Mobile 3G router for public safety
I have talked with a number of public safety organizations over the last few years about how they extend network connectivity to patrol officers that make stops. The benefits are tremendous. By having the ability to run a car tag and a driver’s license through the Georgia Crime Information Center, the officer is able to immediately identify individuals with warrants out for their arrest, stolen cars, and any number of other issues.
The ability to run this information through the GCIC database is always available, by calling in the information over the radio, and having it looked up, but at that point it sometimes becomes more trouble than its worth.
There are lots of different proposals for economically extending reliable and secure network connectivity to public safety vehicles. There are basically two options:
- Private data network like Mobile Wimax, Motorola Canopy, or 802.11 mesh. These all require a significant investment of capital to get going. It is best in flat, mostly treeless areas, and communities that either are well funded or have talented grant writers.
- Cellular Networks. Now that 3G is being rolled out in many places, and 1xRTT is available everywhere, the speeds and coverage are pretty good. The monthly cost is also down to acceptable levels.
Many departments are mounting laptops in their vehicles, and putting 3G cards in the laptop. This is the least expensive option, which is why it is the most popular. Some of the issues with it are:
- Laptop has to run aVPN client, so unprotected internet access is possible.
- Only the laptop has access.
- Wireless coverage is poor using small antenna in car.
We have gone back and forth with various options. There have been a number of different wireless routers made available; Linksys and DLink both make routers for about $150 that can take a 3G PC card, connect to the internet, then make wired and 802.11 connection to users in the vehicle. The issue with these types of boxes is their consumer grade construction and lack of both comprehensive security and remote management features.
At the other end of the spectrum is the Cisco mobile access router. This $8000 box is just about everything you could want. It can have multiple 802.11 cards, multiple 3G cards, encryption, is rugged, and DC powered. Using the Cisco mobile router functionality, it can maintan a single perceived remote IP address even though the connection path changes during transit. Its downside is its price. No organization I have worked with has been able to justify the $8000 price.
So now comes a happy medium. There have been 3G WIC cards available from Cisco for a while. We use one in our mobile voice demo router, which happens to be a 2800. It uses Dynamic Multipoint VPN, so we can get a dynamic IP address from either the 3G card or the wired port, and it finds its way back to our network headend. With DMVPN, we could even add an 802.11 card into the box that could act in client mode, and have 3 different ways of connecting back. At about $3000/box, that is still too expensive for most organizations, but it is getting closer to the $1000/box mark they are looking for. The 3G card makes a great backup to an MPLS network, and the rate plan of about $60/month for 5Gb of data is just about worth it.
Any day now Cisco is going to ship the 881 router. This will be the answer to many needs. It should be around $1000, and will have both 3G and 802.11n capability, with Cisco’s full router security suite of firewall, VPN, and other capabilites. I keep checking stock at our distributors, and although there are none availaible yet, the presence of a part number means they should start shipping soon.
The 802.11n built into the router means the public safety vehicle could have a secure wireless bubble around it, extending the capability of secure communications back to GCIC from an 802.11 device. Once that is availiable, it is a short step to having a device that gives the patrol officer the capability to read a driver’s license by swiping it through a card reader, and having an immediate answer to any questions or concerns about the person right then and there.
Unfortunately there does not appear to be a 12 or 24 VDC powered version of the Cisco 881 router planned, so there will be some efficiency loss, but this box could find its way into the trunks of many police cars over the next few years as a reliable, secure, and inexpensive 3G and 802.11n router from Cisco becomes available.