The World's Largest Transit Counts on EtherWAN for IP-based PA Systems

A massive transportation system in the U.S. moves millions of passengers daily across its almost 500 stations. With safety as a priority, passengers must have access to up-to-the-minute information, as well as be able to instantly report emergencies.

After more than a century of operation, a major metropolitan subway recently found itself using an antiquated system for the reporting of emergencies and information requests. This passenger-help system was troublesome to scale, and required frequent repairs. The city authorities kicked off an initiative to improve this system by collaborating with various vendors to develop the best solution – an integrated IP-based kiosk featuring high-quality voice communications, straightforward deployment, centralized management, supreme scalability and the robust network performance needed in a public safety solution.

To provide a better passenger experience, the systems integrator planned to update the existing analog intercoms to IP-based kiosks. However, several challenges quickly arose, including power issues, logistics issues, bandwidth issues, and maintenance/durability issues... read more

EtherWAN's hardened EX78000 Series PoE switches were employed for this extensive subway infrastructure project, supplying ample power for wireless access points and surveillance cameras directly through LAN cables. Since there was limited space in the installation areas, EtherWAN offered a customized mechanical design in regards to the physical dimensions and connector placement... read more