RTS Bulgaria Partners with Mimosa to Deploy Large CCTV Networks and More
Crowded Spectrum No Match for Fiber-Fast Mimosa Fixed Wireless
Overview:
RTS BG is a distributor of communications equipment in Bulgaria.
Requirements:
The company needed reliable, high-speed radios capable of carrying video surveillance traffic with low latency in noisy, 5 GHz spectrum.
Solution:
RTS selected Mimosa access, client and backhaul devices, engineered with extended frequency support and designed for high-speed performance.
Results:
Mimosa solutions performed exceptionally well in challenging, high-traffic and noisy environments, delivering speeds of close to 1 Gbps.
One of the first private distributors of communications equipment in Bulgaria, RTS Bulgaria has over 25 years of experience supplying and deploying communications networks. With the tough macroeconomic climate over the past ten years, a growing area of focus for RTS is wireless networking technology, critical for the country’s development due to its low cost and fast roll out times.
The company offers solutions to the growing IP convergence industries, and focuses heavily on best-of-breed products, providing strong after-sales service and technical support. Most of RTS’ clients are internet service providers (ISPs) and businesses located in urban areas like Sofia, in addition to some larger rural-based businesses. The ISPs operate in small to medium-population towns and are frequently looking for a solution capable of providing their clients with speeds of 700 Mbps or more. Small to medium-sized business customers are looking to establish point-to-point links. RTS installs 40% of the equipment it sells.
Over several years, RTS has deployed Mimosa A5/A5c access points, B24 24 GHz point-to-point radios, B5c connectorized 5 GHz point-to-point radios, and C5/C5c clients for its customers. In addition to the devices, Vasilev routinely uses the Mimosa Design Tool when planning and configuring a network. “Mimosa is a great choice for our installations,” said Valeri Vasilev, Radio Transmission Engineer at RTS. “It gives us unparalleled high speeds which we need for some of our mission-critical security applications.”
The breakdown of RTS customers: urban, suburban & rural.
Mimosa Excels in HD Video Surveillance
In one recent installation, RTS was asked to design and deploy a reliable and high-speed end-to-end solution able to handle high-definition traffic from IP cameras. The client, the police station of the Municipality of Pravets, required the installation of 50 new IP cameras for video surveillance and traffic control including the identification of registration plates for cars across the entire city.
RTS selected two Mimosa A5c access points with 4x4 antennas and Mimosa C5 client devices. Post-installation, the network is performing very well and meeting the network’s high-bandwidth demands. The multipoint connections between the different locations are variable and range from 100 meters to 2 kilometers. The Mimosa A5c access points handle traffic at speeds of up to 150 Mbps, and are all running in SRS mode, with manual frequency settings. RTS was able to take advantage of the extended frequency capabilities of the Mimosa devices and operate outside of traditional unlicensed bands, in this case 4.9 GHz. The police station reported crime reduction by about 50%.
Command center at the police station showing all of the cameras.
Mimosa Design Tool with Spectrum Analyzer: RTS used the extended frequency capability of the Mimosa devices and operated in 4.9 GHz spectrum for the deployment of the traffic surveillance systems.
Traffic from CCTV cameras.
Mimosa’s Cloud software provides rich data for monitoring and troubleshooting radio operation.
In another installation, RTS is assisting a client to build a video surveillance network for the Municipality of Galabovo. This network contains over 40 Mimosa devices, including A5c access points, B5c point-to-point radios and C5 clients. This particular customer decided to run its network in private mode for confidentiality.
Mimosa Design Tool screenshots showing the network in Galabovo. The links appear in red as this network is in private-mode.
Mimosa Design Tool screenshot showing the list of Mimosa devices in the network in Galabovo. The links appear in red as this network is in private-mode.
This screenshot shows the links, from neighboring villages to the video surveillance center, connected with B5c point-to-point radios.
Mimosa B24 Point-to-Point Radio for Security Applications
In urban Sofia, RTS recently deployed the new Mimosa B24 24 GHz radio in a private estate which was operating over 50 security cameras. Due to the customer’s request of confidentiality, RTS can only share the test results of the B24 between two routers over a 600 meter link, where the radios are consistently seeing speeds of up to 970 Mbps. According to Vasiljev, the B24 is perfectly suited for this type of short-distance, urban application as it operates in the uncongested 24 GHz spectrum, escaping the noisy 5 GHz band, and optimized for links under 2 km.
“We were most impressed with Mimosa’s new 24 GHz radio — simply superb performance!” said Vasilev. “This opens up a whole lot of spectrum for our clients. Given the speeds we are seeing and the exceptional price/performance, I expect it will be a very popular choice.”
Mimosa B5c Connectorized Point-to-Point Radio
In picturesque town of Godech, Bulgaria, RTS deployed Mimosa B5c connectorized devices for an ISP, successfully replacing the licensed 7 GHz Nera City link. After installing Mimosa devices in the network, the ISP has seen a four-fold increase in capacity.
A screen shot from the spectrum analyzer.
A bandwidth test after installation of the Mimosa B5c at a link distance of 45 km.
A view of the Mimosa B5c installed in the town of Godech, and successful integration into the existing link with MW antennas.
Mimosa A5c and C5c in Macedonia
In Novo Selo in Macedonia, near the Bulgarian border, RTS deployed a number of Mimosa A5c access and C5c client devices. Radio Engineer, Vladimir Chavkowski, initially deployed the Mimosa A5c access points in WiFi interop mode, and over time, replaced third-party client devices with Mimosa C5c clients between the settlements. The upgrade resulted in much higher network stability, and customer service has greatly improved, with no more interruption complaints. The A5c access points are each supporting between 30-45 customers in WiFi interop mode, and the customers are reliably receiving the capacity they pay for.
A screenshot of the A5c in interop mode with C5c client devices.
The Mimosa Cloud tool listing all of the client devices.
The Mimosa Cloud monitoring of the deployments in Macedonia (left), as well as the link between Bulgaria and Macedonia which is a back up for the fiber optic link (right).
In addition to his praise for the B24, Vasilev gives equally high marks to Mimosa’s A5c and C5c products. “The A5c is a workhorse, outperforming in urban environments, maintaining high traffic and low latency, and we have found the C5c simultaneously holds high traffic and a large number of client antennas — just what we need!”
“We have worked with Mimosa Networks for many years, and we are convinced that by offering our customers Mimosa fiber-fast products, we can provide the most reliable solutions for their business,” said Vasilev. “With network capacity requirements constantly growing, RTS has focused on providing reliable solutions for rural wireless broadband, surveillance and security and mobile operators. And for all this we trust Mimosa and their products. Keep up the good work, Mimosa!”
“We have worked with Mimosa Networks for many years, and we are convinced that by offering our customers Mimosa fiber-fast products, we can provide the most reliable solutions for their business”