate a large amount of data: for example, a modern high-definition IP CCTV generates approximately 10Mbps (10 million bits every second). They also require high-speed connectivity to powerful data servers, to perform such feats as vehicle number plate recognition, and identification by analysis of a digitized fingerprint or retinal scan. Therefore, deploying these sophisticated modern sensors quickly leads to a connectivity challenge: how to connect these data-hungry devices to remote data servers and operational centres.

There are two traditional means of data connectivity: Cables (wires and optical fibres) and ISM wireless. Cables are reliable, but are often a nightmare to install: costly, time consuming, and highly disruptive – especially in a dynamic busy environment as a port. ISM refers to the radio spectrum internationally set aside to promote Industrial, Scientific, and Medical wireless applications. Perhaps the most ubiquitous and well-known application of ISM wireless is WiFi. This type of technology is quick to install and inexpensive, but has two significant disadvantages: limited data speed, and poor reliability.

Data speed is a crucial parameter in wireless communication, and in practice, WiFi (and other ISM wireless technologies) are limited to a maximum of about 100Mbps. This soon creates a bottleneck with today’s data-hungry security devices.
Likewise, reliability is a crucial factor. ISM wireless is free and unregulated, meaning people may use it anywhere and anytime. And indeed, ISM wireless is heavily used in many areas, often leading to unreliable transmission due to interference. Moreover, the transmission beam is wide, further aggravating interference by radiating (polluting) a large area. The resultant interference cannot be controlled, and may lead to reduced data speed and even loss of connectivity, rendering the wireless connection unreliable. One can have an ISM wireless connection working perfectly one day, only to fail the next day, when someone else happens to install another connection in the vicinity.

Cables and ISM wireless therefore both have their drawbacks, and in many scenarios fail to provide a quickly-deployed, reliable, and inexpensive high-speed data connectivity required by modern security devices.

The good news is that over the last 5 years, a revolutionary new wireless technology has taken centre-stage in providing high-speed data connectivity: millimetre waves. Formerly restricted to military applications, it is now inexpensively and widely available for civilian applications, such as security. Millimetre waves occupy the higher end of the electromagnetic spectrum: V-band (57-64GHz), and E-band (71-76, 81-86Ghz), and benefit from an unprecedented large amount of spectrum: 17GHz. This is nearly 70-fold the amount of spectrum allocated to ISM in 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz. This vast spectrum enables modern millimetre wave radios to transmit Gigabit data speeds: approximately 10 times faster than ISM.

In addition to the high data speed, millimetre wave wireless has two distinct advantages: security and reliability. Security, because the high-frequency transmission is highly focused, a ‘pencil beam’, as it is known in the industry. Any malicious hacker would have to go to extraordinary lengths to intercept such a narrow beam.

Pencil beams, combined with the huge amount of allocated spectrum, together mean that millimetre wave transmission is inherently almost interference free, and therefore highly reliable. Furthermore, E-band is licensed, meaning any E-band wireless connection is reported to Ofcom, who guarantees interference-free operation, for a modest fee of £50 per year. V-band is unlicensed because it is absorbed by the oxygen in the air, and therefore decays very quickly, further limiting any potential interference. V-band can also be implemented in a tiny footprint which makes it ideal for installation at street level.

In light of the above, it is hardly surprising that millimetre waves have made such a huge impact on wireless data connectivity in general, and security connectivity in particular: for the first time ever, an affordable technology is available for providing highly reliable Gigabit data speeds with minimal installation time and site disruption.

For example, in September, Aberdeen Harbour extended its security solutions coverage using E-band connectivity from Siklu, the market leader in millimetre wave technology. Aberdeen Harbour is the centre of activity for the offshore oil and gas industry’s marine support operations in northwest Europe, and handles around five million tons of cargo a year. The creation of the new Torry Marine Base meant the harbour board needed to deploy an integrated security solution, including IP HD CCTV and pedestrian and vehicular access control solutions. This required secure, interference-free and high-capacity data connectivity, from the new base to the existing IT fibre network infrastructure. With 1Gbps full-duplex data speed, Aberdeen Harbour’s next generation security network ensures a future-proof foundation for all its security needs. And contrary to laying cables, these millimetre
Millimetre wave connectivity solutions for security applications are to be found in many other seaports, as shown below. They compete favorably with cables, by providing a hassle free quick deployment with a minimum of operational interruption. They are also superior to ISM wireless in that they provide gigabit data speeds, high reliability and inherent security through focused pencil beams which are nearly immune to malicious interception. All this, in at an affordable cost point and ease of use.