Background

Earthquake detection now relies more and more on wireless networks, especially cellular. Satellite communication is costly, requires a large power source and is limited by bandwidth and latency considerations. Satellite also is unsuitable for areas with dense foliage or high mountains blocking the signal between the satellite and the remote site. Cellular has become overwhelmingly the dominant choice for seismic telemetry.

Seismic monitoring requires a reliable network connection:

● Reliable in extreme climates: wide temperature range and humidity tolerance

● Low power consumption for battery usage

● Robust, with link auto-recovery and auto-reboot

A university choses InHand cellular technology for seismic equipment monitoring.

Solution

In this project, the university targeted a large earthquake-prone area for monitoring. They built thousands of seismic stations to gather information and added a seismic monitor in each station. The sensor records very small vibrations into an event file. The event file contains information like intensity, a time-stamp, waveform data and other parameters. The seismic station then relays this event file back to an earthquake study center for analysis.

If the university chose to use satellite they would face problems with high expenses and low bandwidth, so they made a decision to choose the InHand cellular networking solution. In each station, an IR700 cellular router is connected to a seismic monitor with an RJ45 cable. The seismic monitor can then transmit data to the research center over a secured 3G cellular connection.

One of the biggest challenges faced by the university was the reliability of the cellular network. The sites were located in remote areas far removed from normal cellular coverage. The IR700 boasts excellent link detection and auto-recovery mechanisms, allowing it to reconnect to the internet within five minute whenever it loses signal.

Advantages

1. InHand cellular data transmission excels in field telemetry because of its advantages:

● Ruggedized for harsh conditions

● Low power consumption: 3.6 W maximum

● Wide Operating Temperature: -25~70 °C, -13~158 °C

● Power Inputs: 12~48 VDC, Industrial Terminal Block

● Immunity to EMI

2. Link auto-recovery and auto-reboot to ensure network devices are always online.