IoT in Mining Safety Starts with Great Connectivity

The deployment of a traditional mobile network is usually an immensely costly project for customers. This is mostly due to the equipment, site acquisition, support, training, maintenance, and energy costs. Together those form the most expensive part of a mobile network, representing 65%–70% of the total cost. Redline effectively addresses these cost factors by providing specifically cost-optimized and purpose-built solutions.

Redline’s iLTE solution stands out with superior coverage to dramatically cut down on the number of base stations needed. This means less equipment, less sites, and less civil works. The superior coverage is achieved with a combination of advanced technologies, such as the outstanding -118 dBm Rx sensitivity. Compared to the -100 dBm level Rx sensitivity from other vendors, Redline’s -118 dBm Rx sensitivity can lead to greatly enhanced coverage.

Industrial users expect significantly longer serving life out of their wireless communication infrastructures, in comparison to the telecom industry. Swapping the equipment out every several years due to commercial-grade equipment’s shorter lifespan, especially in an industrial environment, is unacceptable. True industrial-grade equipment brings great cost savings to the table.

Equipment from traditional telecom equipment vendors cannot compare to Redline’s easy-to-deploy and easy-to-use solutions. This outstanding ease of use, enjoyed by many customers around the world, is made possible with our easy-to-deploy, ultra-reliable architecture, comprehensive and intuitive monitoring capabilities. For example, Redline’s eNodeB BBU and RRU are integrated, requiring no special skills to deploy. The FlexCore EPC has been designed so that OT/IT personnel can operate with minimal training.

Redline’s Network Management Software (NMS) puts customers confidently in the driver’s seat without complications. With ClearView NMS, customers can easily monitor, configure and control one or more Redline networks using the insightful interface to assess network health from anywhere, anytime.

Following the 3GPP standard, the Redline iLTE solution can be deployed either directly or used with other LTE solutions. The FlexCore EPC supports Commercially Off The Shelf (COTS) hardware. The license scheme, starting from 25 UEs, makes it the most industrial friendly and flexible solutions. The eNodeB’s rugged enclosure and timing features allow for deployment in various environments, such as above ground, underground, and for marine applications.

Redline Virtual Fiber (VF) solution operates as a Layer 2 bridge, which makes it simple to integrate into the customer’s existing networks. The radios are VLAN-aware, giving it the capability to tag and untag traffic or even filter out traffic. The advanced Software Defined Radio (SDR) design allows the radios to be easily configured to operate in Point-to-Multipoint (PMP) or Point-to-Point (PTP) mode.
Redline Virtual Fiber (VF) solution operates as a Layer 2 bridge, which makes it simple to integrate into the customer’s existing networks. The radios are VLAN-aware, giving it the capability to tag and untag traffic or even filter out traffic. The advanced Software Defined Radio (SDR) design allows the radios to be easily configured to operate in Point-to-Multipoint (PMP) or Point-to-Point (PTP) mode.

Redline has spared no expense in developing the most advanced MIMO systems to deliver the highest stable data throughput at the longest range, under any conditions. This means that the customers’ investment yields more data capacity, over a greater service area. Smart MIMO Switching enables MIMO A or B mode on a remote-by-remote, and packet-by-packet basis, automatically, as conditions require. This increases the efficiency of each link and provides increased link stability and improved data capacity.

Redline developed a spectrum sweep tool to help the installers better understand the RF environment and make informed decisions to choose the best configuration, such as the center frequency and channel size, for optimal performance during commissioning.

With the frequencies resource as arguably one the scarcest resources on the planet and with crowded spectrum and dense deployment, the capability to support agile frequency arrangement is critical. With multiple channel width options below 5 MHz, Virtual Fiber can gracefully handle the crowded RF environment in a such a way that the competition cannot match.

1) Industry Leading Ruggedness
The inherent industry leading ruggedness allows Redline products to be deployed in a variety of application scenarios in all kinds of challenging environmental conditions.

1.1) Connect Series Remote Terminal
The Connect series provides high-capacity wireless transport for an unparalleled range of applications. The flexible and compact Connect series feature all-outdoor installation for sites with TCP/IP-ready devices, split architecture and all-in-cabinet solutions for sites hosting TCP/IP and/or native serial bus equipment. The rugged build and ATEX/IECEx Zone 2 certification allow for confident deployment in hazardous locations.

1.2) Ultra Wide Temperature Range
Industry leading -40 to +75°C temperature range, for the most remote and challenging environments.

1.3) HazLoc
Redline Zone 1/2 certified equipment allows for deployment in the most dangerous locations.

1.4) Industrial Bands Fully Supported
The iLTE solution comes with major LTE bands supported, especially those popular in the industrial sector. The Virtual Fiber system covers bands including 5/3.5/2.5/2 GHz, TVWS band, etc. With iLTE and Virtual Fiber perfectly complementing each other, and the unified management system, customers can fully leverage the licensed and unlicensed spectrums to build the ultimate next generation wireless network.

1.5) All-Outdoor Design
All-outdoor design for ultimate ruggedness and versatility. Combined with all-natural convection for added reliability, our radios can be confidently deployed on top of towers, in tunnels, on offshore platforms, in dusty mines, by railroad waysides, in hot and humid tropical countries, and in rigid polar areas.

1.6) Versatile Energy Source
The low power consumption of the radios allows for deployment where there is no regular power source and an alternative energy source can be used to power up the radios, such as by solar panel in an emergency deployment.

2) Innovative Solutions, the RAS System
The industry-leading RAS system allows wireless data connections to be established for nomadic and mobile scenarios, where traditionally it is not possible for a Point-to-Point (PTP) and Point-to-Multipoint (PMP) system.

3) Standards-Based for the Greatest Versatility
Redline’s iLTE solution follows 3GPP standards for a clear roadmap for evolution and allows for easy integration or expansion. Customers can purchase a complete Redline iLTE solution or just the EPC or eNodeB, allowing the customer to customize their industrial solution.

Redline’s Virtual Fiber (VF) includes standard best-in-class security features such as AES 128/256 encryption, HTTPS (SSL), SSH (CLI), SNMP v3, and MAC-based Mutal Authentication. For applications demanding further security, ECDSA Certificates can be added and for applications requiring extreme security, certified FIPS-140-2 radios can be purchased in the range of frequency bands. It also provides a special secure mode which, once turned on, disables all non-secure interfaces and modes of operation in the system to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to the system.

For the iLTE solution, Redline follows the 3GPP architecture for the security requirements, porting telecom level security into the industrial sector. The end-to-end solution from Redline includes the eNodeB RAN access network and EPC core network. This full solution enables the customers to have full monitoring and control of the system all the way to handheld user equipment – the highest security that can be easily realized. For example, the eNodeBs come with firewalls enabled by default, only allowing the needed ports to be exposed. Regular releases of software patches are provided for always maintaining the highest security. The iLTE solution also includes multifactor authentication and channel encryption. The SIM card on each user equipment (UE) comes with unique cryptographic keys that keeps cyber-attacks at bay. When there is any suspicion about the integrity of the UE, the iLTE also allows the administrators to manage the access at the system side, such as the ability to disable the SIM card or simply block the UE from accessing the LTE network. Overall, Redline iLTE offers the next generation of security for industrial customers and gives the network operators a suite of tools to effectively manage the system for security.

Often, products from other vendors claiming to be “industrial” are not so industrial. For example, some vendors claim 200+ years of MTBF, with evaluations being made in ideal conditions, such as average ambient temperature range. This naturally gives impressively long MTBF, but it’s not realistic in the real world. If it’s considered for industrial use, it paints a misleading picture and will likely cause safety issues.

At Redline, we conduct comprehensive mechanical tests to mimic the real-world environment, including transportation, application environments, such as MIL-STD 810F for vibration and MIL-STD 810G for drop tests. Ingress protection is utterly important especially for environments exposed to high dust, and fresh & salt water, which is often seen in an industrial environment. All Redline radio enclosures are rated at ingress protection IP67. IP67 basically means total protection against dust and protection against temporary immersion between 15cm to 1m of water.

Redline’s innovative redundancy solutions lead the pack. The key network nodes can be deployed in a redundancy architecture for ultimate robustness, such as FlexCore EPC and ClearView NMS. What sets Redline’s innovative redundancy solutions apart is our in-the-air interface. Multiple technologies are available from Redline. When the spectrum resource is ample, customer can deploy the parallel redundancy protocol (PRP) for redundancy. Otherwise, customers can utilize sector redundancy. Both guarantee uninterrupted service 24/7/365.

Redline solutions are carefully designed to facilitate rapid deployment from end to end:

1) Purpose-built for Industrial Use
Redline’s eNodeB comes with BBU and RRU integrated, best suited for industrial customers. This cuts down not only on the configuration complexity, but also reduces the installation time since only one device needs to be physically installed. The elimination of BBU also means the customer does not need to have an air-conditioned equipment room below the tower, which means many more locations or towers will be eligible for the customer to choose from for deployment. This makes for faster deployment planning and roll out.

2) Light Weight and Compact Form Factor
Redline radios are best-in-class lightweight radios and feature a compact form-factor, resulting in one of the easiest equipment installations available for towers.

3) Integrated Radio and Antennas
Redline radios are designed in a compact form factor. Combined with the Redline antennas that comes with compatible mounting holes, the radio can be easily mounted on the back of the antennas in an integrated way. This means there is no need to find extra space on the tower or pole for the radio, and more eligible locations for quick roll out of the system.

4) Industrial PoE
All Redline radios can be powered via Power over Ethernet (PoE), so only one cable run is needed to have the radio connected instead of the two or more cables in the conventional way.

5) Versatile Energy Source
The low power consumption of the radios allows for deployment where there is no regular power source and an alternative energy source can be used to power up the radios, such as by solar panel in an emergency deployment.

1) Easily and Rapidly Deployable
Equipment from traditional telecom equipment vendors cannot compare to Redline’s easy-to-deploy and easy-to-use solutions. The whole Redline system is designed for IT personnel with basic training. In the traditional telecom approach, the focus is on massive network deployment, complex BSS/OSS integration, universal interoperability, etc. As a result, only heavily trained, dedicated personnel can handle the regular maintenance, which the telecom carriers have a massive service team to help with. This stark contrast resulted in our ultra-reliable architecture that is simple to deploy, comprehensive monitoring capabilities that is easy to learn & use, and cutting edge mobility solutions that can be managed by any IT team around the world.

2) Redline Virtual Fiber technology is Based on Layer 2 Architecture
Redline Virtual Fiber is built on a Layer 2 network topology. This was done with the intention of easing the integration into a customer’s existing networks, without adding any extra complexity.

3) Examples
Redline’s Rapid Alignment System (RAS) allows remote radios to self-align and connect automatically. This greatly reduces the complexity of deployment and day-to-day use, since the personnel who operate and move the assets do not need special skills to re-align or re-configure the wireless system. Redline developed multiple models of the RAS system for industrial operations for inland and offshore environments.

Redline offers a range of equipment that has been purpose built for deployment in dangerous and hazardous locations where regular equipment cannot be used, such as oil & gas, mining, and many other industries. Redline equipment is designed in accordance with the standards laid out by the industry regulation bodies around the world, such as ATEX, IECEX, etc. Certified by 3rd parties, Redline’s suite of ATEX/IECEX Zone 1/2 equipment offers a complete end-to-end solution for critical industry use, provides coverage in the locations previously not possible, and keep safety at the highest level at all times.

All Redline outdoor base stations and remote terminals are IP67 rated.

Rugged and field proven, IP67 with 100% humidity support, Redline radios are designed to operate in some of the world’s most challenging environmental conditions whether it is mountains of Alaska with frigid temperature conditions or deserts of Middle East with high temperature and humid conditions. They have been field proven in all conditions over the years.

Redline’s Virtual Fiber (VF) and iLTE solutions provide best-in-class latency for industrial customers.

1) VF Solution:
Redline’s industry-leading millisecond latency ensures that even the most time-sensitive services can be delivered over wide areas. This is realized by supporting the IEEE TSN (time sensitive networking) standards as well as other advanced technologies. VF can also work for customers who require deterministic latency, which is made possible by the fixed frame feature and the support of synchronization technologies like IEEE 1588 v2 and GPS.

2) iLTE Solution:
Redline field testing shows the iLTE solution’s latency being as low as 5ms, and averaging at 20ms at a 20 MHz channel configuration. In contrast, the 3GPP defined latencies are sub 100ms on the Control plane (C-Plane) and sub 10ms on the User plane (U-Plane). This test shows Redline’s iLTE solution has well surpassed the industry standard.

Redline adheres to the best industry guidance during the process of product design and actively pursues the highest safety standards, such as RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances), REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), and the wide use of lead-free materials.

At Redline, the well-being of our people comes first. Protecting our employees from injuries and occupational hazards is our top priority, and even our sub-contractors must adhere to our Health, Safety, and the Environment (HSE) policies. Our commitment to HSE is both substantiated and certified through our memberships with the following organizations that we are proud to be a part of.

Redline adds extra steps in the process to facilitate strengthening the quality of the system. Redline makes it a hard rule that all projects cannot move forward without RF planning, review and approval. This guarantees network coverage from the get-go to ensure the network performance is up to the expectation of the critical industry customers.

Redline University is established with a variety of training and certification programs designed to help the internal employees, external customers, and partners to not only understand our product, but more importantly to fully align the safety requirements from the critical industry with our associated design, development, implementation, maintenance, and optimization processes. The subsequent tests, as part of the training program, are carefully designed and carried out to ensure the knowledge has indeed been grasped for implementation, and the safety of the system eventually is guaranteed.

Redline is not finished the project once the equipment heads out the door. The Redline professional services, including on-site services, optimization services, preventative maintenance services, and all other services work together to improve the performance of the system to meet and surpass the design target, to be actively optimized as the customer’s needs and processes change, and ultimately further enhances the safety of the overall system.

We go for custom made parts whenever it is needed, instead of simply using off-the-shelf parts for convenience and low cost. For example, a lot of our clamps are custom made die-cast aluminum structural parts, which not only give us total quality control but also provides optimal strength and added longevity.

The NACE Study estimates the global cost of corrosion is $2.5 trillion US dollar annually. Redline adopts a suite of methods to effectively address of the possible corrosion, such as electroless nickel plating. This is a premium finish that offers superior protection for outdoor equipment. Other than Redline products, this technique is almost nowhere to be found in the industry due to the added cost but Redline applies this premium electroless nickel plating to all metal enclosures of our outdoor products for the ultimate protection and longevity in the harshest environments, avoiding network outages and accidents.

When selecting industrial-grade wireless equipment, attention must be given to the type of enclosure being used. For example, commercial-grade products will have a reduced lifecycle compared to a product with an industrialized enclosure.

While Redline radios offer high transmit power and long range coverage, all of our radios are adopting the all-natural-convection design to eliminate the need for fans and moving parts in the equipment. This goal of eliminating the forced convection is often a challenge but is worthwhile because it allows for superior durability/MTBF than competing offerings, which is critical for the industrial use cases.

100% ruggedness end-to-end solution: there is no cutting corners when it comes to ancillary products, be it from 3rd party or in-house. For example, for cables and connectors, we stringently qualify our vendors, and only consider the most reputable brands. On top of that, we select the industrial-grade line components from the qualified vendors instead of commercial lines. We also custom fabricate a large amount of brackets because most of the commercially available brackets off-the-shelf are not up to our standard.

Redline equipment comes with FIPS-compliant anti-tamper seals.

Redline regularly releases patches to address Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE), typically in a semiannual basis. There are also flexible maintenance releases to address the safety issues as they arise.

Redline’s industrial wireless solutions are designed with a focus on durability to provide a longer lifecycle compared to other solutions that focus on commercial wireless. As many of Redline’s customers have openly expressed, once the Redline system is installed and optimized, they “don’t need to go back”, in some cases for years.

Design wise, with the most stringent MTBF evaluations, our product features an outstanding MTBF at decades of years.

Redline products are designed and tested for long term reliable operation in extreme weather conditions, e.g. the Virtual Fiber (VF) RDL-3000 at -40 to 75 °C.

An example of Redline’s continuous improvement comes with the AN80i product line. Our investigation shows that the majority of AN80i failures were due to lightning and power surges. We then designed and added additional accessories to our product offerings (such as surge arrestors), worked with our customers to improve their installation practices, updated our installation documentation, and eventually embedded additional surge protection into our products so that the installation for the customers are kept at a minimum (i.e., the next generation of the AN80i is the RDL-3000 and has additional surge protection built in).

Redline’s iLTE solutions are optimized for industial networks that start at 25 UEs compared to the tens of thousands of UEs that a typical commercial public mobile network starts at. It also offers the capability to scale up smoothly to meet an industrial client’s future network demands as well.

Virtual Fiber (VF) allows the customers to go from as little as 2 sector controllers (e.g. for point-to-point scenarios) all the way to thousands of sector controllers and remote terminals (e.g. a mix of point-to-point and point-to-multipoint applications) for large scale deployments.

To maintain total control over our software and hardware platforms, Redline has a full stack in-house R&D development team. One of the key benefits of this capability is that we design the hardware platforms to be extremely power efficient for industrial use, especially where the availability of power is limited. The in-house expertise allows us to optimize the design in a very flexible way, for example by applying the premium high efficiency linear power converters at strategic locations and using regular linear power converters where the requirement is not as stringent. This approach gives the Redline products outstanding power efficiency, which often comes at over 80 or 90 per centage, at a relatively economical cost.

The RDL-3000/3100 family of products are powered via Power over Ethernet (PoE). With a total of 25 watt PoE power available to use, most of the RDL-3000/3100 family of products were able to fulfill the peak performance at a much lower power consumption. This efficiency made the RDL-3000 the industry leading radio.

When it comes to the iLTE solution, the RDL-6000 radio’s 70 watts average power consumption makes it the best-in-class available on the market.

The low power consumption of these radios allows for deployment flexibility. For example, at locations where the only power source is the renewable energy, such as solar panels.