Challenge
The Icehouse Canyon trail is a popular hiking destination in dense, mountainous forests near Mt. Baldy, California, and very susceptible to wildland fires. Cellular and radio coverage is limited given the terrain, and the towers in the area aim signal in the opposite direction below towards the Los Angeles Basin. As a result, responders in the area are forced to conduct rescue operations without reliable communications.
Benefits
Mesh network penetrates deep into dense forests
By breadcrumbing between multiple portable mesh HyphaCAPs down the trail through dense forest terrain into known coverage dead spots, responders accessed Wi-Fi enabled smartphones, tablets and laptops more than 2 miles away from the LTE backhaul at the vehicle.
No internet, no problem
HyphaMESH devices allow responders to communicate with no internet connection. With smartphones connected over Wi-Fi to the HyphaCAPs, first responders used the ATAK situational awareness application to edit and share wildland fire map perimeters and notes in real-time within the local area mesh network, communicating with each other without internet connectivity.
Solution
A vehicle equipped with a HyphaNODE and a Cradlepoint IBR900 providing LTE backhaul was parked at the edge of known LTE coverage. From there fire/EMS personnel took their portable HyphaCAPs with Wi-Fi access and spread out to locations with no cellular and LMR coverage. The HyphaCAPs maintained connectivity up to a half mile away from each other, creating a secure, encrypted wireless mesh network.