Siklu Inc., a provider of millimeter-wave solutions, announced recently that it has been selected by the city of Houston to provide wireless connectivity for the video surveillance system to be used at Super Bowl LIVE, a 10-day outdoor event in Houston that is expected to draw more than one million visitors as part of the pre-game festivities.
Video surveillance at Super Bowl
Siklu’s EH-600TX radios will be used to transmit video surveillance from the east side of downtown Houston, which will host the Super Bowl LIVE festivities from 28th January to 5th February. The outdoor event will include entertainment, music and games and will be held over several city blocks near a 12-acre urban park.
The high level of wireless activity that will take place is expected to create network congestion that Siklu’s radios will bypass by operating on the unoccupied, wide 60GHz spectrum, which is separate from traditional wireless consumer networks. Siklu’s millimeter wave radios use narrow beam technology, eliminating interference from outside networks.
Interference-free video surveillance
Siklu's radios are part of a 36-megapixel camera deployment provided by Axis Communications, a PSIM system from VidSys, and a video management system from Genetec, all of which are being deployed by the Houston Police Department to monitor Super Bowl LIVE. Using a mix of fibre and millimeter wave wireless from Siklu, the city is taking a hybrid approach to its network infrastructure for the event to ensure continuous interference-free video surveillance; enabling the police department to monitor the area for issues. The system offers fiber-like quality with the flexibility, speed of deployment and affordable cost associated with a wireless network.
“Given the size of this event, it was extremely important that we deployed a reliable security network that could provide continuous coverage over a large outdoor area,” said Jack Hanagriff, from the City of Houston’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security. “We are expecting the Siklu radios to bulldoze through any wireless interference in the area caused by thousands of members of the public as they use their phones to stream video and photos.”
High-level network access security
Siklu radios make it practically impossible to intercept or jam, making the network secure from hackers and fully survivable |
Siklu radios also provide a high-level network access security by operating over millimeter wave. The narrow beams make it practically impossible to intercept or jam, making the network secure from hackers and fully survivable.
“The City of Houston and Police Department were concerned about camera coverage and congestion from numerous wireless networks and mobile devices,” said Shaun Castillo, President of Preferred Technologies, LLC, the lead integrator on this project. “Siklu radios provide the city with an extension of its fiber network by leveraging the interference free capabilities of millimeter wave technology.”
“We’re pleased that Siklu’s millimeter wave radios are an integral part of the Super Bowl Live security measures,” said Zeev Farkash, VP Global Sales at Siklu. “As security needs continue to grow with large-scale events like these, it’s important to implement a reliable surveillance solution to ensure the safety of visitors. Siklu has exactly this experience and has provided wireless connectivity at many high-profile events, including the New York City Marathon and the Tour de France.”