Google plans to build a "smart city" in Canada.

Google has been given the green light to build a "smart city" in an area of Toronto, where it plans to create a hi-tech district with ecological buildings, robots, and data-collecting sensors. The project is actually the brainchild of Sidewalk Labs, a Google-affiliate urban innovation company. Initially, it was designed to cover an area of 190 ha, but institutions that oversee the development area have only given the go-ahead to 12 ha. This is because several ideas have proved too controversial; some of these continue to be on the table and can still be implemented. One such idea is to create urban sidewalks that would collect detailed pedestrian data, later processed by Sidewalk Labs. The local authorities did not like the prospect.

Sidewalk Labs has presented a 1524-page master plan for its hi-tech urban utopia dream. Some of its most spectacular features include e.g. heated roads and an underground delivery system. The district is expected to cut greenhouse emissions by 89% compared to other areas of Toronto. In theory, the project would also help create as many as 44,000 new jobs.

A final evaluation and public consultations are underway. The final decision is set for March 2020, after which building could begin.

Sidewalk Labs won an initial contract to develop the area in 2017. However, doubts have since arisen as to the transparency of the agreement with Waterfront Toronto. In return for its investment in the area, Sidewalk Labs expects to take a portion of local property taxes and development fees. This approach is opposed by local residents, who formed a new organization, Block Sidewalk, to stop the investment from taking place.

IP camera signals in multi-family homes.

IP cameras do not transmit a signal, but a data stream, which makes it much more difficult to view the image on multiple screens at once. In order to feed the CCTV IP camera signal into the TV system, intermediary devices, such as HDMI - DVB-T digital modulators are usually required. Modulators convert the output HDMI signal received from CCTV recorders to DVB-T standard. Most installers opt for single-channel and multi-channel (max. 4) modulators. But what if the investor requires the TV+SAT installation to receive image data from 12 or more IP cameras, with each camera presented in a separate channel?

The ideal solution would be to use a mix-440 R81611 transmodulator to convert the RTSP stream from the 12 IP cameras to DVB-T COFDM standard. This would allow you to feed H.264 or H.265 signals into the R/TV+SAT installation without having to install multple intermediary devices (DVB-T modulators).

An example of a multiswitch installation designed to distribute DVB-T (MUX-1, MUX-2, MUX-3, MUX-8) terrestrial TV signals, DVB-S/S2 satellite signals, and CCTV image data from 12 IP cameras.
The application of the mix440 R81611 transmodulator allows to stream camera images in every apartment.

In accordance with its design, the above SMATV system receives signals from one satellite position (Hotbird 13.0 E), DVB-T broadcasts (in the VHF and UHF bands), FM radio signals, and IP camera images. The antenna array consists of an 80 cm satellite dish (TRIAX 80 TD A9642) with an A98257 quattro converter, TV antennas (DIPOL 44/21-60 DVB-T UHF A2670 and DIPOL 7/5-12 A0710), and a radio antenna (A0221). The power levels of individual DVB-T multiplexes in the UHF band are equalized using an at440 R82511 channel amplifier. Before entering the multiswitch system, DVB-T from the UHF and VHF bands, as well as FM radio signals, are additionally amplified by a ma400 R82520 amplifier. The system as a whole relies on TERRA MV-5xx multiswitches. SD-5xx taps with MV-508 R70708 multiswitches are used to split signals from the 5-cable bus to individual staircase subnetworks .

Terminating telecommunication systems in the apartment

Regardless of the specific laws adopted in a given country, it is always a good practice to terminate telecommunication systems in a connection box located near the entrance door. The universal character of these boxes makes them suitable for use with all kinds of cabling and services.

The OMT-35 R96025 flush-mounted cable box is intended both for apartments in multifamily buildings and single-family homes. It is suitable for copper wiring (twisted pair cables, TV coaxial cables) and optical fibers, in any configuration. The box is divided into three compartments: a smaller one for keeping spare cables, a larger one to place passive (e.g. TV/SAT splitters) and active (RF amplifiers, cable modems) components of the home system, and an intermediate panel carrying connectors/adapters.

The panel has 8 holes for universal Keystone connectors, 8 holes for F connectors, and 2 openings for fiber-optic adapters.

The application of the OMT-35 R96025 box in an apartment

DIPOL's portfolio also features other models of home junction boxes. Which will work best for you depends on the size of the casing, the mounting type of cable-termination connectors, the availability of a 230 VAC outlet, and the available space for spare cables.

The cheapest point-to-point connection system by TP-Link.

The CPE605 N2351 outdoor access point is dedicated for WISPs, allowing to provide wireless data transmission services. The main operation modes of the device include "Access Point", "WISP", "AP Router", "Client", and "Bridge". CPE605 has a weather-resistant housing. Thanks to the high antenna gain (23 dBi), high EIRP output power (23 dBm), and high radio module sensitivity, the device allows to create stable, efficient, long-range wireless connections.

Device application example

A dedicated software, Pharos Control, allows to manage all CPE605 network access points from a single computer. Its functionalities include device discovery, status monitoring, software upgrades, and network management. A user-friendly, web-based management system, PharOS, provides access to more advanced device settings.

Pharos, the TP-link device management app

Hikvision IP NVR for large systems.

DS-9664NI-I8 K22364 is a cutting-edge 64-channel IP recorder dedicated for building large and heavy-duty systems. Thanks to its 8 SATA ports, it can be connected to 8 hard disks with a total capacity of 80 TB, and hooked up directly to a computer or TV screen using any of its two HDMI or VGA connectors. When connected to an 12 mp IP camera, the device can be employed to monitor wide areas in high resolution; it is also possible to use it with cameras dedicated for license plate recognition. The RAID matrix protects the system against the loss of recorded data in the event of disk failure.

In 2019, the K22364 recorder was used to build an extensive surveillance system in the building and the practice lot of a driver examination center.

How to convert Hikvision device recordings.

Hikvision IP recorders and cameras generate recordings in an internal format. Video files contain additional image description data, e.g. on movement detection and facial recognition, and each frame comes with an integrated authentication watermark, which makes recordings difficult to play on most available video players. To address this issue, the producer has released a special, elaborate software solution, VSPlayer, which allows to reproduce and convert the recordings. The device is able to convert the Hikvision format to standard formats (MPEG2, MP4, 3GPP, MOV, AVI and FLC), as well as to change the resolution, bitrate, fps, and audio codec parameters of the output recording.

View of the Format Converter window

Multi-mode optical fibers and 10 Gbit/s transmission . 10 Gbps transmission is becoming the new standard in office, multi-family, and single-family home networks, required both in the network backbone and endpoints... >>>more

When using SFP+ 10 Gbps multimode modules in the network (above: L1425),
installers should adapt the fiber standard to the transmission distance

Vertical mounting system in 19" RACK cabinets