FreeWave Technologies, specialists in industrial, secure Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) networking solutions, are partnering with sensor technology and remote monitoring and surveillance firm McQ Inc.
The combined solution will give industrial users the ability to transmit video footage over long distances with low power consumption, while enabling integration with the network edge within the unlicensed 900MHz radio frequency. The joint technology will be deployed in a U.S. government-funded international border surveillance project scheduled for the summer of 2018.
“The partnership between FreeWave and McQ Inc. is a game-changer for industrial, commercial and government organisations operating in remote and rugged environments. The ability to stream intelligent video has until now been cost prohibitive and time-consuming based on the need to install physical wire or deploy Wi-Fi,” said Scott Allen, chief marketing officer of FreeWave Technologies.
Historically, RF technologies with low power consumption didn’t have the required bandwidth or power necessary to sustain streaming video. FreeWave, however, can run video over a radio frequency of 900MHz using the ZumLink Z9-PE radio, so it doesn’t require Wi-Fi or cellular at the camera, and can also be powered by solar, wind, and fuel cells, eliminating the recurring costs of cellular services and limited range of Wi-Fi.
“Our joint solution will give customers the ability to reliably access video streaming technologies for critical missions in deserts, high mountain ranges and other remote and physically challenging environments. For many of these customers, the ability to leverage these capabilities in practically any scenario might be the crucial factor in completing these critical missions and vital research,” said Brian McQuiddy, chief executive officer, of McQ Inc.
The new solution aims to offer a low-cost video streaming option for numerous scenarios that include:
- Security surveillance: The first deployment of this technology will be in border security, but could work equally as well for well pad or tank farm surveillance.
- Environmental monitoring: For collecting data and video on volcanic activity, agriculture, wastewater, and unmanned drones.
- Remote traffic monitoring: For identifying problems along roadways that do not have physical wires or close access to Wi-Fi connectivity.
The international border surveillance project continues FreeWave’s longstanding partnership with government agencies on both classified and non-classified projects, expanding on its ongoing growth and success in this sector. In addition to defense applications, the solution will be available and will be actively deployed across numerous industries including oil & gas, water wastewater and agriculture.
FreeWave / McQ Specifications:
- ZumLink 900 Series radio with ZumIQ
- McQ vWatch
How it works:
Connect any IP camera to a ZumLink radio with ZumIQ and the McQ vWatch custom compression software to stream video on a 900Mhz RF network.
FreeWave will be demonstrating its McQ vWatch® custom compression software at Xponential 2018 (booth #4004), May 1-3 at the Colorado Convention Centre in Denver. This technology solution will be available in 2018.
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