Las Vegas Public-Safety Officials to Test Wireless Broadband Network

The city of Las Vegas Traffic Engineering Department, city public-safety and city code enforcement agencies are testing a new wireless mesh network that may soon cover the entire Las Vegas metro area. In conjunction with the Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation organization (FAST) of Nevada, the city is piloting the high-speed network for traffic management applications.

Unlike cellular and other mobile broadband technologies, the system being used in Las Vegas offers symmetric uplink and downlink data rates of 512Kbps to 1.5Mbps, and provides "always-on" connectivity, even in a car traveling at speeds over 100mph. The network integrates easily with the city's existing applications, computer systems and core network infrastructure, and the rugged hardware and robust software that makes up the system has been proven to reliably operate in the extreme summer and winter temperatures found in the Las Vegas desert.

Symmetrical data rates between 512Kbps and 1.5Kbps allow city officials to exchange large data files such as blueprints, barricade plans, GIS files, aerial photographs, service requests and work order modules to laptops and PDAs in the field. The network also provides peer-to-peer communication between field maintenance personnel using their laptops.

Additionally, the system provides the Traffic Engineering Division with remote access to signalized intersection's Emergency Vehicle Preemption system to download authorized vehicle encoding information in order to prevent unauthorized signal preemption and traffic delays

The system also provides remote monitoring of intersection video detection cameras by the Traffic Management Center and the metro police and fire services. And instant tactical networking with "Zero Infrastructure" client meshing technology allows first responders at the scene of an accident to quickly deploy a private network to facilitate better communication and handling of emergencies.